Jesus is wise? Don't make me laugh comforter!

by Faraon 18 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Sirona
    Sirona

    Faraon,

    Some of your points seem valid. However, the whole tone of your comments are slightly offensive. When considering anything biblical, it is important to understand context particularly in relation to customs of the time, background information etc. You simplify some of Jesus's comments to sound ridiculous, when actually they may sound OK when considered in context.

    It is reasonable for someone to put faith in Jesus IMO, at least as reasonable as any other religion. Anyone can poke fun at any religious belief and make it sound stupid, thats easy. The fact is that many intelligent people decide to be religious, for varying reasons, and are most open to debate (rather than ridicule).

    Sirona

  • Yerusalyim
    Yerusalyim

    Gumby,

    Sure, the Kingdom Jesus talked about has had it's beginning, but not it's fulfillment here on earth, here and now.

    Yes, we are allowed righteous anger, but usually our anger is not righteous, but rather, it's selfish.

    Yes, the others were too smart in their own eyes to see the simple truth's Jesus taught.

    No, there is no indication that the father was already dead, especially considering that Jewish Burial had to take place within 24 hours. The guy was wanting to go home and wait for his dad to die, noble perhaps, but I think Jesus was seeing it as an excuse rather than a reason and for this reason came down on him.

    I still don't yet see Jesus dishonoring his parents. Worrying them is NOT the same as dishonoring them.

    What book did Farron get his arguements from?

    JanH

    Actually Jesus wasn't DEAD when he made the statement, but ALIVE FOREVER, cool concept. Without getting into the whole discussion of the Resurrection event, ASSUMING the bible is true, then Jesus was ALIVE not DEAD when he made the statement.

    Ya liked the Ad Hominem did ya? I'm not above a well placed barb occasionally.

    Jan, it's really not that hard to imagine that the guy was talking about his still living Father. Had the dude's dad already been dead he would have been burying him that day, not hob nobbing with Jesus. He was basically saying, "sure, I'll follow you when I run out of excuses not to."

    The Jesus of the gospels comes across as a thoroughly confused and inconsistent character, no doubt due to the fact that this is a character created over time by followers who constantly attributed their own ideas to the increasingly mythological sect founder

    I really don't see it that way, but I'm sure I can't change your mind about it. Actually, I see Jesus as a quite consistent Charachter in the Gospels. Having said that, he is for sure seen in the eyes of faith and 20/20 hindsight by the writers.

  • Faraon
    Faraon

    Yerusalym,

    It has taken me a long time to answer to your last one, and have not finished, as I am a slow typist, and have to work and do other things. Please bear with me while I respond to the rest of your rebuttals.

    Farron,

    As you and Syn pat yourselves on the back for throughly trashing Jesus, your prejudice and ignorance of the facts show through. Here it is laid out for you item by item, you will not ofcourse, accept what I have to say, but that doesn't make it any less true.

    1. Jesus did indeed say that he came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but also claimed to be shepherd to other sheep (the nations) and sent his disciples with the good news (the gospel) to all Nations.

    >First of all, my pen name is not Farron, but Faraon, which is Spanish for Pharaoh

    >I know youre not a JW. According to them, the other sheep is the Great Multitude, which may be Hebrews or not .

    In Mat. 7:6 he also says Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. Goy is the word Jews use for their gentiles, but it also means dog. The part about pigs must also spurious because Jews were not supposed to eat them now, and in the beginning of the 1 st century, as it is in our days, there were no pigs in Israel.

    Mat. 10:5-6 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

    Mat. 15:24 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
    23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
    24 He answered, "I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel."
    25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
    26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
    27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

    >* Note that he was ONLY sent to Israel. He was implying that her daughter did not deserve to be healed because it would take away from the Israelites. The context makes it clear. A similar story can be found in Mark 7, except this woman was Greek instead of Canaanite.

    2. What is your source of evidence for calling the Great Commission spurious?

    > The time it took them to realize that they could preach to Gentiles.

    Acts 10 28 He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.

    Acts 10 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles

    Acts 11 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them."

    Acts 11 17 So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
    18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."

    1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospelnot with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

    >According to this last verse,Paul is exempt from baptizing.
    >*Note that this happened after the coming of the holy spirit, the healing of the lame, the arrest of Peter and John, the murder of Ananias and Saphira for keeping part of the sale of their possession, the murder of Stephen, the baptism of the Eunuch, the conversion of Paul, and the restoration to life of Dorcas. Estimates are at least 5 years had happened between his ascension and Cornelius. Yet nobody seemed to know about baptizing and preaching to the gentiles all this time. Their thinking still was that a Jew should not associate or visit an apostate, sorry, gentile. Note that none of the baptisms in the bible done by the apostles are done in the name of the father, the son, and the holy ghost, or the Watchtower. They are done in the name of Jesus. Paul denies being sent to baptize at all.

    3. His kingdom became a reality in the lifetime of the disciples, I too am in this kingdom. The second coming was left open though as NO ONE KNOWS THE HOUR OR THE DAY.

    >Please illustrate where this kingdom is located. I subscribe to National Geographic, but I have never seen a place called Kingdom of Jesus It all in your mind.

    4. Scripture never makes the claim that Jesus was perfect only sinless. He was perfected in what he suffered. His anger was righteous anger.

    Hebrews 5:9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (New International Version)

    Colossians 3:8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

    >*That would be an excellent defense for the terrorists on the September 11, 2001. Yes, your honor, We murdered all those people, but it was caused by righteous anger!

    5. The man mentioned here, his father had not yet died, he was stalling, not wanting to make a commitment, this is what Jesus condemned.

