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Do all religions think there's is the only true one?
by Snoozy 49 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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designs
'Jesus came to set the record straight' 'They (Jewish Priests) murdered Jesus because of it'.
Oh boy this is going to take some time to unwind....... The cultural icon has fallen and people want to prop him up.
'You brood of vipers' Mr. Love visiting with the Rabbis
'You are liable to fiery Gehenna' Mr. Love doing his shepherding calls
'Seperating the Sheep from the Goats' Mr. Love adding extra charcoal brickettes to the roastadorium.
Who the hell does he think he is.
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tec
Who the hell does he think he is.
The Messiah; the Son of God.
Tammy
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designs
Tammy-
Probably, at least in his own mind, which sets the ball rolling for all types of FredFranziams....
Kind of like shouting Fire in a theatre and wondering why people would come up to you and punch you in the face ('brood of vipers!) oh boy!
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PSacramento
Designs,
You make it as if Jesus was doing something that hadn't been doen before, accusing the priests and scribes of doing crap in God's name.
John accused them before Jesus and Jeremiah accused them way before John, there is a history of the "priestly heirachy" doing crap and making themselves "god" and being hypocrites.
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Band on the Run
I've specialiaed in the scholarly debates concerning the historical Jesus, figuring out who he was devoid of later Church teachings. Jesus never asserted he was God or even the messiah. It is central to how we view Christianity. References are made to the son of man. Son of God is a common term. All the kings and leaders of Israel were sons of God. My recollection is that son of man in Isaiah is the correct messianic person. Jesus mentions the term but never declares it is he. The language Jesus uses is unclear and coy. A related teaching is whether Jesus knew his preexistence in heaven and the vast powers He had. God being crucified, knowing he is God and stop it instantly makes the crucifixion less compelling.
The words of affirmation are placed in the mouth of others. His messianic claims were the core of HIs trial. Sometimes I wonder if they were so important during his ministry. All the teaching stories but not much clarity about his messianic consciousness. Gnosticism shed much light in this area. Reading countless journal articles and books, I was even more confused at the end than the beginning. The early church became bitterly divided over the nature of Christ, Christology. There are no easy formulations.
It seems that differences were often geographical and related to particular apostles who tradition claims taught different versions. Gnostic scriptures strongly resemble the canonical gospels in actual sayings of Jesus and narratives. The import of these sources is markedly different from orthodox Christianity but it is clear the same sources are used. The Witnesses teach a golden age of early Christianity. No golden age existed. Paul, the earliest Christian writer in the Bible, recounts his disagreements with the Jerusalem group led by James. I find this reassuring. It means that normal life rules existed rather than a Cecil B. DeMille production.
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PSacramento
Band,
I too have wonder amny of those very same thoughts, I think anyone the decides to study the bible will have them.
The Son of Man to a 1st century Jew would have, more often than not, brought up images of Daniel and Isaiah, add to that the authority of his speaking, his forgiveness of sin, healing, raising the dead and what you have is a comment about the Divinity of Jesus that is far beyond mere words.
Yet, he never once came out and said " I AM DIVINE", though in John it is far more explicit then any other gospel and Paul pretty much says it outright when he says Jesus was the exact image of God and so forth.
SO why didn't Jesus say he was God? well because he wasn't GOD as in YHWH, but he was God in nature and in union, which is hard enough for most of us to grasp NOW, imagine in 1st century Palestine.
Add to that the "fact" that God doens't force his will on Us (free will and all that) you wouldn't expect his Son to do it and that is what it would have been, if Jesus came out and said , " I am God" ( which he never would say since he isn't YHWH) then anything he said or did would be LAW and as such, it wouldn't be up for "debate" as it were, He would have been imposing His Will on Us and make no mistake, Jesus saying and proving himself to be "GOD" would be just that, an imposing of His will on Us.
Of course Paul and James didn't agree, Peter himself said that some of the things Paul says are "confusing", there is nothing worng with that since they are still individuals with their own interpretations and views on things and since the HS doesn't impose anything on people, just guides them, then of course there would be different POV.
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Vidiot
Snoozy - "Do all religions think theirs is the only true one?"
No. Only authoritarian high-control religions.
I would posit that the religion that has "gotten it right" the most is the one that:
- acknowledges and accepts all of the discoveries and advances, of history, science, etc., no matter what
- operates with complete transparency to all
- accepts full accountability for errors and implements referms whenever neccessary
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Jomavrick
Religion is a business. You are a customer who is "purchasing" membership into the Religion. With that purchase you receive a number of things.
1. Identity
2. Membership
3. A Social Network
4. A packaged belief system
5. The "prize" in the crackerjack box, which is the special thing only available through that religion. Nirvana, The New System, Heaven, Eden, Reincarnation, life everlasting as a mindless human devoid of emotions, passions, desire, ambitions and thought, or whatever rediculous prize they are presenting.
6. The most compelling thing religion actually provides is fulfilling a unique psychological need some people have. That is why most people who do not actually completely agree with what the religion teaches, they stay with it. There is something they find fulfilling in the relationship with the religion.
It has nothing to do with Truth. It has nothing to do with God. It is a business relationship. There are those of us who chose not to subscribe because we do not see the value in this relationship. We see it for what it is.
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FlyingHighNow
Designs, to read your quotes, one would think you think the bible is the exact word of God or something.