Christian Priorities
What exactly is a Christian?
I've been Baptized twice, once as a child and once as a young adult. I've read the Gospels several times in different translations. I admire and agree with Jesus' philosophy. I believe we are all children of God and should treat each other as such.
I do not believe Jesus was born of a virgin or resurrected from his tomb, or that simply believing such qualifies me for entry into an afterlife and absolves me of all my sins. That, I believe, is where religion veers into the realm of delusion and self-indulgence. Whatever the opinion of others, I have a right to mine.
The finality of death and the burden of sin frighten us all. That belief can alleviate such fear is not necessarily a bad thing, but belief carries its own burdens. Treating others as we would be treated ourselves is the foremost of those burdens. According to Jesus, that ranks second only to loving God.
That Jesus' message was above all a call for tolerance is not merely my opinion, it reverberates over and over in his parables. “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”
The burden of belief in Jesus, in my opinion, is to live by his message, not to use one's belief as a weapon, especially in areas that have nothing to do with or that even contradict his teachings.
Recommended reading for those considering membership in the Christian Coalition: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John.
I've been Baptized twice, once as a child and once as a young adult. I've read the Gospels several times in different translations. I admire and agree with Jesus' philosophy. I believe we are all children of God and should treat each other as such.
I do not believe Jesus was born of a virgin or resurrected from his tomb, or that simply believing such qualifies me for entry into an afterlife and absolves me of all my sins. That, I believe, is where religion veers into the realm of delusion and self-indulgence. Whatever the opinion of others, I have a right to mine.
The finality of death and the burden of sin frighten us all. That belief can alleviate such fear is not necessarily a bad thing, but belief carries its own burdens. Treating others as we would be treated ourselves is the foremost of those burdens. According to Jesus, that ranks second only to loving God.
That Jesus' message was above all a call for tolerance is not merely my opinion, it reverberates over and over in his parables. “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”
The burden of belief in Jesus, in my opinion, is to live by his message, not to use one's belief as a weapon, especially in areas that have nothing to do with or that even contradict his teachings.
"For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give- large or small- will be used to measure what is given back to you." (Luke 6:38)(New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989)Now contrast these quotes with the first two items on the Christian Coalition's agenda:
"When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind." (Luke 14:12-13)
"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Luke 16:13)
(1) Passing President Bush's Social Security reform (with personal accounts)
(2) Making permanent President Bush’s 2001 federal tax cuts
Recommended reading for those considering membership in the Christian Coalition: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John.
posted by Bear at 1:02 PM
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