    Luke 9 59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

    >Note: Where does Luke say that the mans father had not died yet? What was the rush? Sounds like one of those ads that sell for a limited time, or those cults who claim the end is coming shortly in 1914, no, 1915, no, 1925, no, 1975. no, at the end of the generation that saw 1914, etc. Even Jesus did not deny that the mans father was dead. Why he didnt want to give time to him to think it over? This happened almost 2000 years ago and still I don't see his kingdom .

    6. Jesus did this as a teaching point on faith, he subsequently helps the woman here.

    >*What would you think of a doctor who said that he studied medicine to treat white people only and would not treat a black person since they were dogs because of their race? Even if she eventually cured him, it would leave resentment on the patient because of this doctors prejudice and racism.

    A wise man would not treat a person like that. He could have used a better example if he was a loving person and took their feelings into account.

    .

    7. He talked in parables so the simple could understand the only ones who didn't were those wise in their own eyes (like you?).

    Matthew 21:45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them.

    Contrast with

    Matthew 13 1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.

    >*So the crowds were those wise in their own eyes, and the Pharisees were the simple? Come on, even his close disciples did not understand him! Your own bible proves you wrong unless the crowds were full of learned people . This would also make his disciples "wise in their own eyes"

    8. First this was SYMBOLIC of burial, the grain won't grow unless it falls and is buried, secondly, the grain of wheat technically is dead as all Photosynthesis has seized.

    > *If a seed is truly dead, it will not germinate. If you boil seeds or soak them in salty water for weeks, you will kill them and they will not germinate. Seeds are dormant until the right conditions are present, and then they will germinate. Almost any fourth grader will tell you that the beginning of a leaf and a root are present in many seeds, and will germinate if they have the right amount of water, air, and temperature.

    9. Hyperbole on the part of Jesus, but again how many plants grow as big as the mustard bush from such a small seed? Besides, Jesus was teaching on spiritual matters not science.

    >*Then he should have stuck with spiritual matters. Claiming that a mustard seed is THE SMALLEST of seeds, or that it BECOMES A TREE is false. If he, as a god, or the master worker of the Jewish god of war, did not know this, who would know about these facts then? Doesnt the bible say that everything was created through him and for him?

    10. First, prove demon possesion is false. Second, the reason sickness and death entered the world was due to sin and corruption. You've set up quite the straw man, PROVE where faith in God has slowed the development of medicines.

    > *I cannot prove that there are or are not demons, the same way I cant prove that there is or that there is not a god or gods. Neither can you. When was the last time that you went to see an exorcist because you were feeling odd or sick. I can bet you went to a doctor.

    >*You mean to tell me that before Adam was created there were no germs, no accidents, no bacteria, no wild animals? Oh yeah! Those carnivore canines were used to chew on plants, and animals never died. Did all these things create themselves, or did sin create the germs that cause deaths? Dont be ridiculous man. If God created the good, then she also created the evil.

    >How could there be corruption if everything created was good? Corruption implies that there had to be a bad starting point and degrade from them, but your bible claims that everything that Elohim (the gods) created was good.

    >I never said that faith in god has slowed the development of medicine. You must really read carefully. Unless you believe in Jesus as a god. I was talking about Jesus. I dont think Jesus is a god. Science and mathematics flourished in Muslim countries while the Christian world sunk deep in intellectual darkness Muslims also believe in one god. I said that Through his blaming illnesses on the devil and casting out in order to cure them, he probably caused more deaths by retarding the development of effective medicine. You must not read history and know about the Dark Ages. Even heathen Incas were performing successful brain surgery at the time that Christian Europe was sunk in intellectual darkness. What caused this brain numbness? Christian religions abuse of people. Only three centuries ago the dissection of cadavers was a crime in most countries because of religious beliefs. Up until the Renaissance, Christian people kept on believing that illnesses were created by demons and sin. Some, like you, apparently still do. I dont see a priest when I am sick. I would rather see a doctor than Jesus when I am sick.

    11. Show me where Jesus dishonors his parents or parents in general. Your bible quotes don't show this at all.

    Luke 11: 27-28, 27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." 28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." (NASB).

    >* I would definitely say that he took away honor from his mother. It also implies that his own mother did nothear the word of God and observe it. Mat. 12: 46-50 46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."
    48 He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

    * If you were his mother or brother, wouldnt you be dishonored? This also hints that his mother and brothers did not do the will of his father He must have been a JW by shunning them that way.

    Mark 3: 31-35 repeats the previous incident.

    Mat 23:9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

    *Not only dishonoring fathers, but stupid. What should I call my father? Uncle, Hey, Man?

    Luke 2:48-49 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
    49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

    >*If they were searching for him, they obviously did not know that he had to be in his fathers house. He dishonors Joseph, who took care of him, even if he wasnt his biological father. I thought his fathers house was in heaven, not in a building. Young Jesus is smart enough to teach in the synagogue but not enough not to give smart lip to his parents.

    Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.

    >* You cannot see dishonoring the family in this verse? No wonder shunning does not affect the JWs still in the bOrg.

    John 2:4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

    >*According to you this is a fine example on how to treat a mother? If a presidential candidate did this to his mother and it became public, his popularity would certainly decrease, and lose my vote. I stopped shopping at Kmart when I found out what they did to their executives, and ceased buying at Burger King when I read that they denied the use of their washroom to an old lady because she was not a customer, so she had an accident.

    12. This was done to fulfill prophecy. Jesus also stated that those who live by the sword (i.e. settle matters by violence as the first option) shall die by the sword.

    >*Right after one of his companions pulled a weapon. Of course Jesus never saw it before as swords are easily concealed?

