Again these so called "Christians" have no idea what Christ stands for!

[Amy6627]

Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Here is a great website promoting this as why Christians should support Obama and healthcare reform.

http://matthew25.org/issues/

[elocs]

1. How true! K&R

[CurtEastPoint]

2. The best scripture quote ever... and the best one to use to show them...

how f'ing hypocritical they are.

Thanks for the website.

[stopbush]

34. They just throw this one back in your face: "For the poor always ye have with you."

Let's face it, In John 12, it's all about making Jesus smell pretty. The poor can go and fuck themselves.

[DailyGrind51]

51. Respond with this one:

The Holy Bible: King James Version. 2000.

The General Epistle of
James
5

Warning to the Rich

Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

-- James 5:1-5

[stopbush]

72. There's no evidence that the rich get their comeuppance in some

eternal hell that materializes after death.

Your quote is one of those bromides the rich and powerful have been using for centuries to keep the rabble in their place. Not only in their place, but making a virtue out of being desperate and destitute.

Well, I call BS. This verse from James is a prime example of why religion is so deeply, deeply flawed, and why it has had and continues to have such a negative impact on the human condition. The verse in question has no more value than a run-of-the-mill schoolyard taunt.

Our species really needs to get past these childish beliefs. How many criminals and despots have gotten off Scot free in this life because people believe there is some ultimate justice awaiting them after death? It's BS, and it's even on display today with the release from prison of the Lockerbie bomber, who is being released in part because the judge in the case implied that said bomber would soon be facing a higher judge, ie: god.

Holy shit on a shingle, Batman! Can you believe it?

[madamesilverspurs]

65. "For the poor always ye have with you."

His statement was an observation, and the Republicans have turned it into their 11th commandment.

[Libertas1776]

3. Typical

left wing socialist propaganda from that America hating Marxist, Jesus Christ. :sarcasm:


With all those RW assholes carrying around their bibles like an extra limb to these protests, you think at least one of them would actually, you know, READ IT!

[Mariana]

43. What makes you think they CAN read it? nt.

[mwooldri]

4. Let's add another piece of scripture to the mix. Luke 10:27. nt

[Amy6627]

7. Yes that's a good one too! nt

[FiveGoodMen]

5. They never will.

People with even the slightest chance of getting Jesus' message would never have fallen for the right wing crap in the first place.

[The Doctor.]

6. This should be read on the floor of Congress any time HCR is addressed.

Every single time.

[Amy6627]

8. That would be spectacular! n/t

[stopbush]

9. Oh, please. Jesus was an idiot and a megalomaniac.

How about these special words from the mouth of Jesus?:

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." -- Luke 14:26

The Greek root word in this quote unequivocally means "hate."

"God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curses father or mother, let him die the death." -- Matthew 15:4

Jesus believes what's written in Leviticus - if your kids sass back to you, god sez they are to be stoned to death.

And while we're in Matthew 15, how about Jesus refusing to heal the Canaanite woman? "But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel...it is not meet to take the childrens bread, and to cast it to dogs."

Nice HMO ya got there, Jesus. The woman isn't a Jew, so she's a dog who isn't worth healing. Healing her would be like taking bread out of the mouths of the worthy (ie: Jewish) children.

More Jesus quotes:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
He that loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." - Matthew 10: 34-37

Well, I love my kids a lot more than I love the imaginary godman, so I guess I'm not worthy of him.

What a fucking megalomaniac. Fuck him.

Looks to me that present-day Christians have taken the words of Jesus quite to heart, especially the part about setting family members against each other.

If you're going to quote the "nice" words from Jesus, then quote the not-so-nice words as well.

[sam sarrha]

11. he was a union organizer, a stone mason ..no f'n trees in Palestine. he was obviously inspired by

Buddhism.. where else at that time would compassion come from.. but from India along the Silk Road, which just happened to pass thu Palestine. there was a Crossroads if the Silk Road there, north to the Caspian, south to Mecca, west to Charo, etc. Buddhism had been spreading for 500 years at te time.

at the time the Romans were building a new capital there, out of stone of course, they were working the locals to death with minuscule pay..

