| Spiritual Topic |
Standard Explanation via Jesus the Christ’s Ministry |
Quasi-critical Discussion (Perhaps a Jewish Interpretation) |
| Major Biblical Quotations
| | |
| Judging Others Boomerangs |
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven...” |
You are judged by the same criteria with which you judge others, you’re forced to live up to your lofty standards. When you pump up your ego by knocking someone else, you lose a degree of your innocence — you become complicit in unwholesome behavior. Being nonjudgemental makes for better socializing, and relationships. |
| Forgiveness | Forgive them, they know not what they do. |
Try to keep in mind that the trespasser doesn’t know what they’re doing. One day there may be the possibility that they will finally see the light. Until then, we can try to let it go by forgiving and/or forgetting their trespass. |
| Eye for an eye versus turn the other cheek. |
Christ’s turn the other cheek suggests passivity towards aggression, which might work when it demonstrates how hateful an aggressor actually is. If someone wants an argument, and has a chip on their shoulder, it might be best to do nothing, to show the aggressor how out of line he is from embracing pacifism. This is the essence of civil disobedience, which ended racial segregation. |
Turning the other check may be impractical in certain situations. For instance, if someone constantly bullies you, and you continually turn the other cheek, there’s a good chance you’ll continue to be bullied. Turning the other cheek may shame the aggressor however. With eye for an eye, the bad apples get what they give. |
| “...Ask, and it shall be given you...” |
“...Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” God wants people to be assertive, as well as prosperous. |
There’s a slight issue here: Christianity may have a tendency to create “turn the other cheek” sheep, and this quote, Luke ll:9, is a call to assert one’s self. |
| “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” | Anyone who has never sinned, should cast the first stone condemning a sinner. This is where Jesus, known as the son of God, saves an adulterous woman from a mob. |
Twice in the linked Biblical passage, Christ bends over and writes in the sand. Who writes on the ground to compose their thinking? Who would channel God in such a manner? God is found in the sand? Did Christ do this for dramatic effect? Was Jesus a bit of a showman? (A side note: if Jesus was actually without sin, he should have thrown the first stone.) |
| “To every thing there is a season... A time to be born, and a time to die... A time to kill, and a time to heal...” |
From those words in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, comes the lyrics for the Sixties anthem by the Byrds, Turn, turn, turn. The verses demonstrate that for every hatred shown by a few leaders, it is offset by the kindness of millions of other men and women. There are cycles to hostilities. |
This may be more of an attempt to find solace in the impermanent nature of warring conflict. The only qualm one might have with this Bible passage is the necessity for cycles, or seasons of hatred, that somehow murder on a national scale, or war, can be justified. With today’s advanced channels for dialog, and the wisdom of millennium, Mankind will learn enough to know that killing is only unbridled nihilism, that is, pure destruction, and that it helps no one. |
| The Power of Faith |
Psalms, Chapter 23: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want ... I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me ...” |
As soon as you hand over your free will to the ether, you could lose control over your fate. Instead, join with all Creation, with the rest of humanity, and with the benevolence evident in Creation’s aggregate bonhomie, or goodwill. Don’t dwell on what might be above; but consider the humanity around us. |
| Corinthians, Chapter 13 |
“...And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity...” The first two concern your needs. The last, charity, concerns your kindness to the rest of this Earth at large, and how, or if, those needs are met. |
Charity is for others, faith and hope are for ourselves.
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| Rejecting Materialism |
Priests, monks and nuns, take oaths of poverty, renounce creature comforts, and live with very little luxury. Because it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle... |
We have all the material resources to make almost every last person on Earth happy and healthy, but our distribution system is plagued by greed, and mis-apportionment. Someday we will coordinate the logistics of manufacture and distribution with the goal of satisfying World demand. Intrinsic human value means everyone gets absolute necessities. Either we make food, goods, medicine, and adequate housing, available to everyone, or we perpetuate suffering to perpetuity. |
| ...Love one another... |
Christ’s main message for his flock, repeated thirteen times in the New Testament, was “Love one another.” This might be rewritten as: “Love those who deserve your love.” |
Today’s Christianity puts plenty of qualifications on that love. The Vatican contends that gay people are not following the teachings of their Messiah. Christians often hold the conviction, even backed by their ancient, hate-reinforcing document, the Bible (that’s right, follow the link), that gays and lesbians are fundamentally flawed. Love is love, it is not within one’s powers to decide whom they find attractive. What gives one group of people the right to decide who others can love? |
| Is Heaven a reward for a righteous life, or for attending Mass? |
“Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Follow the path of Jesus, and you will live forever, so says John 3:16. |
Is Christ offering the reward of a hereafter for living a spiritual life, or because it serves as a lure to stay a Christian involved in his church? This particular quote is difficult to some (like me), because it implies that going to heaven, is contingent on being a follower of Jesus the Christ. |
