Their name is Legion
- Thread starter Tranquillus in Exile
- Start date
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
What's not to love? Jesus isn't the fucking problem, it's some of his fan clubs.
Remember those Westboro Baptist Church assholes? They made themselves person non grata around here after they started upsetting military funerals.
They're an aberration. Like you, you'd like them.
Most Christian churches aren't like them although the growth among the Evangelical nutjobs is personally disturbing to me.Fortunately, they're only about 25% of the population with several subdivisions within themselves. Still, too much of them in Washington for my tastes.
https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Who knows? That's why it's a matter of faith.
Second time, what's the bug up your ass about fucking Jesus, Jack? Make a point. That's what I'd like to see. Something new.
Agreed. I vaguely recall a few differences of opinion regarding the divinity of Jesus. Some thought he was and some thought he wasn't although both sides declared themselves to be Christians.
Lots of blood spilled over it, IIRC. We can see who won.
The Irish seemed to have a similar dispute with some "Troubles" back in the 60s, IIRC.
A lot of people died arguing about the humanity of Jesus vs the divinity of Jesus.
The important thing for me is not whether Jesus could shoot lightning bolts out of his finger tips, or turn two fish into 200. A lot of that is undoubtedly embellishment and metaphor.
The important thing to me is the collective moral philosophy Jesus reportedly taught: universal love, charity, mercy, and the golden rule.
You simply cannot go wrong emulating the core moral philosophy of Jesus, the core tenets of Zarathustra, or the eightfold path of the Buddha -- whether you are Christian, agnostic, or atheist.
Jesus was a radical apocalypticist, so undoubtedly some of the Pharisees wanted him out of the picture.
But Pontius Pilate would not have given a rat's ass about Jewish theological debates.
His job was to protect the interests of the Roman empire, and executing perceived political threats was his job, and one he reportedly was ruthless at.
The minute Pontius Pilate suspected Jesus had been advertising himself as King of the Jews, was the minute his life was forfeit.
I've made it a few times. --->'How many people believe in a 'Man-God' '? Do you also believe that Kings, Czars, Empresses, and Dear Leaders are descended from Gods?I thought the Jews were given a choice who to kill? A Murder or Jesus. (?)
A later Christian addition or embellishment, which does not pass the sniff test of historical criteria I don't think the earliest Gospel Mark has that story, and the later Gospels progressively tried to place more blame on the Jews. There clearly was a concerted effort to progressively heap more blame on the Jews.
The historical context is that Pontius Pilate was ruthless to perceived political enemies of the state, and a Roman governor would not have hesitated to execute someone claiming to be a king of the Jews
It seems everyone has their own Storyline.
"Jesus And The Hidden Contradictions Of The Gospels"
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/124572693
"Professor BART EHRMAN (Religious Studies, University of North Carolina; Author, "Jesus, Interrupted"): I think it's important to know that each of these authors of the New Testament had a different message. What people tend to do is - allied the various teachings of, say, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John so that if Matthew portrays Jesus in one way and Mark portrays him in a different way, what people do is they conflate the two accounts so that Jesus says and does everything that he says in Matthew and in Mark. But when you do that, you, in fact, rob each of these authors of their own integrity as an author."
According to this guy, the 4 Gospels contradict each other.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Agreed 100%. The wisdom is the message. How some modern churches choose to interpret that message is on them.
You mentioned the Dead Sea Scrolls. Here's something interesting:
"And if Qumran indeed housed religious ascetics who turned their backs on what they saw as Jerusalem’s decadence, then the Essenes may well represent a previously unknown link between Judaism and Christianity. “John the Baptizer, Jesus’ teacher, probably learned from the Qumran Essenes—though he was no Essene,” says James Charlesworth, a scrolls scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary. Charlesworth adds that the scrolls “disclose the context of Jesus’ life and message.” Moreover, the beliefs and practices of the Qumran Essenes as described in the scrolls—vows of poverty, baptismal rituals and communal meals—mirror those of early Christians. As such, some see Qumran as the first Christian monastery, the cradle of an emerging faith."
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-wrote-the-dead-sea-scrolls-11781900/
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Not a fucking clue. No.
Last time, what's this fucking bug up your ass about Jesus. If you don't want to answer, I'm done with you on this topic. Go take your meds.
Is Jesus the 'Son of God'?
Was there a 'Miraculous Conception'?
Did Jesus 'walk on water'?
Will 'the Meek inherit the Earth'?
If you are 'Good' will you go to Heaven, if you are 'Bad' will you go to 'Hell'?
Did Jesus 'Arise' after he was killed?
How about the 'Message' you say you love and hold dear. When Bin Laden & Associates knocked down 2 Buildings, killing 3,000 Americans, did you 'turn the other cheek'? Did you 'Forgive your Trespassers'? See. Like most, you don't really embrace a 'slave mentality' that Christianity imposes.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Take your fucking meds, Jack.
I understand why you don't want to answer. Most like the idea of 'going to Heaven'.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Take your meds or answer my question, Jack
You must be more of a Believer than I thought you were. I know how these questions will make Believers become unglued. I will let you regain your calm. I'll stop asking you questions you prefer not to answer. Prefer not to think about.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Answer my question or take your meds, Jack.
I have probably posted more info from professor Bart Ehrman than anyone in the history of this board.
It is crystal clear from my body of posts in this thread that the Gospels are inconsistent - which is clear evidence they constitute four different, independent sources about the life of Jesus.
The job of the scholar of antiquity is to use the methods of historical scholarship to tease out the elements of historicity attested to in the New Testament
What's not to love? Jesus isn't the fucking problem, it's some of his fan clubs.
Remember those Westboro Baptist Church assholes? They made themselves person non grata around here after they started upsetting military funerals.
They're an aberration. Like you, you'd like them.
Fortunately, they're only about 25% of the population with several subdivisions within themselves. Still, too much of them in Washington for my tastes.
https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/
I find that in United States, anti-christian zealots simply assume that a scripturally-based, biblical literalist style of Christianity somehow represents world Christianity at large.
That is undoubtedly a bias which results from the fact this is not only a Protestant majority county, but our strain of Protestantism has a substantial evangelical and Puritan-flavor to it