    Luke 223 6 He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one

    Matthew 10:34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
    >*
    Please read the context of your so-called prophecy. It copied it almost verbatim from pages 161 and 162 of The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy by C. Dennis McKinsey. ISBN 0-87975-926-7 (Hardback)

    Isa:52 :13 which introduces the prophecy, says Behold, my servant shall prosper. He shall be exalted and lifted, and shall be very high. When did Jesus prosper? Not only was his humanity condemned to death in an inglorious manner, but the verse also implies that he was not high and exalted before, which would be contrary to his divinity. In addition, the verse is contrary to Isa. 57:15, another allegedly messianic verse, which says God, i.e., Jesus, is high and exalted continually- it is not a condition he will attain.

    Isa. 53:3 says, he was despised and rejected by men and Isa. 52:15, Kings shall shut their mouths at him. When did these occur?

    Isa. 53:3-7 says, he was despised, he has borne, he was wounded, he was bruised, he was oppressed, he was afflicted, (RSV). These are all past tense verbs showing reference to which had already occurred. The text is referring to someone or a group in the past, not the future.

    Isa. 53:4 says, yet we did esteem stricken, smitten of god, and afflicted. But men, not god, smote Jesus. And would god smite and afflict his own son?

    Isa. 53.5 says, He was wounded for our transgressions. Yet Jesus was not so much wounded or bruised for our transgressions as he was killed.

    Isa. 53:7 says, he was oppressedyet he opened not his mouthso he openeth not his mouth. This directly contradicts John 18:21-23 and 33-37 and Mat. 27:46, which show that Jesus not only opened his mouth at his trial but was judged to be so insolent that a guard struck him. As Sigal said on pages 49 and 50 in The Jew and the Christian Missionary,

    Far from showing the humility and silence which Isaiah describes the servant in verse 7, the encounter between the high priest, the elders, and Jesus is highlighted by a vigorous verbal exchange. In addition Jesus did not show humility and silence during his confrontation with Pilate. At their meeting Jesus is depicted as skillfully defending himself. Jesus at no time humbled himself, but, on the contrary, presented a clever verbal defense.

    Isa. 53:9 says, He made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. When was Jesus with the rich in his death and when did he make his grave with the wicked? The outcome of this verse was actually reversed as far as Jesus is concerned. Christ made his grave with the rich by being buried in the sepulcher of rich Joseph of Arimathea, and was with the wicked, the crucified thieves in his death.

    Isa. 53:9 says, Because he had done no violence which is contrary to what we know about Jesus from John 2:15, Mark 11:15, and Mat. 21:19. As Sigal notes on page 54 of his work,

    Jesus did commit certain acts of violence. Whip in hand, he attacked the merchants in the Temple area, causing a fracas (Mat. 21:12, Mark 11:15-16. Luke 19:45, John 2:15). He caused the death, by drowning of a herd of swine by allowing demons to purposely enter their bodies (Mat. 8:32, Mark 5:13, Luke 8:33) and he destroyed a fig tree for not having fruit out of season (Mat 21:18.)

    Verse 9 says Neither was any deceit in his mouth. Ten solid issues of Biblical Errancy (numbers 2,3, 24, 25,27, 28, 83, 84, 85, and 86) were devoted to proving precisely the opposite. Deception, hypocrisy, and prevarication were the very stock and trade of much of what Jesus said and did.

    Isa: 53:10 says, It pleased the Lord to bruise him. Would god be pleased to bruise Christ or put him to grief?

    Isa: 53:10 says, he shall see his seed. In the Old Testament seed always meant physical descendants and Jesus had no children. If seed referred to Jesus disciples , as some allege, then the prophet should have written brethren, because seed refers to those produced by carnal acts.

    Isa: 53:10 says, He shall prolong his days, but Jesus did not live to an old age. In fact he died at the relatively young age of thirty-three. Actually Psalms 5:23 could be deemed much more relevant because it says, Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. Do we know Jesus lived out half his days?

    Isa: 53:10 also says, The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Jesus has come and gone, yet the world God desires, the pleasure of the Lord, has never come to fruition.

    And finally, Isa: 53:12 says, therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong. When did Jesus ever divide a portion with the great or spoils with the strong? Jesus divides spoils? How unbecoming! Would a perfectly good being ever gain spoils, much less divide them? Where does scripture say Jesus plundered or divided spoils with the strong? In addition, how can the verse imply that Jesus is not strong? That would be contrary to John 17:12 which says he was given power over all flesh.

  • Double Edge
    Double Edge

    This posting was started 3 days ago, and it was only today that I could open it without being totally put off by the title. I'm glad to see Yerusalyim respond point by point. It's hard to explain why I'm angry, but I guess it's sort of like a stranger calling someone you really love and admire demeaning things, and all the time you're thinking "What a putz, they don't know Him at all....they're clueless".

    Those that believe in Him will believe in Him; those that don't, won't, and nothing written or said will change that. I just find it interesting that some people judge a Man's entire 33 year life on a 'few' written words, after all the last verse of John states:

    25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

  • Yerusalyim
    Yerusalyim

    Faraon,

    I'm quite pleased to see that we've gone from contesting 22 points with 10 subpoints of discussion down to contesting only twelve issues as I count them. If only the Palestinians and Israelis could accomplish that much. Lets see what I can do to help you see my point of view on these points you still contest.

    I do NOT at all contest that Jesus was sent to the Lost sheep of Israel. Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, and the Saviour of the world. He did indeed send the Apostles to all nations, that they had a limited understanding of that shouldn't be at all suprising, there was over 1000 years of prejudice and tradition built in. There are enough locations in the bible that point to ALL NATIONS being blessed in Abraham, and to the Apostles being sent to the whole world, and to ALL who believe in Jesus being saved that I feel comfortable in retaining my claim that Jesus was sent to all, JEWS FIRST as Paul points out, but the rest of the world as well.

    2. Just because it took the Apostles a while to understand the great commision doesn't make it spurious. Again LOTS of tradition and prejudice to overcome. Plus the debate of, "Do we have to make them Jews first"

    3.

