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!) ?

[JoeyKnothead]

From the OP:

We know we should love and forgive.

We also know we should hate and never forgive.

Godwin, anybody?

Was Jesus capable of talking only in platitudes?

I'm unaware he was capable of speech, much less about monotremes.

Is his message irrelevant in the turmoil of today's world?

To the extent I accept these words were his...

I refuse to love or forgive those who seek to do others great bodily harm. I refuse to love or forgive those who'd hide behind their holy texts in order to refuse others their rights.

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!) ?

Beats me.

I've yet to find a compelling argument that the words attributed to Jesus were ever uttered by anyone but those who wish to promote him as some extra special demigod water walker.

[MadeNew]

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Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, at the hands of ungodly men, at the hands of sin, at the hands of evilness.

Wait a minute. Weren't Jewish officials involved? Is this to say those men were ungodly, sinful, evil?

They were probably like any other religious officials who don't like having competition or having a wandering preacher agitate against them.

He died for us... We are blessed to call ourselves His disciples and to live our lives accordingly to His life...

So say those who believe Bible stories.

The biggest misconception about being Christian is that it is just a walk in the park. That to be Christian is so we can live a life of happiness and good feelings.

According to Christian lore can't one do whatever they please, sin however they want, as long as they ask forgiveness and repent? Don't they still get a ticket to heaven if they do so before they die?

That we can be accepted by the world if we are Christian... NO! We are exiled by the world!

Exiled by the world? Surely you jest. Christianity dominated Europe for a thousand years (Dark and Middle Ages) and the Americas for hundreds of years.

Perhaps some Christians feel persecuted now that their theocracy has failed and they are given less of the accustomed preferential treatment.

As someone said, When you're used to privilege, equality seems like oppression

Our faith is so we can live our lives according to the Son of God!

If Christians actually live according to the Son of God WHY are they incarcerated at rates similar to everyone else, divorce at similar rates, and have half a million abortions per year?

Why do Christians live about like everyone else (but perhaps act pious and make claims of righteousness)?

That we can be led by Jesus Christ to the righteousness of God! If Jesus died on a cross, we should expect that those spirits who persecuted Christ will likewise persecute the faith of Christ and all His disciples... We should expect to die with Jesus, in His suffering, and to live with Him in eternal life.

Is that intended as a sermon " or is it somehow intended as debate? Sermons should be restricted to Holy Huddle sub-forum.

Blessed are those who suffer for God!

That is a great mantra for preachers addressing the downtrodden.

Is that intended as a sermon " or is it somehow intended as debate? Sermons should be restricted to Holy Huddle sub-forum.

Z, the topic is "Is Jesus relevant today?" Which is questioning if the Faith can stand up against all the evil's today. Does Christianity give us solutions for evilness, and what have you...


Jesus IS the answer!

Living by the FAITH of Christianity is a guide for ourselves. I believe it is impossible to live by faith, and sin against that faith at the same time. This isn't a statement that those who live by faith don't sin, but rather a statement that sin separates the faithful from God, and leads to repentance.

What is the solution to sin? What is a solution to the wickedness, and evil's of the world? Turn to God! Confess Christ! Where repentance will follow. Start with belief and the actions will follow. God is the righteousness, the goodness, the epiphany of morality...

[MadeNew]

Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, at the hands of ungodly men, at the hands of sin, at the hands of evilness. He died for us...
If Jesus died on a cross, we should expect that those spirits who persecuted Christ will likewise persecute the faith of Christ and all His disciples... We should expect to die with Jesus, in His suffering, and to live with Him in eternal life.

Blessed are those who suffer for God!

This is a dismal doxology. First of all it was not the ungodly who took issue with Christ but the godly - the very people who were supposedly God's favourites, acting in their God's defence when Christ arrogated himself to the position of God. Did their God not say: Thou shall have no other Gods before me?

The majority of Christians today, thanks to secular progress, enjoy good lives and only in some imaginative way do they share Christ's crucifixion.

Some who suffer and die for God are anything but blessed; they commit atrocities in the name of God. Of course they believe their God is the right one, just as you do. And God says nothing to disabuse you or them of the error.

Dying for God is different then murdering for God... In fact, the scripture tells us that waging evil in the name of God is the only unforgivable sin.

When Christians talk about how the apostles died for their beliefs, all too often atheist compare this to the Jihad's of Islam... The are nothing alike! The apostles died at the hands of people convicting them for being Christians, while Jihads murder and kill themselves for their false God.. "you will know them by their fruits" Jesus said!

