Posts by humbled

posted

153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

It is hard to be honest about what i feel about faith.

Kate said "So am I sinning against the spirit now expressing my thoughts?"

I figure that sinning against the spirit is the same as lying to yourself.
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

Confusedandalone--

You aren't the only one in a twilight zone. Some of us came off the thread about a tsunami. Some of us find the OT just short of a dog-and-pony show.

Personally, I like Jesus' teachings-- even if he isn't a god/man. I don't think he was. Part of the problem with saying"god/man" is that I really don't think god is who I thought he was. And I don't know who he is or isn't now.

As for ears hearing...Who knew that would step on so many toes.

Cofty, I spent a bit of effort on that bit about St. Teresa--It was a point in keeping with the discussion.If your ears heard that bit, acknowledge please.

Zound, Jgnat, or anyone else stung by the offending phrase: I repent. I apologize. My own hearing has been called into question. If there is meaning beyond some basic things from Jesus, I do not hear it. But he has helped me--if I heard him right.
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

Confusedandalone,

Do you think it would help if Jesus wrote an accurate gospel?

If he did, the churches would burn it up--first thing. Or better yet: have someone anointed explain it to us.
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

Hummingbird,

"If you have ears to hear" isn't an insult to us, IMO. It is a phrase that shows up in the sayings of Jesus sometimes.

I used it because I am disagreeing with cofty over a scripture from the gospel of Thomas.

He maintains that Jesus' saying about women which he supplied in his post shows that Jesus was a misogynist.

I maintain that the scripture expresses the equal value of women to men--a concept completely foreign in Jewish society at that time.

Who is right? The one who has ears to hear :)

Maybe cofty is right. Who will judge?

Each of us has to decide for ourselves. It is an odd saying.
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

Is Mary the Magdalene the sister of Lazaras? It is thought not

Yet the Mary of Bethany , Lazaras' sister, didn't cook(like a man) for Jesus' visit, and she is not reprimanded when her sister complains about her.

Jesus well knew his followers,it seems. Peter complained about Mary magdalene in other writings--writings deemed heretical.

Yes Pete influenced the early church. And the patriarchal big "C" church persecuted for centuries that unbroken tradition of the women-are equal-to-men branch that HAD understood Jesus' teaching about women. One being the Cathars.

But to return to the OP. Jesus' teachings have been helpful--if you have ears to hear.
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

that they were lovers.... ?

There are credible arguments that she was even his spouse. Your point?
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

This saying simply reminds me of the age old problem of discussing any equivalence of men and women in a pervasively misogynistic environment, one that only recognizes invidious comparisons in communicating that women even so DO have the mental power of men....

This point is made in this story of Teresa o' Avila. She was a 16th century nun whose strong spirituality was matched by a mind also strong. Her confessor in trying to express to a fellow priest that this woman was not a vapourish nun who was subject to fancies of holiness, described her mental integrity by saying "she has a beard".

I hope you don't cavil at this by forcing me to prove that she didn't in fact HAVE a beard.
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

In the gospel of Mary, Simon Peter is even more derogatory of women than is here indicated-- as he feels slighted that Jesus talked so much to Mary.

so you truly think that Jesus was a misogynist?
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

Really, cofty?

The practical reality of following Jesus' teaching still seems best known by the ignorant slave girls tortured by Pliny's orders. Jesus' teaching had them aspire not to lie,steal or commit adultery. Perhaps they felt they had their sins remitted, felt a return to dignity.

I felt that way. It is not a small thing. If you can give me a way to dignify the poor and the help ones who do wrong to a renewed life, tell me what it is. And how well would it "read" off the page in 2,000 years? Especially if some bumble fingers did the writing instead of you?
153
Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?
by jgnat in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.
humbled

Very well for you, you are a saint.

But for the rest of us who needed (and still need) remedial work to function in these areas--who is there to help?

Jesus.

The church that grabbed power as time went on condemned (called other writings "heresies" "Gnosticism" et al) stories of Jesus that varied from their very handy religious construction of him. Yet above all the conflicting stories about him, one teaching dominates-Love one another as I have loved you. Throw all else away and this is the best thing of all.

It straightens out what is crooked. It allows us to separate the dross from the gold even in the undependable propaganda the churches have laid on about him.