by expatbrit 14 Replies latest jw friends
Hi Unc,
>Judeo/christian religion before seeing Paul for the scheming anti-jesus Roman he truly was.
Paul wrote the theology of the church and it lines up perfectly with scripture, including the gospels.
>Mohammed- 'My teachings lead to the attainment of truth'
Buddha- 'The truth has been revealed to me'
Jesus- 'I am the truth'
Lao tzu- 'be'
...and the only one to back up His claims with miracles, including His own resurrection was Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Rex
Rex,
Did you read my articles on Paul a while back? They hit the deck with little christian responce apart from a couple having thier faith shaken (something that scared me)
Of course the Gospels line up with Paul. Mark, Luke and John were virtually in Pauls employ. Matthew i'm not so sure about but believe he headed north as well. You show little understanding about the life and times of Jesus the Jew.
Please read a good book like Baigent and Leighs "the Messianic Legacy".
Paul was astute enough to resurect Jesus, reshape his image with a large dose of mythraism, matching the Greek gods miracle for miracle, supernatural wonder for supernatural wonder, accomplishing just what his original plan was - destroy Jesus Nazarites influence in the Jewish diaspora throughout the Roman empire. (that didn't stop the ongoing civil war but meant no relief for the essenes holding out along the dead sea at places like Masada)
cheers, unc who doesn't believe Hercules came back, but does believe Paul when he admited making it all up. (early in his letter to the Corinthians where he says he is only interested in Jesus raised as christ/buddha/hercules/kristna/ whatever ;)
Expat,
I spend a good bit of mental energy on the idea of life, its meaning, why there is suffering and what the destiny of life is.
Rather than restate them all here, please visit my lifeism page where I discuss my thoughts.
In a nutshell, I believe that the purpose to nonhuman life is simply to live. I believe that the meaning of human life is to create newness and discover newness. We should do this while not interfering with our living neighbors (of all species) on the planet.
I am basically a pantheist with a few twists. I believe all of life is interconnected. There is a need to find a balance in the way we spend our energy and resources between the self and the unself.
I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on my thoughts.
peace
Joel
To expatbrit.
The poor are blessed, broken and handed out for our sake. An invitation to a feast - in fact a banquet such as the world can't comprehend the wonder of. Don't go away sad.
Bang
Hi ((((Expat)))),
I have also suffered these types of questions and wondered...what can I do?
You said:
And you know what? I give a bit more to charity than I did as a JW, but I still don't do anything to inconvenience my comfy life. So I suppose when I see images of those people suffering, it twinges my conscience.Realistically, what can I do that will have a true impact on the suffering of all these people around the world? Not much. But I can look around me, in my own little circle of influence, and perhaps there I can make a difference. With my children...with my friends...with all those I love. And widening that perspective..in my community...in the people whose lives I come into contact with only randomly. The homeless person on the street...what does it hurt me to give a bit of money to such a one? Maybe they aren't really hungry...but if they are, and I bring them a value meal from McDonalds, I've helped, even if it is only temporary. Is it better to avert my eyes as I pass by?
I think there are many small ways in which we can try to make the world a bit of a better place, if only we look for those opportunities. I'm not really a very good example as I don't do much that interferes with my comfy life, either. But I think as awareness grows, we find ways to help alleviate some suffering and there are so many different ways to suffer in this world! Just on this db, you have helped me and others in times of emotional pain. Please don't discount that.
And I agree with Joel, that we are all interconnected. There is a great native American poem called "The Web" or something similar...I haven't been able to find it (if anyone knows, please tell!) but it made such an impact on me when I read it. And that interconnectedness entails a certain amount of responsibility I think to our fellow lodgers on this planet, human and otherwise. Sorry if I'm rambling here...this is an issue that has stumped greater minds than mine for a very long time!
Welcome to freedom to think outside the box,
Dana
