Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
1: huh? lol further ahead in what sense?
"satan" as far as i have heard merely means "enemy".
although there are spiritual influences out there. they influence thoughts, and there is a being who influences greed, and hatred, and i have heard this being referred to by two names, perhaps they are separate, perhaps one and the same; Belial, and Demurge.
influences like this go against free will, so we are, in a sense, at odds, as most spirits look down upon interfering with free will.
2: why need we remain uncomfertable with ourselves? what purpose does this serve?
i've heard of humility and being humble, but to be uncomfertable with one's self seems arbitrary to me.
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." â??Matthew 10:28
"But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." â??Luke 12:5
Read your Bible before you go off saying that Jesus portrayed a God we should not fear. Remember that Jesus and the New Testament introduced one critical new element that was absent in Jewish theology: eternal hellfire. Jews don't believe in hell. That's a New Testament thing. Jews fear God for reasons other than the idea that he'll kick your ass after you're dead if you don't play nice.
It's no surprise lots of Christians who later wanted to manipulate the masses latched onto this idea of a God we should fear because he'll send you to hell if you don't beg him for forgiveness. Fear is an excellent way to manipulate people, and when they fear the almighty creator of the universe, they will play right into your hands so long as you appear to represent that being.
The teachings of Jesus are so effective at trapping people into fear precisely because on the surface the ideology he promotes seems so nice and peaceful. Love thy neighbor, love thy enemy, turn the other cheek, give to the poor and forgive people...yeah, these are good ideas, we say. This Jesus guy sure must know what he's talking about. He tells us he is the only way to salvation, and he seems like a charming enough fellow, so why not trust him? Oh, then he mentions that if he doesn't forgive you for every sin you commit you face everlasting punishment.
Everlasting fucking punishment. From a God who is supposed to be loving and forgiving. But hey, the Lord works in mysterious ways. We can't possibly understand why eternal torture is really merciful. Besides, if you don't believe in this God and you're wrong, well, you're pretty fucked, so you might as well err on the side of caution and do what the priest and the holy book say God wants you to do. Such was the thinking for millennia.
But the influence of Christianity is waning. Christians themselves are slowly starting to abandon a lot of the core ideas that drove their ideology for all this time, especially the concept of hell. I've seen lots of Christians totally ignore those passages about Jesus promising everlasting punishment, and just not believe in hell anymore. Their concept of morality is becoming more and more nebulous. For most Christians, it has seemed to dwindle down to one line by Jesus about loving your neighbor. Be nice, basically. Which is the morality most people have anyways, so the Christian doctrine no longer plays a significant impact on most people's everyday moral judgments.
And God himself is becoming more and more nebulous. No longer is he Yahweh the sky god who lives above the firmament upon which the celestial bodies are affixed. He is a vague energy that permeates the cosmos, or maybe he's the entire cosmos itself. He is still intelligent and self-aware in these people's minds, but he is something you can't understand, can't communicate with, can't detect in any way shape or form, and is just there, subtly influencing events in ways we can't directly observe. He's just a mysterious force field that's "out there" and generally making sure there's a certain amount of goodness in the world in some vague sense.
Hopefully these ideas will become more and more nebulous to the point where Christianity is totally irrelevant. I am happy to report that it is well on its way, at least here in the blue states, and apparently over in Europe too.
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stoner Shadow Wolf
1: huh? lol further ahead in what sense?
"satan" as far as i have heard merely means "enemy".
although there are spiritual influences out there. they influence thoughts, and there is a being who influences greed, and hatred, and i have heard this being referred to by two names, perhaps they are separate, perhaps one and the same; Belial, and Demurge.
influences like this go against free will, so we are, in a sense, at odds, as most spirits look down upon interfering with free will.
2: why need we remain uncomfertable with ourselves? what purpose does this serve?
i've heard of humility and being humble, but to be uncomfertable with one's self seems arbitrary to me.
Being in a state of confusion weakens the ego and makes spiritual experiences closer to your reach. So u see, when I said that shit to u a long time ago and u dissapeared for awhile, I was only trying to plunge you into a state of confusion.
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
Oneir, I dont believe in the bible ESPECIALLY not the litteral translations lol..I only believe in the Living Word, which is jesus's words being recorded today.
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
I don't belive in the bible, let alone christianity or any other religion. I only believe in God. Man made religion, not God
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
Quote:
Originally Posted by PureEvil760
Being in a state of confusion weakens the ego and makes spiritual experiences closer to your reach. So u see, when I said that shit to u a long time ago and u dissapeared for awhile, I was only trying to plunge you into a state of confusion.
how coy...
isnt trickery the tool of the devil? hehehe im just givin ya shit :p
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
I totally agree man. I am a theology major actually, so I do have credibility in this area.
According to the Gospels of Matthew (70-80 AD), Mark (60-70 AD), and Luke (75-80 AD), Jesus is killed because he cleansed the temple. In the Gospel of John, which is the latest (90-100 AD) and most Gnostic canonical gospel, Jesus is killed because he raises Lazarus. The raising was his last "sign" which seemed to piss off the Jews.
Also, there are errors in the gospels themselves and the rest of the Bible as most people are probably aware of. Most fundamental Christian preachers will say that the Bible is the infallible word of God but they are at a loss to explain it when they see it.
The Christianity that you know of today was entirely different than what was in the 1st century AD. There was no Trinity doctrine, or Jesus is God.
Religion in itself is not really a bad thing, but unfortunately it had a tendency to go toward misuse if control is on the agenda. Religion really is a control method. All cultures and religions have experienced this.
From my studies and own interpretation of Scripture, Jesus never intended to have an actual religion. The Kingdom of God is within you. It seems that you have to come to know your own definition of God as Jesus did, because reality in the end is really your own interpretation. Ye are gods!!
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stoner Shadow Wolf
how coy...
isnt trickery the tool of the devil? hehehe im just givin ya shit :p
That is a way of putting it..but the "devil" is only a tool so that we may see what is false and move beyond it, anyone that does not see god everywhere is under control of the devil, so just about everyone is.
Chistians=FEAR Jesus=LOVE
real good stuff here... i was raised a christian and now just consider myself a traveller of the spiritual journey, though i do follow the principle teachings of jesus (essentially love).
amazing how jesus came to set people free from the old testament laws... so after he does that... everyone gathers together the ideas that brought the freedom, set up new laws using them, and enter right back into bondage...
i think organized religion is a bit of a necessary evil. most people cannot handle the "insecurity" brought from the absence of absolutes. they are like "sheep" and just want someone to follow to feel safe, purposeful, etc.
the beauty of life is balance. those stuck in the dogma are kept on their toes by liberal thinkers. tradition which most liberal thinkers use as a springboard is kept alive through the dogma. balance...
