The teachings of Jesus.

[Elijah John]

How practical are the teachings of Jesus in the real world?

Which aspects of his teachings are realistic and readily do-able, and which are not?

Did Paul, and/or the Church filter the teachings of Jesus in order to make them more realistic?

How so?

[JehovahsWitness]

How practical are the teachings of Jesus in the real world?

Which aspects of his teachings are realistic and readily do-able, and which are not?

As one of Jehovah's Witnesses I believe that all of Jesus teachings (as we understand them) are practical in the real world.

There are none which I find impractical or "undo-able".

What about

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Yes according to our interpretation that is doable.



JW




RELATED POSTS

What does the word "perfect" mean?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 829#797829

If Adam and Eve were perfect, how could they sin? CAN a perfect being, sin?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 903#873903

Are Jehovah's Witnesses "biblical listeralists"?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 428#868428

[Divine Insight]

[Replying to post 11 by JehovahsWitness]

Seems to me all you've done there was reject the common meaning of the work 'perfect' and simply twisted it to mean something far less from perfect.

Like I say, you can always twist anything to mean anything you so desire by doing that. So what have you gained? Absolutely nothing.

All you've done was suggest that Jesus didn't really mean what our current Bibles have him saying because according to you (actually according to the Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization that you support) all modern Bibles are incorrectly translated.

In other words, you have chosen to accept the Jehovah's Witnesses' Watchertower over the Bible.

But why should we be impressed with that? The Jehovah's Witnesses are a very latecomer rebellious Protestant sect that has not only rebelled against Catholicism, but has also rebelled against the vast majority of other Protestant sects.

Jehovah's Witnesses weren't even invented until the late 1800's. Certainly not a religious organization worthy of much consideration. They were far too late in creating their version of Christianity.

I mean they were 1800 years after Christ. That's pretty darn late to be laying claim to having superior interpretations on Biblical scriptures.

I think the Catholic Church has you guys beat by well over 1000 years. More like 1800 years if we consider Paul to be the first Catholic.

What gives Jehovah's Witnesses the right to lay claim to having better interpretations of scripture than the Catholic Church?

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 11 by JehovahsWitness]

Seems to me all you've done there was reject the common meaning of the work 'perfect' and simply twisted it to mean something far less from perfect

Well I cannot control your perceptions, only explain my beliefs as best I can, I ask noone to accept what I say as truth if they don't want to, I simply share what those beliefs are and present the rationale that lead me there.


My statements are faith based opinions no more. Feel free to disagree.


JW




RELATED QUESTIONS

Do Jehovah's Witnesses believe the bible is the word of God?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 125#873125

FURTHER READING Have Jehovahs Witnesses Changed the Bible to Fit Their Beliefs?
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesse ... e-beliefs/

[steveb1]

How practical are the teachings of Jesus in the real world?

Which aspects of his teachings are realistic and readily do-able, and which are not?

Did Paul, and/or the Church filter the teachings of Jesus in order to make them more realistic?

How so?

The trouble is, even if one acknowledges Gospel accounts of Jesus's teaching as historical, still, one must plow through them and salad bar/cherry pick the ones that meet one's own definitions of "reality" and pragmatism.

If one believes in a Sacred Transcendent, then many of Jesus's teachings and parables are uncannily apt and applicable:

The Kingdom, mysteriously, is "in" us and "amongst" us - simultaneously;
the Kingdom, mysteriously, is like a woman taking grain home in a sack but unaware of the grain leaking out through a hole in the bag;
the Kingdom is like a farmer who went out to sew, with some seed falling on good soil, other on bad soil, some among brambles;
to fully realize that the Kingdom is yet to come, but is here;
that to find oneself, one must lose oneself;
that to be first, one must be last;
one must follow the narrow way, not the broad way;
one must take up one's own cross, knowing that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will never rise up to new life;
one should know that the Spirit "blows where it listeth";
one should experience the Kingdom and watch as it grows from the tiniest seed to the largest bush;
one should be "One with the Father", even as Jesus and the Father are One;
one should know oneself as one of the branches of the Christ-Vine;
one should experience death and resurrection as spiritual processes that take place during this earthly life,
etc., etc.

