Reply #87: some ideas [View All]

[kineneb]

(Note to readers: I consider myself a Buddhist, but have a strong background in Medieval history, which also covers the history of the Early Church. I also play for Sunday services at a very liberal United Methodist church.)

1.There is no mention of homosexuality in Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). None. Therefore, Jesus did not say anything about it. (Paul, who had his own issues, does mention it, but that is Paul, not Jesus.) Now Jesus does have quite a lot to say about divorce, which none of the Protestant churches seem to notice... (the Bible Belt has the highest divorce rate of the nation...!)

2.The approach should be through Jesus' teachings: to see those who purport to be the leaders of the church as false prophets or "scribes and Pharisees" who would lead their congregations into error.

3.Or... perhaps use the "hypocrite" teachings. If you are a Biblical literalist, then to cherry pick your quotations about morals is to be a hypocrite. And Jesus, in the Synoptic Gospels, has lots to say about hypocrites.

4.The real teachings of Jesus are essentially liberal. If people would actually read the Gospels for themselves (like Luther suggested!), especially the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes, there is no other conclusion they should reach. (Jesus keeps mentioning the 'if you have eyes and ears' bit, duhh.)

5.Churches and preachers have tried to twist the readings to benefit their own power, but they have become the modern Pharisees; twisting the Word to benefit their personal egos and pocketbooks. As Christians, only by following the real teachings of Jesus, found right there in the Synoptic Gospels, can they truly hope to attain the Kingdom of God.

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...See, I actually have read the Gospels... won't hurt anyone, and you don't even have to "believe"! And all I have is the King James Version, which is jolly, because I can read Elizabethan English in context.

There is nothing in the essence of Jesus' practical teachings which contradict the Buddhist teachings (surprise, surprise). The historical and cultural contexts are different, and after winnowing those out, one gets to the core of their meaning:
-be good, do good
-wealth and greed are a hindrance to spiritual development
-to care for the least of those among us enriches the world
-it is good to care for the environment (creation)- it keeps us alive.

just some ideas from this heathen...
kb