by minimus 56 Replies latest jw friends
If you believe in the Bible, it's hard to reconcile that Paul acted very Christlike. He was always instituting rules and opinions that might be construed as rather harsh.
Christ on the other hand exuded love.
Do you think they both had the same views in handling matters with people?
It seemed to me that the Apostle Paul made allowances for circumstances that were very strong. For example, if I remember correctly, he brought up the laws the congregation should abide by in Acts 15:29 because people were going to murder eachother over the situation. In the congregation of Corinth there was a very shocking situation where I believe somebody was sleeping with his stepmom? But, even there the Apostle Paul wrote a follow up letter we see in 2nd Corinthians to not be to harsh in the words he tells them.
In other situations I have to wonder if there were strong situations going on and that was why he said some things that seem shocking to us today. It was a different time period and people were different then they are today. Notice he didn't give the same rules to all of the congregations....
I believe that is why it is so important to let love govern your conscience. It seems scriptures are taken out of context and verbatim to apply in our day to everyone and since the circumstances are very different it becomes a very unloving thing to do. For example, if the Apostle Paul only said not to eat blood specifically because he knew that people were going to murder others over the situation, that would be a very loving thing to do. To make that apply in our day with blood transfusions makes that a very unloving rule to make.
Same page, but opposite side.
S
Paul became a judge of his brother something Jesus told his follwers not to do.
I sometimes wonder if Christianity evolved to be exactly what Christ intended it to be: an open system of belief that can accomodate many different styles, many different views.
Eden
an open system of belief that can accomodate many different styles, many different views
Eden - Jesus was a religious Jew who kept the Law meticulously and taught his followers to do likewise.
He said he was sent only to the house of Israel and referred to gentiles as dogs.
Its incredible how modern Western christians have remade Jesus to suit their own agenda.
Jesus was a religious Jew who kept the Law meticulously and taught his followers to do likewise
How incredible was, then, that the same Jews killed him for "blasphemy", huh?
And since when you become so incredibly one-sided, Cofty? In the parable of the good samaritan, he payed a huge compliment to the samaritans, that Jews hated.
As for calling gentiles "dogs", you must be referencing to Matthew 15:21-28, when he spoke with the woman from Thyre. Jesus used a metaphor, and the woman understood it and took no ofense. Are you taking offense in her place now?
You also conveniently overlook the cure of the servant of the roman centurion by Jesus, who payed him a huge public compliment for his faith.
Its incredible how modern Western christians have remade Jesus to suit their own agenda.
No. Rather, it's incredible how far will some atheists go in their efforts to vilify the Scriptures. Sorry, but that was pretty groundless.
Eden
Eden - Before I was an atheist I was a very serious student of the bible for over 30 years.
Modern western christians like yourself ignore the fact that Jesus was not a christian, he was a religious Jew.
He observed the Torah with its dietry restrictions, purity laws etc. He got circumcised and attended the synagogue. His followers continued to worship at the temple after his death.
Do some research on "the Jewishness of Jesus". You may be surprised.
Cofty
I'm not surprised at all. It was necessary that Jesus was an exemplary observant of the Law. You and I studied that enough. He said "I didn't come to destroy the law, i came to fulfill the Law". Why is that even an issue?? naturally, he did that so that the law could be done away with after his death.
As for the disciples after his death, it took them long enough to realize that their former system of belief was obsolete. There was actually a streak, centered around the congregation in Jerusalem, and particularly, on James, that was still very attatched to the Jewish traditions. There were tensions within the congregation of the first century.
Eden
Why is that even an issue??
Because you made the following strange comment...
I sometimes wonder if Christianity evolved to be exactly what Christ intended it to be: an open system of belief that can accomodate many different styles, many different views.
Jesus' only intention was to reform Judiasm not to start a new religion. That was Paul's project. They were not on the same page.