[mitchum]

18. I've always had him pegged as psychotic...

based upon the quotes provided by you (and some additional ones)
The Madman from Galilee

[stopbush]

20. Yep. Even Christian author CS Lewis said that the sayings of Jesus were

those of a madman were Jesus not divine.

[mitchum]

22. Yes, and isn't that such a miserable little playground level tautology that apologist...

Lewis offered up?

[stopbush]

25. Yep. Yet Lewis passes for a some kind of a genius in Xian circles.

Go figure.

[mitchum]

28. Lewis is like a character dreamed up by Lewis Carroll

[LanternWaste]

57. I think in that passage Lewis was attempting to make the point...

I think in that passage Lewis was attempting to make the point that one cannot call him simply a great moral teacher while concurrently dismissing his message of the divine (as the latter would deny the former according to Lewis).

I'm assuming your referencing the bit in Mere Christianity; if not, I'd love to read the passage you interpreted-- which book/passage are you referring to?

[sam sarrha]

27. maybe bi-polar

[Cetacea]

29. And in India, perfectly sane. One mans ceiling...

[mitchum]

46. That is a possibility

[LanternWaste]

55. I imagine many people can only see the good...

I imagine many people can only see the good. I also imagine many people will only infer the bad-- which I guess is quite a bit easier in more cases than not.

[spoony]

61. LOL

Do you recognise what rambling maniacs you sound like like when any mention of Jesus drives you into these spittling rages? DU sadly coddles people like you, but the real world laughs.

[me b zola]

75. IMO, you are really missing the point of this thread

I don't believe the point of this thread is to convince you to follow Jesus. IMO, this is about pointing out the hypocrisy & buffoonery of those of the rw who have beat the shit out of this country for eight years+ with their bibles. A whole lot of not-so-conservative believers were convinced by the rw that in order to follow their faith they couldn't vote Democratic. Politically, it is wise to expose these people who have exploited religion in order to gain power & wealth.

[robertpaulsen]

78. Jesus wants you to hate your mother and father AND honor them?

Multiple personality Jesus?

:shrug:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

83. You're right.

The xtians love to explain away the psychotic God/psychotic Jesus.

The whole thing needs to be ignored except for certain passages that talk about doing good for others.

There are no moral principles in xtianity or the other abrhamic religions that cannot be found with far less baggage and contradiction in Asian religions.

[Cetacea]

10. Jesus started liberalism.

Great post. And thanks for the link!

[stopbush]

12. ?????????

Bowing and scraping to a guy who demanded you be a serf in his eternal kingdom or he'd throw you into an eternal seas of fire? You call that liberalism?

If Jesus was such a liberal, why didn't he propose a heaven that was a democracy? After all, the democratic model existed for centuries before Jesus showed up, yet he talked of heaven as a kingdom, and kingdoms are dictatorships, no matter how benign the dictator.

Jesus endorsed slavery. What's liberal about that?

Liberal my ass.

[piratefish08]

13. I'm with you, brother!

There is no WAY a true liberal would demand you swear blind allegiance to his pissed-off invisible sky daddy.........

Not when he had the power to zap unlimited wine and fish tacos into existence.

A liberal Jesus would have been planning Godstock or Jerus-a-lapooza!!




:yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[Cetacea]

19. Hi Vince.

:hi:

[stopbush]

21. Hi. Vincent likes him some hard evidence to believe things are true

and so do I.

Doesn't matter if it's Jesus or the wacky JFK CTs - no evidence for either, so I call BS.

[Cetacea]

26. You have to admit that he led the way in mobilizing the poor.

I can't think of any liberal politician who hasn't studied the political genius of Jesus and run a campaign based partially on uniting and inspiring the poor.

I don't blame you for calling bs if you take everything literally.

[stopbush]

30. Mobilized the poor? I really don't know what you're talking about.

His Sermon on the Mount told the meek to basically shut up and accept that they will be the downtrodden in this life, that their reward was in heaven after they died. He told people not to bother attempting to better their financial status here on Earth, but to worship him and pile up riches in an imaginary heaven.

