Go to The Reverend Kooka Speaks About Religious Bulls#!t
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- Go to JESUS' BELIEFS WERE NOT RIGID OR INFLEXIBLE
TO ALL YOU CHRISTIANS
you have made not only god, but Jesus in the image that y ou feelmost comfortable with.
that which is god is apirit
and those who worship must see the spirit
not the image that is made of it.
and Jesus?
there has been an image created around that figure that is not real.
and you refuse to discard the image.
this stands in the way of "worshipping" - that is, recognizing and acting - in "spirit".
posted by
Xeno-x
on January 2, 2006 at 10:02 AM
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kooka_lives - I tend to agree very much with your last comment
The legend of Jesus Christ and even the messiah in general, for that matter, has many layers of definition and fabrication added to it. No where is there to be found anything actually written by Jesus Christ himself, as everything we have is written in the third person, is an extrapulation from anecdotal evidence, or in some cases, a few precious scraps of so called eyewitness testimony. Most of this information was assembled decades, even centuries after he lived. From what is bound to be an incomplete and innacurate chronicling of his life and times, we are now trying to piece together what he actually said or the message he intended for people to hear. The rigidity in his teachings all seem to be inserted after the fact to serve the agendas of those who claimed to be his followers.
posted by
gomedome
on January 2, 2006 at 9:45 AM
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billy
But it did seem as though Jesus never sat down and said 'this is the way it has to be' before he went out and saw the world. He did seem to continue to develop hs beliefs as he went. New experiences gave him new insight. For although the stories do have him with some of the ego aspects that we see in the Bible, the beliefs he taught did develop as he went.
It would be something to learn the true stories about Jesus. Just who the character was based off of and see what it really was that he taught and he he went about his teaching. I believe there was someone that really lived that they used for the basic idea of the character. My guess is that person was not well liked at all as he went around and talked about trying to believe in a new path.
I am just using him as an example of how growth does not come from just being inflexible and accepting the beliefs as presented before you. There is no growth there to be found.
posted by
kooka_lives
on January 2, 2006 at 9:31 AM
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Dylan
Everyone needs a strong foundation, but the general beliefs need to be flexible so they can adapt as you learn, experience and are exposed to new things.
I think it is generally those who have the weaker foundation who end up being less rigid with the beliefs themselves. When your foundation is strong, you can be more rigid in the beliefs themselves.
posted by
kooka_lives
on January 2, 2006 at 9:24 AM
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Kooka, Jesus was a rebel against the dogma of his day but he replaced
the old teachings with new ones. I am more than confident you (and probably most of us) would never listen to Jesus today. He said no one comes to the Father but through me. Thats sounds pretty rigid to me. His teachings of peace and love and to watch out for hypocracy are sound and have served the hippie and secular humanist movements well but he did proclaim salvation and damnation and taught a very specific course of action one must follow to enter the kingdom of heaven. Deep down in my heart I have never been able to believe in this road to salvation because I don't really think there is anything to be saved from. But, just like with Abraham Lincoln, too many people put Jesus on their side, conveniently ignoring what doesn't fit their agenda.
posted by
FreeManWalking
on January 1, 2006 at 7:07 PM
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I am rigid in a few beliefs...
such as freedom of speech and faith, as well as democracy and the Golden Rule. Beyond that, I am very flexible, and agree with you. I suppose I am rigid in my core beliefs, but flexible as to how to practice them in different situations.
posted by
Dyl_Pickle
on December 31, 2005 at 2:16 PM
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Trevor
Correct, but he also did not teach traditional Jewish beliefs. The Jews at the time had some serious problems with him because he was not being rigid in following the faith. He went off in his own direction and created a new religion without actually being aware he did it. He went around and saw the world and his beliefs did alter with every experience.
You need to take out all of the super natural elements of the story and look at the way he went about thing and his teachings. He was not closed minded or rigid. He was very mush flexible in his beliefs. Most of what is taught about Jesus has to do with the super natural and the miracles and such, and little if anything to do with what he actually preached and his teachings. All the more reason as to why it becomes an insult to his teachings to be so closed minded and rigid. If he had been rigid and inflexible in his beliefs, he would have gone with the basic Jewish teachings and not rocked the boat as he did. There would be no Christianity today, although I am sure something else would have taken its place. Real or not, the basic character of Jesus was a person who was open minded, free thinking and very flexible in his beliefs.
posted by
kooka_lives
on December 31, 2005 at 11:12 AM
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Hmm.
I don't think Jesus was a Christian, he was Christ. I don't think he ever disavowed his Judaism, did he?
posted by
Trevor_Cunnington
on December 31, 2005 at 10:45 AM
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serioushelpneeded
If you read the New Testament you get the impression that Jesus is actually just saying what he believes would be God's desires. After all God talks to no one, even Jesus through out the New Testament. Jesus teaches HIS beliefs and what HE has figured out. Nothing more. His ideas were against the old way and very much part of the idea of free thinking and opening one's mind. His beliefs did change as he went and got a better understanding of the world, but had a foundation that he went off of.
People believe he was inspired by God or the embodiment of God or whatever. But that is just part of the myth. The stories themselves very much teach being flexible about your beliefs, being open minded and accepting and be a free thinker.
If Jesus were to return to today's world I very much think he would see the mistakes in those following what they claim to be his religion. He would most likely start up a whole new set of religious beliefs that tried to correct the mistakes that came from what he taught and how those teaching have been altered throughout the years. I think a person like Jesus as he is presented to us in the stories about him, would be the first to sit back and see that mistakes were made and that there were flaws in the teaching because they were created for that time, and could not really deal with the future and ready to change it all to make it better.
It matter not is Jesus was a real person or if he was the son of God or even God made flesh or any of that. The stories have an important message in them that are ignored by most of those who claim to follow them religiously.
posted by
kooka_lives
on December 31, 2005 at 10:33 AM
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Free thinker?
Jesus got his instructions from His Father. Daddy didn't say, "oh just do whatever you want, and make it up as you go along. There is an instruction manual,and an understanding we are all born with. If one wants to do it their way, like many are doing today, there are consequences. Do it His way, kept promises and blessings. Choices!!!!!
posted by
serioushelpneeded
on December 31, 2005 at 9:37 AM
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Ignorance and Lack of Understanding
I agree whole hearted with you!! It amazes me as I see this daily and within my family who proclaim to be the most religious, saved, sanctified, etc. and quote scriptures as though they are actually living in the time with Jesus while on earth. The phrase "so heavenly minded until no earthly good' seems to fit. All I can do is to ask to continue to be strong and not allow that type thinking to cripple me and continue to understand the place of rigid, inflexible thinking and behavior and of whom it actual exemplifies.
Thanks for an awesome post. I really needed it. I had decided to stay off line for at least 4 days, yet encountered thinking and behavior that led me back here to read your post!! God bless you!
posted by
Dr_JPT
on December 31, 2005 at 8:52 AM
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