Post
by bags123 » Mon Apr 20, 2015 5:03 am
Hi Bruno,
Thanks for the tip on the Jesus program. I'll try and catch it. I agree that Paul is the founder of Christianity as it exists today,...but although I agree that Jesus was a Jew and lived his life within the cultural context of 1st century Judaism,....I believe his teachings and philosophy go much deeper.Bob Marley is about the only person recently, who seemed to emulate Christ's message. There have been others as well, perhaps in a lesser way,...Mandela, Gandhi, Che, Fidel,to name just a few. I see Christ in the context of being a Socialist, before that term was coined. The early Christian communities pooled their resources so that "there were no poor among them". Even Paul's first converts lived communally. Somewhere along the line Capitalism reared it's ugly head, and now Christ is imagined to be like Bill Gates, or Bono. Profiteering, Usury, Consumerism, and pollution are the new pillars of the faith. Funny thing is,....Jesus and Christianity are getting the blame. Capitalists have taken over the religion and remade it into something that's the opposite of everything Christ taught. I consider myself a Christian, I don't go to church, I pray on a regular basis, and try my best (failing often) to live my life by the original principals Christ espoused. Not by the reinterpretations which coincide with the supposedly orthodox view. If Christ were here today he'd be accompanied by the same groups of people who followed him 2000 years ago. The poor, the disenfranchised, the oppressed, etc. I doubt he'd be preaching in one of those Mega Churches, I think he'd be aghast at the Vatican. Again,....Christ ain't to blame. He was one of the good guys. It's kind of like the Republican party in the USA claiming to be the party of Abe Lincoln. Not anymore unfortunately. Thanks for your input!!
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart
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