How did that mobilize anyone to do anything?

Thus are the religious manipulated even today by those of wealth and power.

[mitchum]

31. All of the Abrahamic skygod religions are just slave religions

they served a purpose...not the people

[stopbush]

35. Bingo! I think we have a winner!

[Cetacea]

36. So you are saying that his main supporters were those in power?

Read an essay entitled "The Power Tactics of Jesus Christ" sometime. It's a bit tongue and cheek but interesting. The author takes an approach that Jesus was a man with a message and political smarts who was counting on the crowds and Pilate to save him, and in turn he would have gained enormous power. The crucifixion was a miscalculation on his part, and not some sort of divine plan.

[stopbush]

38. No, you used the word "mobilized." That infers getting out and doing something.

Nobody got out and did anything after encountering Jesus and his message. They went home and went about their isolated lives, just like Jesus told them to do.

Mobilizing would have meant that they got out and did something to change society. What did they do? Can you cite a historical/legendary action that the followers of or believers in Jesus took within the first two centuries after his death that would be considered mobilization? I'll wait.

[Cetacea]

42. You totally ignored the rest of the post.

I am at least entertaining the notion that he was a man with a (political) plan. You are too busy arguing to realize that.

on edit: after all, we can only go by what was written in the bible.

[stopbush]

69. You are correct in saying that we have only the Bible to go on

when it comes to Jesus, which is why I have a very hard time entertaining the notion that Jesus really existed.

I don't see a political plan in the fable recounted in the NT, at least not any plan that involved the politics of his time or of this planet. But you're welcome to read that into it. The power of myth is that it allows the human mind to consider all kinds of things outside of the basic myth itself. The Biblical myths are no exception.

[Obamanaut]

49. The user of the word implies, the listener infers. nt

[stopbush]

70. Thanks. I stand corrupted, er, corrected.

[Cetacea]

85. Corrupted.

My bad grammar corrupted you.

[mitchum]

44. Seems to me that Barabbas was more of a political agitator than Jesus

[Cetacea]

47. Perhaps.

[mitchum]

52. I think that may be why Barabbas won Jerusalem Idol

still didn't do the voters much good, though...

[stopbush]

73. Interesting you mention Barabbas.

The original Biblical text studied by Origen reports that the criminal who Pilate had released from prison instead of Jesus at the mob's insistence was named Jesus Barabbas – and Bar Abba in Hebrew means ‘Son of the Father’.

Are we to believe that Pilate had a Jesus, Son of God and a Jesus, Son of the Father in his prison at the same time?

Perhaps the truth is that a single executed criminal helped flesh out the whole fantastic fable.

It's very possible that the Gospel writers - who wrote in Greek - used the Aramaic Barabbas knowing that few Latin or Greek speakers would know its meaning.

Anyway, speculation on my part, but it seems entirely plausible.

[Cetacea]

48. I respect him as well. That was a friendly greeting.

We've argued before about JFK as you are aware. I actually believed that you were him owing to your excellent command of the info he submitted in his last book. That being said, I believe dismissing someone as a nut because of the possibilty of conspiriacy is a bit weak, especially after the past eight or so years.

[stopbush]

76. Just to be clear, I have never dismissed a person as being a nut

simply because they believe in a CT. I dismiss the nuts who continue to believe in CTs despite what the overwhelming evidence proves.

For instance, nobody is nutty to believe that Lincoln died at the hands of a conspiracy, nor Anwar Sadat. It's pretty clear that more than one person was involved in those killings.

I would also say that one wouldn't be nutty to question whether James Earl Ray acted alone in killing MLK. Unlike Oswald, JER was a man with an existing criminal record. He used the kind of expensive, high-powered weapon one would expect a hired assassin to use. He also had a planned escape route that helped him evade capture for two months. When captured, he had multiple passports in his possession, etc. That all implies that he either had someone helping him or that he was really organized and really adept at assassinations all by himself.

