Should We Admire Jesus?

I thought this was such an awesome read, that i would share it with you all, Christians and non-Christian.

Kudos to Jim Walker who wrote the Article.

Christians have held the main character of the New Testament, Jesus "the Christ," in high esteem for centuries. Even many who do not believe in the divinity of Jesus think that he gave an admirable example of moral living. Although we have no evidence that the Biblical Jesus ever existed, we can still examine the words of the Bible to extract the wisdom and morality of this character, regardless of whether he actually lived or not.

Does the Biblical Jesus merit the honour bestowed upon him? Unfortunately, preachers, ministers, and clergymen have given us biased, one-sided stories, emphasizing and inflating what they see as positive while subverting or ignoring the negative. Biblical scholarship of the last hundred years has not reached the common man. Instead, we see political ministers and televangelists making absurd biblical claims without anyone calling them accountable. Although over 90 percent of households in America own a Bible, it usually goes unread, or at best sanitized or bowdlerized to what people want it to say.

Unbeknownst to many Christians, many times the Gospels of the New Testament portray Jesus as vengeful, demeaning, intolerant, and hypocritical. In one section Jesus calls for love of enemies, yet in another to slay them. He tells others to not use hurtful names, yet he called others fools, dogs, and vipers. He calls for honouring parents in one verse, yet demands hate toward family members in another. Some of Jesus' words against his adversaries depict what some would call anti-Semitism. Indeed, the verses of the New Testament have fuelled the flames of anti-Jewishness for centuries.

The following gives a brief look at the Biblical evidence about the claims of Jesus with quotes from the King James bible (the most used bible in the world). The verses contain links to an online Bible where it provides the reader with the entire chapter, for viewing the full context.

www.nobeliefs.com...

So, now we must ask our selves, Should we Admire Jesus?

If the reader utilizes self-honesty, the realization will come that the deeds and questionable wisdom of this Biblical character does not merit the admiration that so many have bestowed upon him.

Disclaimer: Tell me what you think, Christians and Non-Christians alike, but please read it all before posting.

[edit on 16-2-2009 by darcon]

As for the Bible, good G-d, man, it's the Bible! It can mean whatever people want it to mean Humorous in tone, but still a true statement. Words have value specifically because of their symbolic and interpretive nature. They aren't static and so they live. Near everything I read from that article could easily be interpreted another way, not as a command or declaration, but perhaps as prophecy? Christ(ianity) setting a house against itself. Yes, indeed. Very prophetic.

As for Jesus, we should ask the same of any 'hero'. Should we admire them? And what does it mean to 'admire'? Look closely at the life of any man and you'll find a man. A man of ideals, perhaps, but still a man. Does that make the ideal they stood for, or even the one they are remembered for, any less worthy? I'd say we're better looking down at ourselves rather than looking up to anyone. It saves us from stumbling over the rocks because we were too busy watching the other guy trip up.

reply to post by TravelerintheDark


I totally agree with what your saying.

I just thought it was an interesting read.

I also want to state, that it is not my intention to hurt anyones feelings, i just wanted to post the article i read. I am also not hear to debate anyone, just to hear what everyone thinks, so i will not be having post battles with anyone, afterall, this is BTS

[edit on 16-2-2009 by darcon]

reply to post by darcon


It was indeed. I certainly didn't take offense to it. I think it's a very valid point. I didn't think my post would convey otherwise, but if it did, my apologies.

reply to post by TravelerintheDark


As for the Bible, good G-d, man, it's the Bible! It can mean whatever people want it to mean Humorous in tone, but still a true statement.

Note: This reply is in the Christian perspective and I think Religion overall is heading the same way.

And that is exactly the problem with having a book that is so open to interpretation that people spend so long deciphering it instead of living it. Of course the one core message or the Golden Rule which is: Treat others as you do yourself.

The Bible has caused many sects to form in one Religion which to me advocates separation with no sense of unity whatsoever. I thought the whole idea of Christianity was to accept anyone and bring people together, obviously its doing the total opposite.

Just my views

[edit on 16-2-2009 by Drakiir]

reply to post by TravelerintheDark


Oh on , you posted very nicely, i am just stating it fo the record, because i know sooner or later, the people with the pitch forks and torches will be by to burn the heretic witch


LOL

I am glad you are not mad, adding you to friends list

[edit on 16-2-2009 by darcon]

reply to post by Drakiir


Yes, and certainly not only Christians, but to me, religion as a whole has divided, But it is all in your own experiences and interpretation i suppose.


Note, this overall article is comparing the words of Jesus to current Christian values(or so portrayed). So that is why there are many hipocracies, which i thought it valid to post. Again, i do not mean to take offend to Christians, and sorry if i did.