    Please illustrate where this kingdom is located. I subscribe to National Geographic, but I have never seen a place called Kingdom of Jesus It all in your mind.

    The Kingdom is first, foremost, and always in the hearts of Christians. Someday it will be a reality in all creation, but until that day Christians are citizens of an invisible kingdom with Christ as King.

    4.

    4 Hebrews 5:9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

    And what is it that Paul says MADE JESUS PERFECT? What he SUFFERED. Until his death and resurrection Jesus can not truly be said to be perfect, only sinless.

    James 1:20 Says "A man's anger does not fulfill God's righteousness, however, since Jesus is God, Jesus' anger does indeed fulfill God's righteousness.

    5.

    >Note: Where does Luke say that the mans father had not died yet? What was the rush? Sounds like one of those ads that sell for a limited time, or those cults who claim the end is coming shortly in 1914, no, 1915, no, 1925, no, 1975. no, at the end of the generation that saw 1914, etc. Even Jesus did not deny that the mans father was dead. Why he didnt want to give time to him to think it over? This happened almost 2000 years ago and still I don't see his kingdom .

    WHere does it say the guys father is dead? It doesn't but REASON seems to point that way. Jews bury their dead within 24 hours of death. If the guys father had just died he would have been tending to the funeral not sitting around having leisurely discussions of theology with Christ.

    6.

    Jesus did this as a teaching point on faith, he subsequently helps the woman here.

    >*What would you think of a doctor who said that he studied medicine to treat white people only and would not treat a black person since they were dogs because of their race? Even if she eventually cured him, it would leave resentment on the patient because of this doctors prejudice and racism.

    A wise man would not treat a person like that. He could have used a better example if he was a loving person and took their feelings into account.

    This is your line of reasoning and nothing I can say will change your mind on it. The woman was not seeing Jesus as a doctor but coming to him recognizing him as the Jewish Messiah. Her display of faith helped many there and has helped many since. It was this display of faith that is so important to this scenario. For all we know this woman had only resently been taunting Jesus as he walked through Samaria and then his questions would give her and opportunity to display a powerful faith.

    7. Sure, the pharisees understood Jesus was talking about them THEY DIDN'T understand the Parable, it's meaning, except that they were being talked about, they didn't see that they were being RIGHTLY criticized, they saw it as WRONGLY criticized. What did Jesus say to the Apostles? That they were blessed because God was revealing to them what had been concealed from the learned

    8. Is a seed alive in the sense that it consumes food, reproduces, etc? No, at best, it's in stasis. Again Jesus wasn't giving a Botany lesson but a SOUL lesson.

    9. Again, Jesus wasn't teaching science lessons, but lessons of the heart. The same arguement can be made towards you, stick to science and leave religion alone.

    10. I wasn't around when Jesus created, but I do firmly believe that illness is a result of collective sin. Remember, Satan's sin came before the creation of the world. Who know what effect it had. The death the bible is most concerned about is spiritual death not physical death.

    The things in the Western world that you attribute to "Christian Europe" were the result culture not religion. The Emperor Diocletion's "reforms" circa 295 AD did more to sink Europe into the dark ages then ANYTHING the Christians did. IN fact it can be argued that the Trappings of the Roman empire are what hurt Christianity.

    11. Your arguements about Jesus dishonoring his parents ring QUITE hollow, do we really need to get into them?

    12. Are Christians supposed to be pacifists? NEWS TO ME. But neither are we to be unjust aggressors.

  • Faraon
    Faraon

    Yerusalyim, here are the rest. I will answer to your rebuttal ASAP.

    My answer to this pages took over 20 hours.

    13) He and his disciples were dirty and unwashed. They did not wash their hands.

    13. You've shown no evidence that they were any dirtier than the rest of the people of that day

    .

    Mark 7 2saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles)

    >* Call it tradition, call it hygiene, it is a good idea to wash your hands, cups, pitchers, and kettles because it prevents illnesses. It also shows that they were dirtier than the rest of the people because they ate with dirty hands and kitchen utensils. Maybe they didnt wash because Jesus could always cast the demons that bring intestinal parasites and bacteria to the body? Anyway there are two points in these verses: All the Jews did not eat unless they washed first, except Jesus and his disciples. 1) This makes them dirtier than the rest of the people around them. 2) Mark was not a Jew, since he refers to them as if they were foreigners.

    14) His own family thought he was crazy. This disproves any thought of them knowing he was the Messiah.

    14. Again you're wrong, He wasn't meeting their expectations of what Messiah was to be. Besides only his Mother and step dad knew about his origins.

    >*a) Do you think that Mary and Joseph would keep his origins secret from Jesus brothers and sisters?

    b) Joseph was his father, not stepfather. Luke 2:48-49 on point 11 above, Joseph and Mary are called his parents and Joseph is called his father, not stepfather. The genealogy of Jesus is based on Joseph. Jesus was supposed to have a bloodline connecting to David. If Joseph is not his father, then Jesus has no claim to the throne of David.

    If you want to go the Catholic way, call him a putative father, not stepfather.

    c) What about the shepherds who went to visit him, The wise man who came from the east, Zechariahs, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, and others. Were they not people? Why didnt Mary say anything to her relatives about him not being crazy, and explain to them his true origins before they went to apprehend him?

    ­­­­­­­

    15) Constantly called people fools, in contrast to his own command not to do so on Mat 5:22

    15 Constantly called people fools? Where?

    Matthew 5:22 `But I tell you this. Anyone who is angry with his brother without having a good reason, will be judged in court. Anyone who says wrong things to his brother will be judged for it in the big court. Anyone who says "You fool!" will be judged to go into hell fire.