[Tired of the Nonsense]

Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, at the hands of ungodly men, at the hands of sin, at the hands of evilness. He died for us...
If Jesus died on a cross, we should expect that those spirits who persecuted Christ will likewise persecute the faith of Christ and all His disciples... We should expect to die with Jesus, in His suffering, and to live with Him in eternal life.

Blessed are those who suffer for God!

This is a dismal doxology. First of all it was not the ungodly who took issue with Christ but the godly - the very people who were supposedly God's favourites, acting in their God's defence when Christ arrogated himself to the position of God. Did their God not say: Thou shall have no other Gods before me?

The majority of Christians today, thanks to secular progress, enjoy good lives and only in some imaginative way do they share Christ's crucifixion.

Some who suffer and die for God are anything but blessed; they commit atrocities in the name of God. Of course they believe their God is the right one, just as you do. And God says nothing to disabuse you or them of the error.

Dying for God is different then murdering for God... In fact, the scripture tells us that waging evil in the name of God is the only unforgivable sin.

When Christians talk about how the apostles died for their beliefs, all too often atheist compare this to the Jihad's of Islam... The are nothing alike! The apostles died at the hands of people convicting them for being Christians, while Jihads murder and kill themselves for their false God.. "you will know them by their fruits" Jesus said!

Is denying that God ever existed to begin with "waging evil?" What about killing woman and children in the name of God? Is that waging evil? Who gets to decide what it evil?

The apostles died because they lived 2,000 years ago. When Acts indicates that the church began to come under heavy persecution from the Jewish authorities near the end of the reign of Herod Agrippa (Acts 12), the apostles disappeared from the narrative, never to return. All but Peter. Scripture only records the death of two apostles, Judas and James the brother of John.

[marco]

Was Jesus capable of talking only in platitudes?

I'm unaware he was capable of speech, much less about monotremes.

You forget the beatitudes, Joey: Blessed is the platypus, for he shall lay eggs. I think it is regularly confused with the meek. Translators, eh?

[Zzyzx]

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Z, the topic is "Is Jesus relevant today?" Which is questioning if the Faith can stand up against all the evil's today. Does Christianity give us solutions for evilness, and what have you...

Today it does not seem as though Christianity is successful in applying its solutions to what it considers evil. Does it need another 2000 years to produce results?

Jesus IS the answer!

Correction: You CLAIM that Jesus is the answer. There is no assurance that is anything more than a common misconception based on irrational reliance on unverified ancient texts / testimonials / folklore, myth, etc.

Living by the FAITH of Christianity is a guide for ourselves.

Many live well, benevolently, generously, fairly, honestly, etc WITHOUT need for that guide.

Perhaps Believers DO need guidance even if it is imaginary to keep them from running amok.

I believe it is impossible to live by faith, and sin against that faith at the same time. This isn't a statement that those who live by faith don't sin, but rather a statement that sin separates the faithful from God, and leads to repentance.

Many who claim to live by faith are incarcerated at rates similar to other groups, divorce at similar rates, and have half a million abortions per year while preaching against such things.

Of course, they can repent, ask forgiveness and still have their ticket to heaven according to Christian lore.

What is the solution to sin?

Sin is nothing more than a religious concept

What is a solution to the wickedness, and evil's of the world?

There doesn't appear to be a solution. God has has thousands of years to work his magic and even supposedly killed off almost all animals (including humans) in a failed attempt.

So much for the god solution

Turn to God! Confess Christ!

This is NOT the place to preach.

Where repentance will follow. Start with belief and the actions will follow. God is the righteousness, the goodness, the epiphany of morality...

Believers demonstrate the righteousness, goodness, morality in such things as The Crusades, Inquisition, witch trials, homosexual bashing, denouncing all who do not believe, etc. Right?

[marco]

Dying for God is different then murdering for God... In fact, the scripture tells us that waging evil in the name of God is the only unforgivable sin.

In Matthew 12 we have:

12:31} For this reason, I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
{12:32} And anyone who will have spoken a word against the Son of man shall be forgiven. But whoever will have spoken against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven, neither in this age, nor in the future age.

I always believed that final impenitence was a sin that could not, by its nature, be forgiven.

