Is Jesus relevant today?

[marco]

We know we should love and forgive. For good people this is good advice, which, being good, they will try to live by. But more important than platitudes is advice on how to talk to wicked people, how to persuade violent people to be peaceful, how to put out the flames of terror. Jesus seems to give no answers.

When millions were persecuted, all we can find in Christ's bag of advice is, turn the other cheek. He also said: pray, and you'll be given an answer, not a stone. Millions are praying every day for a solution, but sadly Christ gave no means to act against those who are evil. He might well smack them later, but that is small consolation to his suffering sheep.

Was Jesus capable of talking only in platitudes?
Is his message irrelevant in the turmoil of today's world?
Or do you think Jesus DOES have answers to help us today against the evils we face (other than to say - it serves you right!) ?

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by marco]

One heart at a time!

The bible message has changed countless people away from racism, violence and war to peace and love.



Jehovah's Witnesses as a people demonstrate it is possible, even in this world, to live together as a multifracial, multinational global brotherhood, free of violent conflict and war and testify that Jesus message that effecuated that change.


JW

[Elijah John]

We know we should love and forgive. For good people this is good advice, which, being good, they will try to live by. But more important than platitudes is advice on how to talk to wicked people, how to persuade violent people to be peaceful, how to put out the flames of terror. Jesus seems to give no answers.

When millions were persecuted, all we can find in Christ's bag of advice is, turn the other cheek. He also said: pray, and you'll be given an answer, not a stone. Millions are praying every day for a solution, but sadly Christ gave no means to act against those who are evil. He might well smack them later, but that is small consolation to his suffering sheep.

Was Jesus capable of talking only in platitudes?
Is his message irrelevant in the turmoil of today's world?
Or do you think Jesus DOES have answers to help us today against the evils we face (other than to say - it serves you right!) ?

"Turning the other cheek" is a way to prevent escalation. It keeps insult from turning into argument, argument from turning into fight, fight from turning into bloodshed.

If folks would learn to forgive instead of retaliate, suffering and violence due to escalation would be greatly reduced if not eliminated.

Jesus teaches how to break the cycle of violence, retaliation, escalation.

[JehovahsWitness]

When millions were persecuted, all we can find in Christ's bag of advice is, turn the other cheek. He also said: pray, and you'll be given an answer,

Sadly Jehovah's Witnesses have indeed been the victims of persecution, indeed they are arguably one the the 20th centuries most persecuted groups, so as a people we would be in a better position than most to say how to successfully affront this situation. By far the majority of JWs testify that their fortitude and endurance to not be broken by what has been for some unthinkably cruel treatment, came from Christ's words and stellar example as well as strength of the holy spirit promised by Jesus to those he loves.


JEHOVAHS WITNESS

[JLB32168]

The Civil Rights movement in the black community was accomplish through people's interpretation of Christ's teachings. To say that Christ seems irrelevant today is to refuse to confuse the issue w/facts but rest on preconceived biases/prejudices instead.

[Elijah John]

When millions were persecuted, all we can find in Christ's bag of advice is, turn the other cheek. He also said: pray, and you'll be given an answer,

Sadly Jehovah's Witnesses have indeed been the victims of persecution, indeed they are arguably one the the 20th centuries most persecuted groups, so as a people we would be in a better position than most to say how to successfully affront this situation. By far the majority of JWs testify that their fortitude and endurance to not be broken by what has been for some unthinkably cruel treatment, came from Christ's words and stellar example as well as strength of the holy spirit promised by Jesus to those he loves.


JEHOVAHS WITNESS

That is sadly true. Jehovah's Witnesses were victims of the Holocaust, along with Jews and others.

Aren't you folks pacifists too, and abstain and exempt from military service?

I think this is one of Jesus teachings that JW's take literally, (turning the other cheek) where most other Christians take that teaching metaphorically.

Quakers, Amish and a few others too, (I believe) are pacifists.

And if that was Jesus intention, your denominations insitutionally exemplify the teachings of Christ..

[marco]

[Replying to post 1 by marco]



The bible message has changed countless people away from racism, violence and war to peace and love.

Jesus impressed the good. It is big news when a wicked man becomes good, but that can happen for a variety of reasons.

My point is that Jesus gives no answers to problems that afflict society. It is all very well saying -"Be good" but solutions are absent.

[marco]

"Turning the other cheek" is a way to prevent escalation. It keeps insult from turning into argument, argument from turning into fight, fight from turning into bloodshed.

If folks would learn to forgive instead of retaliate, suffering and violence due to escalation would be greatly reduced if not eliminated.

Jesus teaches how to break the cycle of violence, retaliation, escalation.

We all know that if the world was full of good people, there would be no war. This is counsel of perfection. We have fallible humanity with big problems. Saying: Be nice! is worse than useless. Telling the persecuted to turn the other cheek in abject submission ensures that evil wins.

[marco]

The Civil Rights movement in the black community was accomplish through people's interpretation of Christ's teachings. To say that Christ seems irrelevant today is to refuse to confuse the issue w/facts but rest on preconceived biases/prejudices instead.

It was based on common sense. In any settlement there is an ingredient of co-operation and neighbourliness. Christ is saying: Be good, children, which is what many long-suffering teachers say. There is much more to life than that. Admittedly, with the good he is good; with the bad his advice is the same - be good, bad people. Try telling ISIS that.

If we want to solve our problems today, Christ is of little value.

[JLB32168]

[The Civil Rights Movement] was based on common sense.

I think that the leaders of the movement reserve the right to determine their inspiration for the movement and Dr. King cites Christ and Christian twenty-two times in his Letter from Birmingham Jail.