    Matthew 23:17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

    Matthew 23:19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

    Luke 11:40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

    Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

    16) He, himself, said he was not good. (Mat. 19:17), but he called Joseph a good man. (Luke 23:50)

    16. Jesus didn't say he wasn't good, he said only the Heavenly Father is good, this is one of Jesus claims to divinity. Joseph isn't called good but RIGHTEOUS, and this is imputed because of his faith.

    >By saying that none is good but one, that is god, it is understood that he was not good, unless Jesus was god. Also, Jesus calls himself a good shepherd. If none is good but god, then the bible is saying in effect that Joseph was god. Anyway, Yahweh is not good he is a lying, bloodthirsty, extremist mythical god. The only difference between him and Jupiter is that Jupiter did not kill as many animals or people.

    1. Luke 23:50 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. (NKJV)

    2. Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, (NIV)

    3. And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man (NASB)

    17) Said in Mark 8:35 that whosoever shall lose his life for his sake and the gospels, the same shall save it. This is ridiculous because the gospels did not exist during his own life. And as most serious bible researches will tell you, Mark, Luke, Matthew and John did not come into existence until the latter half of the 2 nd century.

    17. The gospel isn't the written word, but the message that Jesus was handing down YOU are being ridiculous.

    >*Dictionary Definition:Gospel: One of the four narratives of the life and death of Jesus Christ, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

    If Mark meant the message that Jesus was handing down, he would have written whosoever shall lose his life for his sake and the message of Jesus Why arent Acts, Romans, Thessalonians, and other books called gospels? Dont they have the message that Jesus was handing down to me? Why were other gospels rejected by vote on the fifth century? Were the people who accepted or rejected the official set of gospels inspired by god?

    What is this message? There are many things in the bible, and churches have different ideas about what the main theme of the bible is.

    Why does this message need four or more writers, and out of these, three practically copied one another?

    18) Orders his disciples to love their enemies in Mat. 5:44, but calls the Pharisees and other people, generation of vipers, hypocrites, fools, serpents, thieves and robbers. What demonstrations of love!

    18. Sometimes love requires one to tell harsh truths.

    >* Harsh truths yes, but not name-calling. People who use expletives to express themselves usually only demean themselves by their very use. That goes for Jesus too.

    19) Teaches people that it is smart to defraud your employer (Luke 16:1-9)

    19> The parable of the dishonest steward has to be understood in the business practices of the day. The only dishonesty on the part of the steward was squandering his masters property. When the steward has those that owe his master change their bills he is deducting the usurious charge he tacked on for his personal (the steward's) enrichment.

    THe master still got all that was due him, it was the steward that would forgo what he added on only. The master commends him for this.

    Luke 16: 1-9 1 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
    3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg-- 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
    5 "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
    6 " 'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied.
    "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.'
    7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?'
    " 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied.
    "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
    8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

    >* What you say is a plausible explanation, but there are a few problems here.

    a) The previous passage does not say that the steward returned the money to the rich man

    b) It does not say that the rich man received his money back or the extra money that he had squandered, as he probably did this in the past.

    c) The way I see it, he reduced their debt, so that he would be welcomed in their houses. He was going to be fired, so he had nothing to lose. He may even have kept the money from the quick sale.

    d) I have a problem with verse 9 about using wealth to be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Sounds like televangelists asking for money for god or Catholics asking for money for indulgences.

    20) He had no manners

    20.He had no manners? What is your source for this?

    Mat. 5:23 23 Jesus did not answer a word

    Jesus was rude, Politeness requires a response.

    John 2 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee

    Jesus love escaped him.

    Mat. 26:18 18 "As you go into the city," he told them, "you will see a certain man. Tell him, `The Teacher says, My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.' "

    Jesus should have had better manners. You dont just invite yourself into someones home. First you receive an invitation.

    Mat. 27:11 11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

    John 18:34 Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?

    John 18:37 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king.

    John 19: 9 9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

    Jesus often replied insolently, evaded questions, and avoided answering. Instead of responding yes or no, he often refused to stand up and admit to charges.

    John 20:17 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

    John 20:27 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

    Mary Magdalene went to meet him after the crucifixion. She was one of the true disciples of Jesus. In the darkness of the crucifixion she lingered near and was one of the first to arrive at the sepulcher. Defeat, disaster, disgrace could not conquer her love. And yet according to this account, the risen christ told her touch me not. Is that any way to reward the devotion of a loyal follower? Note that he asks Thomas to touch him, so that I have not yet ascended to the father denies the reason for his not allowing him to touch him. He was not interested in human contact unless it was for the propagation of faith.

    Oh, well, maybe Jesus was resurrected a third time, between the Magdalene episode and the Thomas scene, since John 20:9 states: For as yet they did not know the scripture that he [Jesus] must raise again from the dead. First of all there is no scripture that says that, and if Jesus did not allow Magdalene to touch him but allowed Thomas was because he had died and risen again, making it a third time resurrection.

    21) Claimed not to have come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Mat. 5:17-19). Yet he ignored:

    21. Your utter ignorance of the 613 Commandments that make up the Mosaic Law is quite evident here.

    We will see if I am more ignorant than Jesus at the end of points a-j.

    If Yahwehs law is wise and perfect, and someone changes it, then either that person is not wise or Yahwehs law needed revising because it was not wise and perfect to begin with..

    The dietary laws (Mat. 15:11, Mark 7:15, 18-19)

    What dietary law did Jesus violate? He simply said it wasn't the food that defiled by the evilness in the heart when one purposefully violated God's Law.

    Lets see:

    Matthew 15:11 What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'

    Mark 7 15 Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' " 18 "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") [Parenthesis included in NIV translation.]

