04-20-2007, 01:24 AM
I'm no biblical scholar. As I like to tell the Mormons when they stop by and offer me a copy of the 3rd book of the Bible: "I haven't read the first two yet".
The problem with Christianity is humanity. Don't throw the book out with the bath water, but realize that this and all religions have been filtered through the human ego. Think Monks spending their whole lives writing and rewriting texts. <span style='color:red'>That is where 'Only way to God is through me' comes from. I think that line has been the most detrimental to Christianity and has caused the many back lashes to it including the current one. (I much prefer 'judge not', a great early Bob Marley song if you can find it). And like all 'lashes', backwards or forewords, somebody is going to try and make money off it.</span>
Christianity in the US has not been sold well. The best they can come up with is billboards saying 'Jesus is Love'. The common person does not understand this. If they sit home at night, and their life is full of sorrow or pain, and they reached a place where they feel like they can't go on, and all they have is the 'Jesus is love' billboard or images of people being saved that they witnessed while channel surfing they might try and accept the fact that all they have to do is ask Jesus for help and they will feel him, like a rush, maybe like a feeling when they drink too much and smoke allot of pot.
It doesn't happen like that.
Everyone has their own path, but <span style='color:blue'>I became a better 'Christian' through Buddhism. Buddha was never thought to be a God until after he died and various sects developed. By the time it got to Japan it was samurai (Yeah, Iâll meditate, but I'm keeping this sword over my lap). All Buddha did was sit under a tree, which is really all any of us has to do.</span>
This looking for facts to prove or disprove. Well, people who need that perhaps are not the most faithful. I remember a favorite english teacher tell us the bible can be summed up with 'Have Faith". I think that is true of all religions. But I do believe that the current doubting in this information age will lead to some good âlooking inwardâ situations for all people.
I hope that after I save the world that people 2000 years from now don't waste time and money digging up my trailer site to find remnants of my laptop. Get on with your lives! Go help some old person with her yard work. Go teach a kid to read. Stop digging around here! Get out of my yard!
As for Jesus not smiling or laughing, well, being somebody who also has a very dry sense of humor I can attest that if 'The poor you will have with you always, how long are you going to have me?' wasn't a joke by a man who knew he was soon to die to a man who soon will betray him then I don't know what is.
The problem with Christianity is humanity. Don't throw the book out with the bath water, but realize that this and all religions have been filtered through the human ego. Think Monks spending their whole lives writing and rewriting texts. <span style='color:red'>That is where 'Only way to God is through me' comes from. I think that line has been the most detrimental to Christianity and has caused the many back lashes to it including the current one. (I much prefer 'judge not', a great early Bob Marley song if you can find it). And like all 'lashes', backwards or forewords, somebody is going to try and make money off it.</span>
Christianity in the US has not been sold well. The best they can come up with is billboards saying 'Jesus is Love'. The common person does not understand this. If they sit home at night, and their life is full of sorrow or pain, and they reached a place where they feel like they can't go on, and all they have is the 'Jesus is love' billboard or images of people being saved that they witnessed while channel surfing they might try and accept the fact that all they have to do is ask Jesus for help and they will feel him, like a rush, maybe like a feeling when they drink too much and smoke allot of pot.
It doesn't happen like that.
Everyone has their own path, but <span style='color:blue'>I became a better 'Christian' through Buddhism. Buddha was never thought to be a God until after he died and various sects developed. By the time it got to Japan it was samurai (Yeah, Iâll meditate, but I'm keeping this sword over my lap). All Buddha did was sit under a tree, which is really all any of us has to do.</span>
This looking for facts to prove or disprove. Well, people who need that perhaps are not the most faithful. I remember a favorite english teacher tell us the bible can be summed up with 'Have Faith". I think that is true of all religions. But I do believe that the current doubting in this information age will lead to some good âlooking inwardâ situations for all people.
I hope that after I save the world that people 2000 years from now don't waste time and money digging up my trailer site to find remnants of my laptop. Get on with your lives! Go help some old person with her yard work. Go teach a kid to read. Stop digging around here! Get out of my yard!
As for Jesus not smiling or laughing, well, being somebody who also has a very dry sense of humor I can attest that if 'The poor you will have with you always, how long are you going to have me?' wasn't a joke by a man who knew he was soon to die to a man who soon will betray him then I don't know what is.