Hi Monu,
Thanks for responding. I would normally not pick nits about the morality of Jesus' life, but when faced with statements like "There is no morality without Jesus", I feel that a little reality must be brought into the picture.
Most Christians, when confronted with the less-than-exemplary aspects of Jesus' life, will have one of three responses:
1) Denial - It didn't happen.
2) So What - Jesus is God so he can do anything.
3) Ad Hominem - The person who acuses thus must be deficient in character.
I see you have managed to use (2) and (3), but refrained from (1). I thank you for that, at least.
>>"He taught non-anger, yet became angry."
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:" Eph: 4:26.
There is a righteous anger and God has it towards those who have yet to repent. He did not teach non-anger.<<
In your quote below (Matt. 5:22),we see that quote it as:
>>But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment<<
Note that the "without a cause" is a late addition and is not found in the earliest manuscripts. The only translation where this insertion is used is in the King James Version (and derivatives). The KJV is one of the least accurate translations of the modern bibles. Versions that translate it without the insertions are: New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation, Amplified Bible, Revised Standard Version, and the American Standard Version.
Also, if we listen to Luke, it certainly seems that Jesus was teaching non-anger... (Luke 6:27-31)
27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
But Jesus seems to have problems putting his own advice into practice. He called Gentiles "dogs" (Mark 7:27). When the Pharisees did not share his viewpoints, he called them "Vipers" and "Hypocrites". He knocked over tables of merchants he did not approve of and drove them out of the Temple. In Mark 3:5, we have "And when he had looked round about on them with anger...".
>>"He taught not to call a person a fool, yet did it himself."
But God said unto him, [Thou] fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? Luke 12:20
Since God has the right to tell people what they are and since the Son has been given the authority to judge mankind (see Jn 5:22,23), it would only stand to reason that as the Father judges, so does the Son..
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Mt. 5:22.
We have no right to judge our fellow man for we've all fallen short of God's glory. Christ was able to make the claim that he always pleased his father. He backed it up by the healings, miracles and forgiveness of sins. By calling someone a fool, he simply stated fact. After all, the world was created by Him and for Him and he knows what is in the heart of man. We don't.<<
This is just a long version of excuse #2, from above. It is a perfect example of the hypocrite part of "immoral hypocrite".
>>"He taught to honor your father and mother, then was contemptous of his own mother."
This statement is almost laughable. Remember, He was not of this world in the sense that we are. As he stated, those who do the will of God are his real family. This is not showing any disrespect. When his parents "sorrowed" looking for him in Jerusalem, he remained subject to them. Show one example where Christ showed contempt towards his mother.<<
In John 2:4 (the wedding at Cana)...
And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee?
Not exactly respectful to her, no?
>>"Jesus lied to his brothers about going to the feast of the Tabernacles. He lied to the high priest, saying that he never taught secretly."
...Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come...
Lastly, I don't know how you can say he lied. He clearly told his brethren that his time to go wasn't right then.<<
Again, this is an example of a later addition to hide an embarrassment. In the Revised Standard Version, John 7:8 reads:
"Go to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come."
The footnote to the passage in the NIV reads:
7:8 Some early manuscripts do not have "yet".
>>As far as doing things in secret, I guess one has to wonder how he became so popularly known and followed.<<
From John 18:20
"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret."
This lie is exposed in Mark 4:10-12
10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that, "they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!"
>>Like those who tried to find a fault in Christ rather than face their own obvious failures, you appear to be an individual who refuses to see your own need for a saviour. Truth begins by looking at where one stands in relation to a holy and righteous God.<<
Here you fall into excuse #3 from above. My faults are irrelevant to the issue at hand. |
