Maximizing Moral Virtue

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Well, as the lone representative of Christian theology in this discussion I will do my best to address at least some of the points that were presented here.

Fake Messiah made what I would like to call an appeal to the Pharisee, or and appeal to the Talmud. When did Jesus order an army to physically kill people for the holy land?

Alot of you are going down a similar route with your thoughts as well. Making an appeal not to the evil within scripture itself, but within those who proclaim themselves to be spiritually wealthy. Indeed, there are many who boast that they are indeed better informed and more goodly than others. Even to such a degree as to avoid any responsibility towards the lost and down-trodden.

One of you basically retold the story of the Good Samaritan.

Overall it seems that we're appealing to hypocrisy within the church, that our actions don't match what we say our intentions are. And I fully agree with you, the American church, for one thing, is far too concerned with mammon than with encouraging people to actually help the poor. I suppose that if I were a minister I wouldn't even tell my congregated to donate to my church (especially if our expenses were more than covered for) Instead I would encourage them to buy food or blankets and hand them out to actual homeless people.

Nudger noticed that Jesus didn't live his life for pleasure or earthly gain and asked if these were bad pursuits? No, in fact I'm all for the pursuit of life liberty and even happiness. Unlike many "suffering servants" within our modern church I think that Joy is lacking in today's interpretation of the perfected Christian life. Instead we have duty, commandment, sin, guilt and obligation. But if one fails to sharpen their axe first then they will be all but required to take pride in the amount of strength required to chop wood with it.

"The bluntess of the blade makes me stronger than you." - They will say. This is how I view many of these materialistic communion collectors. Sure they don't all drive Lamborghinis, but some of them will look down on the fatherless and the widow for suffering from mental, or emotional problems.

Proclaiming yourself to be a Christian is one thing, actually living out the morals of Christ is entirely different. It doesn't mean giving up the pursuit of earthly joy or happiness, as Paul would say, "I have become all things unto all people that I might win over as many as possible." It simply isn't easy to choose to value what is best for others over yourself. That's why most people just keep their nose to the grindstone and make little effort to help anyone else along the way.

"Why didn't Jesus just forgive us" or "why isn't perma auto forgive active on all peoples at all times?" Well first of all Metacognia is a pre-requisite to follow the way the Truth and the Life. If a man offers you a free gift but you don't accept it to whom does this gift belong?

(Bold mine)

Not in so many words, of course (and I’m sure as Canby that you’ll claim it to be metaphorical), but most of Matthew 10 seems to exhort the Jesusites to fight physically and unceasingly for the Kingdom of God.

Boru