In the case of JFK/Oswald, the evidence has been and remains overwhelming that LHO acted entirely alone. Every single CT advanced in the JFK case sinks under the weight of the massive and compelling evidence. In fact, the only way to believe the various JFK CTs is to be ignorant of the hard evidence in the case. What's unfortunate in that particular discussion is the amount of willing ignorance the JFK CTists engage in to hold on to their fantasies.

I've argued the JFK CTists many times, and 95% of them know nothing about the case beyond the admitted fantasies put forward in Oliver Stone's screenplay. The other 5% advance their theories by ignoring key pieces of evidence that put the lie to their CT of choice.

I'm looking forward to the Tom Hanks/Playtone/HBO miniseries based on Bugliosi's book, which is scheduled for release in 2013. Hopefully, it will serve to inform the 75% of Americans who cling to the fantasies that Stone advanced in his history-debasing flick.

[Cetacea]

15. Of course if you take the bible literally, like the fundies do

you can come to a variety of conclusions.

[stopbush]

23. Funny how Xians demand we take the "nice" words of Jesus and the Bible at face value

while going through interpretive contortions to explain away the horrors that expose Jesus and Yahweh for what they really are.

Why is that?

[Cetacea]

40. You gave examples of contradictory statements by Christ.

Since we have only a sketch of the historical Jesus you have to measure which statements do not make sense contrary to the bulk of his teachings. Even more so, it would help to translate the words attributed to him in the original tongue.
There is more evidence that Jesus preached a message of tolerance, peace, opposing hypocrites, feeding the poor, and so on rather than someone preaching the opposite.

[Cetacea]

84. You talkin' to me?

[stray cat]

14. Many do support health care for people - for starters check out Sojourners

[SoCalDem]

16. Republican Jesus would deny care to Lazarus..n/t

[stopbush]

32. So would I. The guy was dead, after all.

Jesus brings the guy back from the dead...and the Bible tells us nothing else about him. He might have been around for an hour or a couple of decades after being brought back. Whatever the case, I'm sure he incurred plenty of medical bills. What was the treatment for keeping a zombie alive back then anyway? The dermatology bills alone probably put his family in hock for years.

[stopbush]

37. Let's not forget that Jesus denied care to the Canaanite woman in Matthew.

Just like the worst HMO. His reason - she wasn't a Jew. Sounds like Kaiser Permanente to me - if you don't have their insurance you're not welcome at their hospitals.

To be fair to Jesus, he did agree to heal the Canaanite woman after she groveled at his feet. That's another wonderful facet about the megalomaniacal Jesus - groveling may get you somewhere.

[L0oniX]

71. Death panel?

[emilyg]

17. Oh goody - another

Christian bashing post.

[reflection]

41. I hear you.

I agree with the sentiment of the OP somewhat, but it does get old, doesn't it.

[Toasterlad]

58. That's Exactly How We Gays Feel When Religious Fucktards Tell Us God Won't Let Us Marry!

It gets old.

[emilyg]

63. They don't tell you that on

DU. I was referring to DU.

[Toasterlad]

80. Oh, They Don't? Honey, You Have No Idea.

You think there's a difference between some Jeebuz-freak declaring us an abomination and some variation of the following:

1. You gays cost us the election.
2. Your rights will have to wait until after the election/mid-terms/reelection/healthcare/economy/war.
3. The gays don't have their pony! Wah!
4. Civil unions are the equal of marriage in every way! What's wrong with you?
5. The only reason that gay person was murdered was because he was hitting on that guy.
6. There's nothing Obama can do without Congress!
7. If gay people didn't hang out in bathrooms all day waiting to molest children, people would accept them.
8. The current civil rights struggle bears no relation the civil rights struggle of the 60's, because gays can hide whenever they want.
9. If gay pride parades weren't so outrageous, gays would be accepted.
10. Hate crime legislation would give gays special rights.

I've seen these themes and dozens of others over and over on DU. Bigotry is bigotry, religion-inspired or otherwise.

[emilyg]

82. I am sorry. My heart goes out to you.

:hug:

[reflection]

66. I can only imagine. I'm so sorry.

:hug:

[mitchum]

45. Half true...some of us are also bashing Christ

[conturnedpro09]

50. Stay classy, mitchum. n/t

[mitchum]

53. If "classy" means "absolutely honest about what I am doing"..sure

According to "the record", that Nazarene was quite a smartmouth, wasn't he?