    Versus

    Leviticus11: 4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
    5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
    6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
    7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
    8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you

    20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
    21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth . 46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
    47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

    >* As you can see the whole chapter 11 of Leviticus is about what animals can be eaten, and which cannot. Hey, I agree with Jesus. I have eaten pork, grasshoppers, rabbits, moles, shrimp, bees, octopus, calamari, etc but would not eat any fowl that creep on all fours anyway or winged creatures that walk on all fours, as specified in verses 20 and 21 because I dont know any animal that fits a description like that. Oh, well, maybe they were talking about pegasus, dragons or unicorns.

    Jesus ignored the law and advised the eating these forbidden animals in Mat. 15:11, Mark 7:15, 18-19 by telling his disciples that they could eat anything. By doing this, he not only ignored, but changed the Law. Apparently JWs never heard about these verses because they claim you cannot eat blood (I love blood sausages).

    b) The laws requiring washing of hands (Mat. 15: 2-3, 20; Luke 11: 37-38)

    b) Show me in the Hebrew Scritpures this law that requires the washing of hands? It's not among the 613 Commandments. Rather, the washing of hands was a requirement found in Talmud the oral tradition, NOT in the mosaic law. Not Jesus challenge to them when he speaks of their violation of an actual commandment (found in Exodus 20).

    >*I said that Jesus ignored the law. I never said that it had to be the Pentateuch. He ignored the law of the land on the washing of the hands, which, by the way, makes more sense than those silly dietary laws found in Leviticus 11, even if it the washing of hands is only in the Talmud, which he apparently believed was the Law. Otherwise he could have responded: It is not in the Pentateuch.

    If you read Mat.15: 1-7 you will see that in verse 3 it says He answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of god because of your tradition. Then changes the subject from washing the hands to honor thy father and mother. Jesus did not say their criticism was false or deny that his followers transgressed the rules of god. Me merely said, Well, you do it too. Jesus is not denying the accusation but merely trying to put his accusers on the defensive. Jesus occasionally operated on the principle that the best defense is a good offense.

    By saying the word also, he admits that he was transgressing the commandments of god.

    c) The restrictions as to what cant be done on the Sabbath. (Mat. 12:1-6, 8; Mark 2:23-28; Mat 12:10-13; Luke 13:10-16; John 5:8-11). A man was killed for breaking them.

    c) Read carefully the requirements of Sabbath and see that the disciples nor Jesus violated them, and that more imporatantly the Sabbath was made for MAN'S benefit, not man for the Sabbath's The disciples did not labor, but rather had a snack. The Pharisees considered it "harvesting" and called it work, yet would violate the sabbath rest in order to rescue a work animal, or worse yet, have booths constructed by gentile slaves every 1000 meters or so in order to be able to travel further than the sabbath allowed.

    Luke 6:1-4 It came to pass on the second Sabbath after the first, that he [Jesus} went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath days

    >*Jesus did not deny that their interpretation of the Sabbath was wrong, but instead went on claiming that David broke the law by stealing showbread from the house of god. He did not say that the Pentateuch allowed them to do what they were doing, instead using a defense similar to a child that says, why cant I chat loudly in the classroom when little David doesnt do his homework and doesnt get punished for it?

    Was it too much work for a man to pick up sticks on a Sabbath and get stoned to death for it?

    In this instance, not only Jesus and his disciples violated the Sabbath by picking ears of corn (remember the man getting stoned for picking up sticks, and tell me what is the difference in picking sticks or ears of corn), but stole property as well. The ears of corn were not theirs to pick. The ears of corn were not theirs to pluck anymore than the swine of Luke 8:33 were theirs to destroy, or the showbread was Davids to eat.

    d) Law requiring fasting (Mat. 9:14-15, Mark 2:18-20)

    d) When were the Jews required to fast? There is only one fast mandated in God's law, Leviticus 23:27 proclaims the fast of Yom Kippur. What was being discussed was the Pharisees fasting twice a week as a sign of piety and the disciples NOT fasting when not required. Again your ignorance of the law is telling

    Matthew 9: 14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?"
    15 Jesus responded, "Should the wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Someday he will be taken from them, and then they will fast.

    >* I know about the atonement celebration. I do not see at all where Matthew says that this is about the two days fasting per week, especially since this was a question from Johns followers. I agree with Jesus that a forced fast, even if mandated by their god, is an only an external demonstration of grief, and grief should be felt, not shown. The point here is that he ignored the laws on fasting. This verse implies that they never fasted, so they ignored the fasting law.

    Mark 2: 18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"
    19 Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.

    >* These two verses are almost identical to Matthews above, except that it is now some people and not the disciples of John the Baptist who question Jesus. There is nothing mentioned about Yom Kippur or not. Note that Jesus does not tell them that the Pentateuch requires them only to fast on Yom Kippur, maybe because they were talking about the atonement festival, but instead he evades the question by giving them the bridegroom allegory.

    Notice that he suspends fasting, only as long as he is alive, ignoring the fasting laws. He implies that they will go back to fasting once he is gone. The law did not suspend fasting.

    Mark 9:29 So he said to them, his kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.

    In the passage before this verse Jesus tells his disciples that the demons that cause epilepsy. are a special kind of demons. This demon was deaf and dumb, but the demon obviously was not deaf because he heard Jesus, and was not dumb because it cried out.

    He also said to the father that all things are possible to him who believes. The father believed, and the demon was cast out. By this it is deduced that the disciples of Jesus did not believe because they could not cast out the demon.

    He finishes by telling them that besides belief, with which with it all things are possible, they also need prayer and fast. This means that you need perfumed oil, prayer, and fast for things to work out when exorcising certain demons. (Remember Jesus instructions to use oil when fasting). Votive candles, anyone?

    Faith can move mountains if you also have heavy construction equipment.

    e) Adultery laws by excusing an adulteress (See John 8:4-5, 7, 9-11 vs. Lev 20:10; Deut. 22:22)

    The next part was deleted and pasted further down because it was in red font.