[edit on 16-2-2009 by darcon]

reply to post by darcon


They do tend to do that. I personally see that as a lack of 'faith' as opposed to a strength. And by that I mean specifically those who threaten, smear, accuse and insult. Not those who engage in honest discourse and courteous, even if passionate, disagreement.

Thanks! Reciprocated. S&F as well.


reply to post by Drakiir


I agree with you. The words aren't what matters, but that those who believe them live them. Just as the messenger matters little for the message they carry. That's just the way I see it

[edit on 16-2-2009 by TravelerintheDark]

reply to post by TravelerintheDark


Totally agree, thanks for thy star and flag.

" it brings division "


That's the point. Christ is not allah, not bhudda, not wiccan. Christ is God and said so. And he said he comes to bring division not peace.

If everything were true, then God is divided in truth which is literally impossible. Everything is not true, one of them has to be true.


Now it doesn't me that divison means violence. He just means that you should stay seperate from other faiths, but still love their souls and pray for their conversion.


there are countries, even families who are together in belief yet still fight each other, yet some christians divided with those same people yet they love them more then their own people.


unity is not just a peace in belief, but a constant everyday love for a soul that is unconditional.


peace

As you know Darcon and Drakiir, much of the traditional understanding of the prophet Jesus/Issa is distorted and overinflated. The story of Jesus depicted in Christianity and in film is not at all accurate but it serves the purpose of promoting that god icon to the masses.

Jesus/Issa was not the Son of God but an angel prophet. Angel prophets have Gifts of the Spirit given to them from a discarnate community (aka a Group Entity) of yellow-energy angels. This enables them to occasionally perform miracles like levitate, turn water into beer or wine, heal a small number of people on occasion, teleport their body, and levitate (walk) on water.

There is documentation that the prophet Issa/Jesus escaped the crucifixion completely, and that he traveled about, eventually settling in India.

Here's the kicker: just before dying at the age of EIGHTY in India, Issa/Jesus proclaimed to be the GALILEAN MESSIAH

Did Jesus Die?

The Tomb of Jesus In India

Issa/Jesus Escaped Death On The Cross & Went To India - German Scholar

Issa/Jesus Escaped Death On The Cross & Went To India - Islamic Scholar

BBC Documentary - Issa/Jesus Died At 80 In Kashmir - Part 1

BBC Documentary - Issa/Jesus Died At 80 In Kashmir - Part 2

BBC Documentary - Issa/Jesus Died At 80 In Kashmir - Part 3

Compassion dictates evolution.

If Issa/Jesus were even a lesser god, he would be here now, on international television, in a youthful and beautiful body, healing and teaching on a daily basis. Moreover, Issa/Jesus would use his ecclesiastical authority to excommunicate all the Christian priests, ministers, and nuns who have sexually abused and in some cases RAPED thousands of children around the world.

Considering that Issa/Jesus never died on the cross and that he died at 80, that presents his apostles, the ones who really started the Christian church, in a more favorable light. While Jesus was living the life of luxury in India as a revered prophet, his apostles -- mainly Paul of Tarsus -- were out there getting stoned, whipped, beaten, incarcerated, and eventually executed (Paul was beheaded), in his name no less. They are therefore more admirable than Jesus was, as they did the real leg work in starting the new religion.

Compassion dictates evolution.

Despite the many yellow-energy angels that try to promote his god icon, the absolute truth is that Issa/Jesus doesn't have a high degree of compassion and moral character because Issa/Jesus was never God Realized or even a Saint in the first place. What made him appear to be great was the original Group Entity that gave him his Gifts of the Spirit, and the many lesser GE's that came about since then and who continue to further the deception of his divinity.

The mentalist Criss Angel flies in the air (here and here) and also levitates (walks) on water. He did so over a hotel pool with people swimming around him and even underneath him. He also did this at Lake Mead with people right next to him. Neither was faked. He was actually levitating in both cases, the same as Issa/Jesus was reported to do. But Criss Angel is not divine. One knows this simply by how he conducts his life and by what he espouses. He is a superficial showman out to make a ton of money and be a celebrity with absolutely no illuminating spiritual teaching to offer. He even berates and condemns genuine mediums that are not as gifted as he is. Like the pedophile prophet Sai Baba who is a sexual predator of young men and boys at his ashram in India, Criss Angel is another example of someone who is not highly evolved but who has a Gift of Telekinesis from a Group Entity of yellow-energy angels on the Fourth Plane. The same applies with the overrated prophet Issa/Jesus, as he was not divine either.

