While I was writing a previous journal entry, a topic came to mind: What have Christians learned from the death of Jesus (or the story of the death of Jesus, depending on what you believe)?
First will come the cliche answers: "Oh Jesus loves me! JESUS LOVES ME! Jesus took away my sins... Jesus did this, Jesus said that." Yeah... ok, that's... nice.
Now that you've gotten all that out of your system, what have you really learned from the crucifixion of Jesus?
*dead silence*
That's what I thought. So here are a few thoughts:
- How about... learn tolerance for others?
- Destroying beliefs that are different and/or strange is not necessarily the way to go about life.
- God can speak to the world through radical messages you may not even agree with!
- Even if you don't understand something, it doesn't mean it's wrong or bad.
- The people holding the power, or the mob of people with the greatest numbers, are not necessarily right just for those facts alone.
- Appreciate the unique values of other people and stand up for their right to hold them, instead of grabbing the proverbial pitchfork and torch.
How about we learn those things from Jesus' death... the whole "God loves me," thing is so over-done. (True.. but over-done).
It's funny because in the story of Jesus, the society of people whom he came to address hung him on a cross and killed him. Today, in modern times from about the year 300 or 400, straight through to the modern day... the church is still trying to kill Jesus on that cross day in and day out -- forcing people to focus on death and martyrdom instead of a living faith, which never did die on that cross at all (the whole point).
The only difference is instead of an actual man (or the story of a man), they are trying to kill off the radical and new ideas that progress brings to the world; messages from God today, the lives of people living for God in the here-and-now in new, bright, unique, fresh ways that are relevant and precious, and truthful.
The church as a whole organization hasn't really learned a single thing from the death of Jesus. They attempt to control the majority of the population by forcing out the ideas of what Christianity should have been (a very personal religion that should have been more about one's personal transformation internally by the spirit of God through Christ), toward something they demanded it be (a state-run socio-political barely-faithful institution of religion, instead of faith, where one must keep people obedient at all costs to the church as opposed to God).
It's no wonder average people can't figure out how to learn from Jesus' death in ways that come outside the box, when the church's grip attempts to strangle the life out of Jesus day after day, year after year, century after century.
That grip is, however, is slowly being loosened by the people, in favor of the people; under God, and in favor of God.
Change takes time... but the precursor to change, is learning.
First will come the cliche answers: "Oh Jesus loves me! JESUS LOVES ME! Jesus took away my sins... Jesus did this, Jesus said that." Yeah... ok, that's... nice.
Now that you've gotten all that out of your system, what have you really learned from the crucifixion of Jesus?
*dead silence*
That's what I thought. So here are a few thoughts:
- How about... learn tolerance for others?
- Destroying beliefs that are different and/or strange is not necessarily the way to go about life.
- God can speak to the world through radical messages you may not even agree with!
- Even if you don't understand something, it doesn't mean it's wrong or bad.
- The people holding the power, or the mob of people with the greatest numbers, are not necessarily right just for those facts alone.
- Appreciate the unique values of other people and stand up for their right to hold them, instead of grabbing the proverbial pitchfork and torch.
How about we learn those things from Jesus' death... the whole "God loves me," thing is so over-done. (True.. but over-done).
It's funny because in the story of Jesus, the society of people whom he came to address hung him on a cross and killed him. Today, in modern times from about the year 300 or 400, straight through to the modern day... the church is still trying to kill Jesus on that cross day in and day out -- forcing people to focus on death and martyrdom instead of a living faith, which never did die on that cross at all (the whole point).
The only difference is instead of an actual man (or the story of a man), they are trying to kill off the radical and new ideas that progress brings to the world; messages from God today, the lives of people living for God in the here-and-now in new, bright, unique, fresh ways that are relevant and precious, and truthful.
The church as a whole organization hasn't really learned a single thing from the death of Jesus. They attempt to control the majority of the population by forcing out the ideas of what Christianity should have been (a very personal religion that should have been more about one's personal transformation internally by the spirit of God through Christ), toward something they demanded it be (a state-run socio-political barely-faithful institution of religion, instead of faith, where one must keep people obedient at all costs to the church as opposed to God).
It's no wonder average people can't figure out how to learn from Jesus' death in ways that come outside the box, when the church's grip attempts to strangle the life out of Jesus day after day, year after year, century after century.
That grip is, however, is slowly being loosened by the people, in favor of the people; under God, and in favor of God.
Change takes time... but the precursor to change, is learning.