    Edited by - faraon on 22 June 2002 20:57:9

    Edited by - faraon on 22 June 2002 20:59:12

  • Faraon
    Faraon

    Sorry about the red ink. I don't know what happened. In my original it is all black, and I don't know whow to change it to black.

    I also notice thal all the apostrophes are missing and some words are joined together. This is not in the original.

  • Faraon
    Faraon

    Here is the part in red. I hope this time is in black.

    e) It is mercy God requires, not sacrafice. The pharisees were trying to trap Jesus, NOTICE the GUY guilty of adultery was not brought forward. WHY? Jesus took the punishment for her sin on himself so it was unnecessary that she be stoned.

    >* Are you saying that he was crucified for her adultery? If the highest Israeli god requires mercy instead of sacrifice, how come, then, that he ordered the stoning of adulterers in the first place? How come he had his own son sacrificed instead of just having mercy on the bibles first couple?

    I really dont understand your question. Are you asking me why wasnt the guy guilty of adultery brought forward, and then saying that he wasnt brought forward because Jesus took the punishment for her? Or are you just asking me why wasnt the guy brought forward? I dont know why the guy was not brought forward, maybe he ran away.

    All I know is that if a married man had sex with an unmarried woman he was not considered an adulterer. It was only when he had sex with another mans property, i.e. a married woman, that he was guilty of adultery. A double standard!

    As for he that is without sin without you, let him first cast a stone at her, It is a weak principle. If this principle were adopted, mankind might as well abolish all courts and punishments.

    If a man cant punish crime because he is not free from sin himself, is it just for god, who creates evil? (Lamentations 3:38, RSV). Jesus is, again, saying in effect, Johnnie did it too, teacher.

    Leviticus 20 10 " 'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife-with the wife of his neighbor-both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

    Deuteronomy 22 22 If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

    I too agree that the Pentateuchs punishment for adultery is extreme. If it were carried out in America; it would wipe out more than half of the population. The point here is that while he said that he did not come to change the law, he ignored the laws on Lev. 20:10 and Deut. 22:22 which call for the death penalty of adulterers, Yes, but I am wise in my own eyes. What do you expect from me?

    f) Would not permit a divorced woman in Mat. 5:32; Mark 10:11-12, and Luke 16:18. to remarry. See Deut 12:1:4

    f) Again Jesus FULFILLED the Law noting that divorce was allowed only because of the hardness of the heart of Israel. Even then, the Law states that something INDECENT must be found in the wife to divorce her.

    Mark 10:11-1211 He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

    Luke 16:18 "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
    18 "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

    Mat. 5:3232 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

    Deut. 24:1-2 1 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man.

    The point is that according to the law, a woman on Deut 24:1-2 could get a divorce and remarry. Mat. 5:32 is void because the man did not have to get a divorce for marital unfaithfulness because according to Leviticus and Deuteronomy cited on point e above, his wife would be executed. Whoever wrote Matthew was not familiar with Jewish law. Under Jesus law, if anybody remarried, they would be executed because they would be guilty of adultery.

    Note that Mark and Luke do not give any reason for getting a divorce. Luke flagrantly writes that it easier for the heavens and Earth will disappear than for the last stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law, yet in the next verse he flagrantly drops the part in Deut 24: 1-2 allowing a woman to remarry even if her husband finds something indecent about her. Who was inspired by Yahweh, Mark and Luke, or Matthew? It would be silly for someone to get a divorce and remarry if they were going to pay the penalty from the merciful Jah for adultery, which was to get stoned to death. Jesus disregards the law in Mark and Luke by changing it to no divorce under any circumstance. Although the ideal is to remain married to the same person all your life, there are many circumstances that warrant a divorce, such as the safety of the children or mate,

    g) The old law of an eye for an eye.

    g) An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth were RESTRICTIONS on violence and revenge not MANDATES of action against transgressors Jesus simply points out that forgiveness is the better way, especially since he takes upon himself the punishment and guilt of all sinners.

    Mat. 5:38-39 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

    Exod. 21:23-2423 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (NIV), or as the New Living Translation puts it:

    23 But if any harm results, then the offender must be punished according to the injury. If the result is death, the offender must be executed. 24 If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it. Similarly, the payment must be hand for hand, foot for foot, (NLT)

    >*Yes, Ive heard it before, that it was the maximum sentence, but this is another apologists excuse. Exodus clearly orders that you are to take life for life, etc. Nowhere do I see that it was the maximum punishment. The New Living Translation puts it more explicitly with a must. This is clearly a mandate, and not a maximum sentence. There is no explanation about this being the highest punishment you can dish out. If Jesus commandment was true, then it would carry out that if ones right eye is poked out, the Christian must turn to him and let him poke out the left one also. Jesus clearly sabotaged and ignored this scripture by counter mandating it.

    I am not saying that I agree more with the OT, but my point here is that he disregarded this command.

    h)

    h) Here again your ignorance of the Law is quite pronounced. There is NO REQUIREMENT in the Law that one not wash or perfume themselves when fasting. Jesus is here saying that any benefit one might have gotten from an unmandated fast is null because of fasting (or doing other religious acts) so that others see you and praise you for it.

    Mat 6:1616 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

    >* The purpose of Yom Kippur, or feast of atonement, is to ask forgiveness for promises broken to God. It would be contrary to the spirit and purpose of this celebration to perfume with oil. As I have proven earlier, Jesus disciples were not known for cleanliness. To clean and wash themselves in this day especially when it was not their custom to wash their hands and eating utensils, is to slap the spirit of the holiday. Here Jesus is in fact saying to their disciples to put a happy face on the Day of Atonement, whose purpose is to ask for forgiveness. How would you feel if you saw someone dancing up and down when the terrorists blew up the twin towers on 9/11?

