Jesus- the lord in heaven

[Valhalla]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

I find it ironic that someone who worships Wotan would call the Abrahamic god a 'bloodthirsty beast.'

Wotan doesn't commit mass murder because he's an insecure maniac and is upset that someone doesn't like him.

While I'm glad that you've found a worldview and belief system that jives with you, I think your broad generalizations are unfair. I'm not trying to preemptively know anything about you, but your rant n' vow there at the end sounds like something a rebellious 14 year old would say.

I was giving my honest views on the OP's religion. If he's going to proselytize his faith to me, then I'm going to come right back at him with exactly what I think of his. It is not important to me if you like the way I worded my reply, but I would appreciate it if you would not make uninformed inferences about my motives for doing so.

-Valhalla

[Medusa]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

Wotan doesn't commit mass murder because he's an insecure maniac and is upset that someone doesn't like him.




I was giving my honest views on the OP's religion. If he's going to proselytize his faith to me, then I'm going to come right back at him with exactly what I think of his. It is not important to me if you like the way I worded my reply, but I would appreciate it if you would not make uninformed inferences about my motives for doing so.

-Valhalla

The poster is posting in the section that is discussing his belief system. Calm down kid.

[thalassa]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

I was giving my honest views on the OP's religion. If he's going to proselytize his faith to me, then I'm going to come right back at him with exactly what I think of his. It is not important to me if you like the way I worded my reply, but I would appreciate it if you would not make uninformed inferences about my motives for doing so.

-Valhalla

His response *was* far kinder than my red-lettered mod response was going to be.

If you don't want people to make "uninformed inferences about your motives", don't make posts that make you look like a hypocrite. Either that, or accept that your poorly-worded response didn't exactly show maturity.

[Valhalla]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

Then I will get out of this thread, because I thought it was intended for the open and frank discussion of Christianity. Obviously my particular opinions are too forceful for local taste. Good day.

-Valhalla

[Medusa]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

Then I will get out of this thread, because I thought it was intended for the open and frank discussion of Christianity. Obviously my particular opinions are too forceful for local taste. Good day.

-Valhalla

When you call someone's god a murderer....open goes out the door. Don't be silly.

[GabrielWithoutWings]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

When you call someone's god a murderer....open goes out the door. Don't be silly.

Not even that.

When you call someone's god a murderer when you've switched to the worship of a northern European deity who called those who died bringing battle to their enemies to occupy the greatest Hall in Valhalla, wherein they do nothing but revel and feast and sing songs of glorious combat until the Jotun come calling, well... /shrug

The Old Testament god, as described, could definitely be an unholy terror to his enemies. Thing is, he isn't any better or worse than Odhinn, Zeus, Sekhmet, Kali, etc. If you read the Old Testament the same way you read Norse, Greek, etc, myths, then he barely stands out at all.

[Medusa]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

Not even that.

When you call someone's god a murderer when you've switched to the worship of a northern European deity who called those who died bringing battle to their enemies to occupy the greatest Hall in Valhalla, wherein they do nothing but revel and feast and sing songs of glorious combat until the Jotun come calling, well... /shrug

The Old Testament god, as described, could definitely be an unholy terror to his enemies. Thing is, he isn't any better or worse than Odhinn, Zeus, Sekhmet, Kali, etc. If you read the Old Testament the same way you read Norse, Greek, etc, myths, then he barely stands out at all.

Yeah. I was thinking if this dude was all into Gandhi, I might be inclined to get him. But Odin. Aint exactly the peace loving hippy. But one troll remark per day for me...

[GabrielWithoutWings]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

I do not believe the bible took from other religions but I don't know everything about the bible. I'm promoting a person seeks faith in Jesus and a relationship with him as he is the lord in heaven and heaven is everlasting life so it's important!

The Bible was most certainly influenced by other religions. Orthodox Christianity itself is a syncretic religion combining Hebraic monotheism, Mediterranean dying-and-rising Mystery religion, Persian dualism along with specific Zoroastrian concepts (the idea of a Last Judgment, a Savior/Saoshyant who comes at the end times, etc).

The bible doesn't mention a Mother Goddess; the trinity of God is: Father, Son(Jesus), and Holy Spirit.

I would recommend you read extra-biblical literature, especially those of the Nag Hammadi library. The Holy Spirit is seen as female. Personified Wisdom (seen in the Old Testament) is an Aeon known as Sophia. There is a composite male-female Aeon called the Barbelo. Also, the Old Testament god is thought to have been wed to a Mother Goddess, Asherah. Asherah, Lady of the Waves, who is seen as an equivalent to Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Isis, etc. What's interesting is that Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven in orthodox Christianity, is sometimes translated as 'Sea' or 'Bitter Sea'.

