Australian premier twits church's ‘Jesus loves Osama’ sign

I am not sure whether to take this news seriously or to laugh.

News Source

SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Thursday criticized a Sydney church for displaying a billboard saying "Jesus loves Osama."

Underneath the message that referred to Jesus' love for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was a line of text quoting the Bible verse Matthew 5:44: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Terrorism & Religion. What a Mix.....

Well, I hope you don't take offense, but I agree with the church's stance on what they believe in. Jesus did in fact preach this message and hold his followers to that kind of measure. It is of no surprise that the PM would be a critic. I mean since when have politicians been in agreement with being truly righteous?? The best they have done is to make the majority happy, which is just being democratic and not at all propounding what Jesus talked about as being like the Kingdom of Heaven - but that is another debate in and of itself.

Interesting tidbit though!

Originally posted by ben91069
Well, I hope you don't take offense, but I agree with the church's stance

No offense taken. I am christian too. I believe in the preaching;"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Aslo to add, that "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is wrong.
I just find it hard to understand that some people will go as far as this.
You know, like in this case, for the most infamous terrorist, and will take extra effort just to expresse it in public.

Originally posted by searching_for_truth
[
Aslo to add, that "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is wrong

wasn't that the Old Testament?

It is sad to watch all the warmongering, hateful, politicians who claim to follow Jesus and all they talk about is war and killing more non white people around the world.

Jesus said to love your enemy and turn the other cheek. He did not say bomb your enemy into the stone age, destroy their infrastructure, steal their resources, and torture them in foreign lands.

It is a real shame that the spiritual advisors who visit the White House do not clue the president into this aspect of Christianity.

[edit on 2-1-2007 by groingrinder]

To be fair, politicians are not religious leaders.

They are in charge of running a country, and unfortunately international politics is a little more complex than just "turn the other cheek", "love your enemy". I would hate to have to make the decisions our leaders make every single day.

I do however believe that i'ts their duty to do whats best for their people, which doesnt often happen.

I had a good chuckle at this though, if only more people had the good natured humour of the church in question. I'd wager that a big portion of societies problems could be solved with that attitude.

Originally posted by john_bmth

Originally posted by searching_for_truth
[
Aslo to add, that "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is wrong

wasn't that the Old Testament?

It was the hammurabi code which many get confused with the harshness of the old testament.

Anyway, as much as I hate OSB, the church is right. Jesus Christ loves him and would forgive him, but hopefully he wont follow christian teachings and wind up in judgment before God.

"I understand the Christian motivation of the Baptist church," Howard told reporters. "But I hope they will understand that a lot of Australians, including many Australian Christians, will think that the prayer priority of the church on this occasion could have been elsewhere."

So PM Howard thinks he knows better than jesus? Because Jesus plainly told them to pray for their enemies, so where does he get off saying that their priorities are wrong? Its the most difficult and least often said message that would properly belong on a billboard, not the one that everyone is doing anyway.

Originally posted by XphilesPhan
It was the hammurabi code which many get confused with the harshness of the old testament.

Exodus 21:23-24 (New American Standard Bible)

23"But if there is any further injury, (A)then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, 24(B)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

The Old Testament is as harsh, or even harsher, considering that it calls for genocide and institutionalized rape, than Hammurabi's Law.

Jesus Christ loves him and would forgive him, but hopefully he wont follow christian teachings and wind up in judgment before God.

Why hopefully? You should be happy if he accepts christ and gets into heaven along side you, no?

Besides, there's another point here. When Christ was around, he was nearly universally hated, he was considered an enemy against the state and people, had commited incredible crimes (like blasphemy), and everyone wanted him dead.
Thats pretty much a lot like Osama (of course, bin laden is a mass murderer). If jesus was around today, he wouldn't've done what bin ladin did, but he'd be hated like bin ladin is.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Why hopefully? You should be happy if he accepts christ and gets into heaven along side you, no?

Exactly, I dont want him in heaven beside me, if I even get there. .

and your right, it is derived from the code of hammurabi but phrased "eye for an eye" in the old testament.

Oh why did this post come up more writing?

One thing I have to clear up on genocides in the Old Testament is about preserving history as a to a major event not to be used today.
Also you need to look at things in their days not ours. The wars were also based on two things, keeping God's word and promise safe, keeping the Adamite bloodline safe for the Jesus as that was under threat. Also most importantly most of the people or tribes were half-breeds of genetic manipulation between Angels Satan and man DNA. Even if it's false to you then the story as a whole is false then so it either did or did not happen, either way they are old stories that do not say kill the infidel till all mankind becomes a Jew that is not the case till the end of time. These are events like WW2 you don't copy it for inspiration to do it again but at the time it happened.

Jesus died under his own rules of turning the other Cheek and letting him be lamb to the slaughter that is the inspiration to die for your belief not to blow up people for your belief there is a difference.
The cross is a sign of tolerance Jesus spoke up and died for speaking up words that we read from the Bible today.

In Africa genocides victim families slaughtered have had forgiven the arrested perpetrators and converted them to Christ in the process. Most people would have just sought revenge but through religion they have done what no normal tempered people could do without it.


[edit on 1-2-2007 by The time lord]