    I hate to repeat myself, but this was the law at his time, and he broke it. You can read about Yom Kippur at http://www.holidays.net/highholydays/yom.htm

    i) The laws allowing swearing of oaths (Mat 5:33-36 vs. Deut 6:13)

    i) If one always tells the truth and is known for truthfullness all the silliness mentioned in Matt 6:33-36 is unnecessary.

    Mat. 5:33-3633 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

    Deut. 6:1313 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.

    Jesus ignored and contradicted Deut. 6:13 by not allowing swearing at all when the Law clearly commands to take your oaths in his name.

    You now have seen how Jesus contradicts Yahweh. He surely changed for his followers the laws Yahweh said would not be changed, and claimed to be forever. My point has been proven

    j) Most important Deut 4:12

    j) Duet 4:12 states, "Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. So, what's your point here, or did you mean 4:13 about keeping the commandments. Jesus DID keep the commandments and gave them their fullest meaning.

    Sorry, it was a typo. It should have read Deut 4:2

    Deuteronomy 4: 22 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

    Mark 10-17-19 17 As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running up to Jesus, knelt down, and asked, "Good Teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?"
    18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good. 19 But as for your question, you know the commandments: `Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Do not cheat. Honor your father and mother.'"

    >* Do you notice anything odd about this list? In the first place, Jesus deleted (took from) five of the ten commandments from the Decalogue, primarily those related to religious rituals such as honoring the Sabbath and avoiding idols; second, he added an obligation that there is not even a commandmentthere is nothing in the Decalogue about a defrauding not commandment.

    There is also a New Testament prohibition on Rev 22:19 about altering the bible.

    In conclusion, maybe Jesus and I have something in common because he was also wise in his own eyes like me, and his utter ignorance of the 613 Commandments that make up the Mosaic Law is quite evident in Mark 10: 17-19 .

  • Faraon
    Faraon

    SaintSatan,

    I couldn't agree more. Jesus said some eternal truths, but most of them were not original. Even his life is very similar to other "Christs" You can read about it in http://home.earthlink.net/~pgwhacker/ChristianOrigins/

    I know you'll love this link because it talks about what you just mentioned.

    Gumby,

    Farons arguments were straight from the book that shaped his stance on this. No? Read a good apologist comments on some of your reasoning , Faron, and see if your thoughts makes as much sense

    I have read, and listened to many of the explanations, but they make no sense once you take the bible for what it says and examines it in contrast to other religions. I studied for three years in a Catholic seminary, and was a JW for ten years, although only five of them active because I did not agree with many of their teachings and rigid Pharisaic-like way of life, like having to attend meetings three times a week, when the bible does not say how many. I kept going to meetings because I knew that if I didn't my wife would separate from me, as it happened. The book from which I took most of my post was The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy by C. Dennis McKinsey, but it just arrived in my house two weeks ago from Amazon.com. The ones that changed my way of thinking were Is It God's Word, and Forgery in Christianity, both by Joseph Wheless who published them in the 1920's. He was an judge and an ambassador to Mexico. You can download them FOR FREE at http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/joseph_wheless/index.shtml but I chose to purchase them at Amazon.Com. Believe it or not, C. Dennis McKinsey also advises his readers to read some good apologist books so that you are not caught off guard.

    JanH,

    This is the excuse typically used by apologists who see Jesus' disregard for a man's feelings. The WTS uses this line, too. However, nothing in the text suggests the father was not dead. It is hard to imagine anyone saying "I have to bury my father" when the man is still alive.

    Jesus not only did not deny the fact that the man's father was dead (and he should have been able to do this, if he was god, or the first creation of god, since the bible gives us at least two instances that he read people's minds), but added insult to injury by telling him to let the dead bury their dead.

    Most burials in Mexico also take place within 24 hours because most people cannot afford embalming. My first wife had to help me by giving me back the money I had given her for the rent and groceries so that I could take a plane to bury my father. If Jesus himself would have told me to let the dead bury their dead, I would have told him to go and %@"#$%. This is no way to gain disciples

    2SYN,

    Read my post http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=30191&site=3&page=3 where I show to Comforter that Jesus died of old age. According to Irenaeus. Jesus remained with the disciples up to the times of Trajan. (Iren.Adv. Haer. Bk. II, ch. xxii, secs. 3, 4, 5; ANF. I, 891-2.). Bishop Irenaeus was an early Church Father who lived in the second century.

    Sirona,

    I realize that the tone of my comments may be offensive to some people, but it is up to them to examine the truth in a negative way. If you only hear one side of the story, like it happened to me as a JW, you will not be able to judge correctly. I did not use any personal attacks on anyone. I only criticized the logic and thinking. In the words of Jerusalyim " Sometimes love requires one to tell harsh truths." Yet you have a valid point. I write these things out of love, so that people will not be trapped by the priestly class into a life full of fears of the unknown.

    Double Edge,

    25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

    If this is so, why do Matthew, Mark, and Luke practically copy off one another? Wouldn't it be better if they had written about other things that needed to be written to get closer to the goal of writings that would fill the whole world?

    Although Jesus, according to the bible, supposedly lived only 33 years, his years of public life were only three.

    Hey, many people love their mates until they realize that they were cheated all their lives. Then it really hurts. I believed in the bible and Jesus all my life. I became angry when I realized I had been lied to all my life.

    This is a public forum where people can debate their beliefs. I am bringing mine to yours. You can ignore me, debate me (like Jerusalyim), or agree with me. It is all up to you. I will not gain or lose anything. I do it only to bring a different side of the story. If there is/are (a) just god/s, and an afterlife, I think I will fare well because I search for the real truth.

    My words may sound harsh to you when I talk about Jesus, but as I expand my reasons, you can see I don't just talk without a base. At least Jerusalyim made an attempt to respond point by point, which I expanded when he did so. For a view of a few biblical contradictions you can see http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contradictions.html

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