The above seem to be guidelines to, and hallmarks of, living the mystical Christian life. I don't know that Paul altered Jesus's original teachings, since Paul never explicitly cites any of them. But obviously, contrasting what the Gospel Jesus taught about the value of works and Torah-charity with what Paul taught about the uselessness of works and the invalidation of the Torah, then clearly - in a sense, after the Church adopted Paulinism - "Paul" did change and distort Jesus's Gospel teachings.

[Divine Insight]

My statements are faith based opinions no more. Feel free to disagree.

So why participate in a debating forum if all you're going to do is offer faith-based opinions?

You are aware that this is a debating forum, right?

You are certainly welcome to have whatever faith-based opinions you like. That's for sure. But that approach is pretty meaningless in a debate forum.

[tam]

Peace to you both!

How practical are the teachings of Jesus in the real world?

Which aspects of his teachings are realistic and readily do-able, and which are not?

As one of Jehovah's Witnesses I believe that all of Jesus teachings (as we understand them) are practical in the real world.

There are none which I find impractical or "undo-able".

What about

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Do you simply pretend to understand this to mean something other than what it says?

Obviously if you ignore what Jesus taught by pretending that he wasn't teaching what he says, then you could get away with quite a bit.

I don't know what the JW interpretation on perfect is, but Christ tells us what He meant by perfect in that same paragraph (love your neighbors AND your enemies):

You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. "

We are to do more than just love those who love us. Most people do that, even the 'tax collectors and the pagans'. But if we are to be children of our father in heaven, if we are to be perfect, then we are to also love those who hate and even persecute us.




Peace again to you,
your servant and a slave of Christ,
tammy

[JehovahsWitness]

My statements are faith based opinions no more. Feel free to disagree.

So why participate in a debating forum if all you're going to do is offer faith-based opinions?

You are aware that this is a debating forum, right?

You are certainly welcome to have whatever faith-based opinions you like. That's for sure. But that approach is pretty meaningless in a debate forum.

I was unaware that sharing opinions was prohibited on this forum. I am more than happy to conform with forum rules if this is the case. The OP asked "How practical are the teachings of Jesus in the real world?" I took this as an invitation to share my opinion on this topic, again I am more than happy to recognize if a moderator tells me I have in some way violated guidelines in my response.

I am not presenting my opinions/beliefs as FACT.



JW

[JehovahsWitness]

I don't know what the JW interpretation on perfect is ...

Here's the link if you want to read further (its quite long)
http://m.wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003440




QUESTION What did Jesus mean when he commanded his followers to "be perfect"?

Matthew 5:48 reads :

"You must accordingly be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" - New World Translation

The Weymouth New Testament reads:
You however are to be complete in goodness, as your Heavenly Father is complete.

Various other translations
https://biblehub.com/matthew/5-48.htm

The footnote for the above in the NWT (2013 Revised Edition) reads as follows:

perfect: The Greek term used here can mean complete" "mature" or it can mean "faultless" according to standards set by an authority. Only Jehovah is perfect in an absolute sense, so when the term is applied to humans, it describes relative perfection. In this context, "perfect"refers to the completeness of a Christian's love for Jehovah God and for fellow humans, something that is possible, even though a person is sinful.

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

SIN , PERFECTION , and ...THE RANSOM

[Divine Insight]

Most people do that, even the 'tax collectors and the pagans'.

Sounds like certain groups of people are being judged here.

So you are saying that most people are perfect as our father in heaven is perfect? Even tax collectors and pagans?

Seems to me that you have allowed for an extremely low bar on God's perfection.

Why would Jesus need to instruct his disciples to do what even tax collectors and pagans do naturally?

Can the endless apologies for this religion get any sillier?

[tam]

Peace to you DI,

Most people do that, even the 'tax collectors and the pagans'.

Sounds like certain groups of people are being judged here.

So you are saying that most people are perfect as our father in heaven is perfect? Even tax collectors and pagans?

No, I apologize. I was unclear. I meant... most people will love those who love them. Most people will not also love their enemies. But to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, we must love both their neighbor AND their enemies (people who hate us).


That was the whole context.


Peace again to you!