The only real difference between the prophet Issa/Jesus and Criss Angel is that the former had a much larger Group Entity of yellow-energy angels. This translated into Jesus' Gifts of the Spirit having been much more powerful in the overall sense than that of Criss Angel. One can see the glossy-eyed expressions and reverence on people's faces that are blown away by the miracles that Criss does -- like the woman next to him in the water as he walked on Lake Mead. Now imagine how freaked out people were at the time of Issa/Jesus with what he did because of his angel magick. Thus, what made Issa/Jesus great was not his character or his spiritual evolution, but his Gifts of the Spirit from a large Group Entity of yellow-energy angels.

I noticed that someone in this thread decided to use the picture of Gemma Galgani as an ATS avatar. Gemma is a friend of mine and as a spiritual medium I have channeled her many times over the years. Since her death, she has become more pious in her Radiance of Love than when she was in the flesh, and realizes that Issa/Jesus was only an angel prophet (which she and I have discussed). The same is the case for another revered saint in Christendom that I have also conversed with many times -- Mother Theresa.

Just as one cannot escape being judged by the nonliving and infinite Light after death, so too the absolute truth always comes out eventually, as it cannot be stopped, only delayed by the spiritually corrupt who are ultimately punished for it

[edit on 17-2-2009 by Paul_Richard]

reply to post by JesusisTruth


there are countries, even families who are together in belief yet still fight each other, yet some christians divided with those same people yet they love them more then their own people.

The whole disadvantage with devision is it does not create unity to solve the issue in the first place which is a precursor for disputes and arguments. By what your saying it sounds as if Jesus asking people to choose him over another icon is actually provoking anarchy.

You would think for someone who apparently did amazing miracles and was supposedly a God he would know better.

reply to post by Paul_Richard


Totally, absolutely and completely agree there.

I find it way past self righteous for Jesus claiming that he was The One and that he was the way of The Light and yet he never acknowledged the Spirits that gave him the gifts in the first place. Its as if he decided to take the credit for himself and baffle people into actually believing that he was a real God when in-fact he was only a prophet.

I also find that Jesus was a very egotistical person in that he always has the view that 'petty humans' cant question him because he has unrivaled thought processes and methods.

Excellent reply on this thread and a star for you also

We shouldn't totally admire Jesus as depicted as an ego-driven guy who manipulates the oppressed into following him by verbally attacking the Pharisees. It is mostly dramatic fiction.

The Pharisees are humans driven by fears as is everyone. They behave badly, but hating them is wrong too.

The bible uses psychological badgering to gain followers.

reply to post by Paul_Richard


Woah Thanks with the links, and as you know, i agree with what you said, thanks for contributing.

Thanks for the stars and compliments Drakiir and Darcon.

I appreciate it.

Such a long and intricate post requires a lot of tweaking for precision and grammatical correction.

Should we admire Jesus? We were told before-hand in prophecy that Jesus was God with us.

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (With us is God)
Isa. 7:14

Then of course we can cheat and read the end of the book. There we find that the New Jerusalem never sees darkness because of the light emanating from Jesus.

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Rev. 21:23

Should you admire Jesus? That is THE question isn't it?

Should we admire Jesus?

That would make a good start.

But the more you get to know Him, the more wonderful He becomes.

Where once He seemed only worthy of admiration, when you see Him as He truly is you honour, respect, esteem, praise, glorify, bless, exalt, magnify, extol, laud, revere, reverence, venerate, hallow, worship, pay homage to, bow down before, kneel before and yes, pray through Him. He becomes your All in all. Life is nothing without Him.

And, as the Good Book says,

To live is Christ. To die is gain.

Amen

reply to post by pause4thought



This same prophet knows as Jesus who is capable of using his Spiritual Gifts has failed to tend to his sheep (which personally I find an insult as I am not one to follow others over a cliff) and Christians justify that by effectively saying 'wait it out' is just not good enough for an apparent God capable of anything.

People like Joyce Myer actually think its good for people to fear and apparent loving God where inducing fear is a form of control. A controlling egotistical prophet who cons people into thinking he is a God through Gifts of The Spirit which without he would be a normal man will go unnoticed to me.

No fear is a form of respect.

There is a such thing as a holy fear. Not fear governemnt gives you but a respectful fear.

I feared my father growing up and respected his discipline, but get this, my mom was opposite and gave us everything we wanted. We walked ALL over her and took advantage because she didn't chastise us correctly.

We didn't respect her, but dad we did.

I feared dad, but I also loved dad and the respectful fear didn't get in the way of the love.


there is a difference.

[edit on 17-2-2009 by JesusisTruth]