[mwooldri]

54. Then I'm bashing my own faith.

I pretty much became dissilusioned with the church I went to when the preacher on the Sunday before election day in 2004 without saying it effectively preached to the congregation to vote for Bush (the theme was abortion...). I even taught Sunday School for a time at that church, albeit not very effectively.

I still believe in Jesus and God... I just dislike it when I see churches teaching against what I perceive to be the teachings of Jesus. I am without a church "home", I still miss my church from back in England, and my faith is tested daily.

By God's grace though I will make it through.

Regards, Mark.

[spoony]

62. DU's owners and moderators turn a blind eye to some kinds of hate

And they want money to have the privelege of being constantly abused on their "politics" site? Fuck em.

[SidDithers]

74. ...

:nopity:

Sid

[Toasterlad]

81. +1

Spoony's my favorite religious whacko on DU. Constantly complaining about how the christians are persecuted, and how the moderators endorse hate, and yet...still here.

[fascisthunter]

24. I Studied Christianity... they certainly do not represent Christ

in fact, they represent a perverted opposite. I guess the devil does fool some.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

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[Zomby Woof]

39. Matthew 25:41

Is the origin of that entire "Lake of Fire" damnation bullshit that the fundies love.

And Matthew 25:46 cites "everlasting punishment" for the transgressors, and "life eternal" for the faithful.

Those 2 verses have caused more trouble in history than any potential good found within the moral teachings that are sandwiched between the fire and brimstone.

Sure, that's a selective reading, but that is what apologists for the Jesus myth do from both sides of the ideological spectrum.

Either buy the whole package, or not at all.

Personally, we would better off without the tiresome parables of the Bible. We can do right by the poor, sick, and disadvantaged without any guidance from a Bronze Age tract compiled by some wretched committee.

[GreenPartyVoter]

56. Yes. I really love that website. I'm glad it's still around after all these years.

[CitizenPatriot]

59. "these christians"

are not the christians of yesterday.

they are the christian Family mafia. They are the Third Wave God Warriors who are planning on taking over the world. They have NO interest in kindness or helping the weak.

It is a big mistake to think that we can appeal to them by reminding them of the bible quotes they may have "forgotten". They didn't forget. They belong to the new wave, which believes in using violence and bloodshed to get rid of 'evil" -- that would be all people who don't ascribe to their version of 'christianity".

It's quite sickening -- but VERY important reading. These are the Palins, Ensigns, C Streeters, Sanfords, etc.

[TexasObserver]

60. Christ is a Greek word Jesus never heard in his life.

And Jesus wasn't really his name, of course. That's a Greek word, too.

If he existed, of course.


But, yeah, following the man's teachings is a real problem for most who say they're Christians.

[sofa king]

64. Oh! I know what Jesus stands for!

Okay, look. This gag is pretty offensive. So the text is in white below. You can click and drag over it to read it, but don't tell me I didn't warn you. So here it is



Jesus stands because he's nailed to a post.


Yes, yes I know. Reason #318,645 why I shall burn in Hell.

[Arugula Latte]

79. Jesus also kneels ... with pretty little ballerinas:

[jimlup]

67. I'm an atheist but ...

.. I always say that my morals are christian. It isn't a contradiction.

[Echo In Light]

68. Rec

[Vidar]

77. K&R

[Stardust]

86. We might as well quit trying to reconcile real Christian values with

what we witness today. There's been a paradigm shift in what they believe now versus what they started out proselytizing. That is, now, God loves the powerful and wants them to be rich. They are "chosen." "The Family" by Jeff Sharlet pretty much sums it up. And Frank Schaeffer's "Crazy for God" is another eye-opener.

It ain't your granddad's religion anymore.

Greed is good, sharing is for the little guy.

Weakness begets scorn.
Sickness begets revulsion.


That said, I do feel compelled to give credit to the Christians, atheists, pagans, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus who do walk the walk every day and practice the Golden Rule. If everyone did, it would heal the world.