[Clive]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

Would anyone like to share their views on Jesus, the Bible, heaven, etc?

Like most others, I want to say thank you for your concern and kudos on being granted a call to a path that enlightens you.

To answer the above-quoted question I'd like to share something I wrote in my journal, and for the record, I have no personal beef with Christians themselves:

Christians say that to achieve salvation one must accept Christ. But what of those thousands of years before Christ? The hundreds of thousands of years in which humans and their ancestors existed before Yahweh was established and the Torah written? All of those people are in hell forever?

They might reason that God's creations rebelled against him, so he had to try different tactics, like killing with fires and floods, down to manifesting himself on Earth as Christ. That doesn't seem like the work of a perfect, all-powerful being to me.

Nature itself does, for lack of a better verb, "try" different thigns, all the time - it changes, adapts, and evolves. To assume that it's all for the good of humanity suggests that "God/Nature" cares about us at all. That's very vain.

Forgive the cruddy language and any factual errors...I wrote that passage in a hurry.

[Dez]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

The Bible was most certainly influenced by other religions. Orthodox Christianity itself is a syncretic religion combining Hebraic monotheism, Mediterranean dying-and-rising Mystery religion, Persian dualism along with specific Zoroastrian concepts (the idea of a Last Judgment, a Savior/Saoshyant who comes at the end times, etc).



I would recommend you read extra-biblical literature, especially those of the Nag Hammadi library. The Holy Spirit is seen as female. Personified Wisdom (seen in the Old Testament) is an Aeon known as Sophia. There is a composite male-female Aeon called the Barbelo. Also, the Old Testament god is thought to have been wed to a Mother Goddess, Asherah. Asherah, Lady of the Waves, who is seen as an equivalent to Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Isis, etc. What's interesting is that Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven in orthodox Christianity, is sometimes translated as 'Sea' or 'Bitter Sea'.

This.

Since Gabriel got on here, I've started to read through those, which are available for free online. It's been a very breath-taking reminder that, while most Christian sects tend to come with a mindset that they "do Christianity right", there have been a plethora of interpretations of His message over the past 2000 years. Very interesting, beautiful stuff.

And Valhalla, if you read this. I get where you're coming from, I really do. Given my personal background, things that have been said and done to me in the name of God the Father, there are days when I am still so angry about it I can't stand it.

Given the nature of this forum, though, I don't post on those days. This forum welcomes everyone, and I mean everyone. I was a practicing Latter-Day Saint for years as a member here, and was treated with the utmost respect, even when I disagreed with others, or fought about Christian "hot button" issues, like evolution (B.de Corbin probably remembers that one). I prefer to extend the same courtesy to others. If you feel the need to rant, the best place to do so would be to start a thread specifically in Rants and Decline of Humanity. Word it from your perspective (I.E., I dislike this because, I am angered by this sort of thing because) and you should have little trouble.

[anunitu]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

Having been brought up Christian,and that mostly by my "Crazy" religious Mother. I quit that religion at 13,and
promply had the cops called for not doing as my Mother said. I was labeled a JD,and forced to attend a group therapy thing with several other "JD's" It was in this environment I first smoked a cig,learned how to hotwire a car,and I was glad it only lasted no more than a year. I went into the Navy right after turning 18,and never looked back. The only positive thing I took from being forced to be in a christian environment was I have a pretty good historical knowledge of that religion. I don't hate them,but I have very little respect for most of them. When I had to correct them when they misquoted passages from their own book,I felt kinda sad for them. I was forced to read and be able to quote from memory almost all of the Bible as a kid.

[thalassa]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

The real problem here seems to be that people (Christian and non) have an overwhelminglyhuge habit of treating the Christian religions as if they are one faith...the aren't. And because so many former. Pagans have a negative experience withwhat are usually the mos restrictive Christianities, its no surprise that people get pissy...but its not an acceptable excuse for doing so. Really, its no better (and no different) than the behaviors that most of us find objectionable in the first place.

Maybe its time to deposit my interfaith etiquette guidelines (when I'm on a computer and not my kindle)...wow, spell check killed replete... r e p o s t...lol

[Dez]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

I think it's perfect timing for those, Thal.

[Valhalla]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

I know I said I am staying out of this thread, and I plan to continue to do so, but I do want to say that when I wrote that paragraph at the end of my post, I took care to word it against Christianity and not against the OP. I'm not interested in anyone thinking better of the post knowing that, I just want everyone and especially the OP to know that I'm not meaning to attack her, just the religion in question here. And, I do suppose I could have worded it more lightly. In any case, that's all.

-Valhalla

[Dez]

Re: Jesus- the lord in heaven

Thanks for that, Valhalla. I hope the OP reads it.