When Christians talk about how the apostles died for their beliefs, all too often atheists compare this to the Jihad's of Islam... The are nothing alike! The apostles died at the hands of people convicting them for being Christians, while Jihads murder and kill themselves for their false God.. "you will know them by their fruits" Jesus said!

The problem with quoting Scripture to support one belief is that we can quote it to support another. Christianity burned people alive. By the fruits shall ye know the tree.

Your contention that jihadists murder for a false God could likewise be applied to what Catholics and Protestants did in earlier centuries. As for the Holy Books - you can find instructions in Bible and Koran that seem to suggest that stoning is correct.
Remember, Jesus did not say "stoning an adulteress is wrong" for that would have contradicted Scripture. Instead he invited anyone without sin to throw the first stone, which is a clever way of avoiding criticism of the Bible. His mother was without sin: would it have been correct for her to pick up stones and throw them at the woman?

[MadeNew]

Dying for God is different then murdering for God... In fact, the scripture tells us that waging evil in the name of God is the only unforgivable sin.

In Matthew 12 we have:

12:31} For this reason, I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
{12:32} And anyone who will have spoken a word against the Son of man shall be forgiven. But whoever will have spoken against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven, neither in this age, nor in the future age.

I always believed that final impenitence was a sin that could not, by its nature, be forgiven.

When Christians talk about how the apostles died for their beliefs, all too often atheists compare this to the Jihad's of Islam... The are nothing alike! The apostles died at the hands of people convicting them for being Christians, while Jihads murder and kill themselves for their false God.. "you will know them by their fruits" Jesus said!

The problem with quoting Scripture to support one belief is that we can quote it to support another. Christianity burned people alive. By the fruits shall ye know the tree.

Your contention that jihadists murder for a false God could likewise be applied to what Catholics and Protestants did in earlier centuries. As for the Holy Books - you can find instructions in Bible and Koran that seem to suggest that stoning is correct.
Remember, Jesus did not say "stoning an adulteress is wrong" for that would have contradicted Scripture. Instead he invited anyone without sin to throw the first stone, which is a clever way of avoiding criticism of the Bible. His mother was without sin: would it have been correct for her to pick up stones and throw them at the woman?

I don't claim that supposed "Christians" have never committed atrocities... No i claim that those atrocities are un Christian... Christianity is about serving, Christianity is about forgiveness, its about loving your brother as yourself, loving God. It speaks out against Hate, it speaks out against murder, it demonstrates righteousness by forgiveness, and abandons stoning. Christianity is about laying down your life, denying yourself.. Jesus forgave the sinner! He didn't kill them!

If you wish to criticize Christianity, then do it to Christianity and not to the un Christian like sinners who claim to be "Christian"..


You quoted the unforgivable sin "Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit", but what do you suppose that means? I wasn't too sure until i read of the unforgivable sin in the Old Testament... It is commandment # 3...

"7 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.""

This tells us this sin will not be held guiltless... It is an unforgivable sin, where misuse is defined as "carry"... This is waging Gods name in vain, it is sinning in the name of God..

Now i suppose the two are one in the same...

[Zzyzx]

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I don't claim that supposed "Christians" have never committed atrocities... No i claim that those atrocities are un Christian... Christianity is about serving, Christianity is about forgiveness, its about loving your brother as yourself, loving God. It speaks out against Hate, it speaks out against murder, it demonstrates righteousness by forgiveness, and abandons stoning.

In other words Christianity is about TALK.

It is talking about its idealistic standards which Christians do NOT abide. Christians in the US are incarcerated at rates similar to other groups, divorce at similar rates, have a half million abortions per year " while proclaiming themselves to be followers of some lofty moral code.

Christianity is about laying down your life,

Those who are eager or willing to lay down their life for their religious beliefs are welcome to do so. Millions of Japanese soldiers did exactly that for their emperor god Hirohito during WWII. Praise be unto them. Right?

denying yourself..

Christians do not seem any more capable of denying themselves than anyone else " except in grandiose claims. They seem to be just as greedy, glutinous, gossipy, self-aggrandizing, law-breaking as Non-Christians " and Christians supposedly have HELP to be better people. What are they like without the help?

Jesus forgave the sinner! He didn't kill them!

Scratch one wandering preacher who defied officials of the religion he professed.

If you wish to criticize Christianity, then do it to Christianity

That is done regularly here

and not to the un Christian like sinners who claim to be "Christian"..

How convenient that a Christian who does something disreputable suddenly becomes un-Christian in the eyes of defenders of the faith.