Where did Jesus get His morality from?

[chasm]

Most likely I'd say it was the time he was living in. About a hundred years ago (in the US at least), it was "not a good thing" (to put it lightly) for a woman to go to work outside the home or vote or join the army, etc (actually, their were laws against women doing some of those things). But now, it is acceptable and even encouraged that women do these things because of the time we live in. And back when Jesus was around, the things written in the Bible were socially acceptable and seen as moral. So, yeah, that's all I have to say.

[annatar]

Where did Jesus get His morality and ethics from? Even athesits can not mock Jesus's morality, there is even a group of atheists called, 'Atheists for Jesus.' So the question begs, where did His thinking come from?

It is one privilege of creating a fictional character I believe. You can make your character perfect. You don't have to rationalize or cover his stupid acts. Authors of jesus on the other hand, had quite good moral sense. Ill give you that. Not perfect, but good enough.

[Minimalist]

When early xtians invented jesus - and there is no evidence that he ever lived except the demented rantings of 'believers' and even those were written well after the fact - they gave him a 'morality' which was known in Greek philosophy back at least as far as 7th-6th century Mytilene.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittacus_of_Mytilene

"Do not to your neighbor what you would take ill from him."

--Pittacus of Mytilene

There is nothing unusual about your fucking godboy, Sol. He was concocted from bits and pieces of common knowledge and legend throughout the ANE.

[Anomalocaris]

It is one privilege of creating a fictional character I believe. You can make your character perfect. You don't have to rationalize or cover his stupid acts. Authors of jesus on the other hand, had quite good moral sense. Ill give you that. Not perfect, but good enough.

Far from perfect, and hardly good enough. Transparently the work of fallible men who have taken great advantage of their fallibility.

[theophilus]

jesus is a fictional character, you might as well speculate about where batman actually stores all those gadgets on his utility belt.

Actually there is a site which tells the religious affiliations of popular comic book characters:

http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comi...igion.html

Here is what it says about Batman.

Batman Bruce Wayne JLA DC Episcopalian / Catholic (lapsed)

When early xtians invented jesus - and there is no evidence that he ever lived except the demented rantings of 'believers' and even those were written well after the fact - they gave him a 'morality' which was known in Greek philosophy back at least as far as 7th-6th century Mytilene.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittacus_of_Mytilene

"Do not to your neighbor what you would take ill from him."

--Pittacus of Mytilene

And where did the Greeks get their morality? Romans 2:14,15 says,

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness.

[Minimalist]

Pittacus lived c 600 Bc which puts him far in advance of your so-called godboy, Theo. I once saw a website named "The Greeks said it first" or something which showed where a lot of xtian bullshit was actually just re-hashed Greek stuff.

A couple of examples from the 2d century writer, Celsus, quoting Plato:

"Not only do they misunderstand the words of the philosophers; they even stoop to assigning words of the philosophers to their Jesus. For example, we are told that Jesus judged the rich with the saying 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god.' Yet we know that Plato expressed this very idea in a purer form when he said, 'It is impossible for an exceptionally good man to be exceptionally rich.'* Is one utterance more inspired than the other?" (94).

[*Plato, LAWS, 743A]

"You christians have a saying that goes something like this: 'Don't resist a man who insults you; even if he strikes you, offer your other cheek as well.' This is nothing new, and its been better said by others, especially by Plato, who ascribes the following to Socrates in the Crito...'ts never right to do wrong and never right to take revenge; nor is it right to give evil for evil, or in the case of one who has suffered some injury, to attempt to get even...'"

[solja247]

When early xtians invented jesus - and there is no evidence that he ever lived except the demented rantings of 'believers' and even those were written well after the fact - they gave him a 'morality' which was known in Greek philosophy back at least as far as 7th-6th century Mytilene.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittacus_of_Mytilene

Your beliefs about Jesus and the early Chrsitians have as much credibility as YEC.

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Well of course, he's jewish(supposedly) where else would it come from?

The Jews were not very moral. They hated everyone who didnt dress like them or have their foreskin removed.

Jesus

My bad, for some reason I believed you were talking about Socrates, because he also has zero evidence for his existence.

On the other side, his vaunted sermon on the mount speaks of self-mutilation to avoid sin and he even at one point speaks highly of self-castration to gain admission into Heaven. Some of Jesus' admonishments on the mount are ridiculous. Give away all you have to those who steal from you? Do good to those who harm you? Turn the other cheek? Who are we kidding? If Christians had followed such advice, the religion would no longer exist.

Do you really think Jesus was talking about self-mutilation? When Jesus talked about sheep, was He actually talking about a true story or a metaphorical idea?
Why are you trying to attack Christianity? We are talking about Jesus.

Jesus never condemns slavery, a no-brainer moral issue that would have set him way ahead of his time. Instead he uses slaves in his parables, offering tacit approval, and even says that the slave who knows his master's wishes and does them not will be beaten with many stripes. Jesus never condemns inequality, calling one Caananite woman a "dog" and forcing her to admit that she is. He tells a rich man to give up all his wealth and later says (paraphrased) "screw the poor, live it up while I'm here". Worst of all, Jesus taught that hell was real, terrifying people for thousands of years. Efforts to "save" souls from Hell have led to atrocities and persecution.

We dont know that.

John 21:25

25Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Could you imagine if Jesus did tell slaves to revolt? The end of Christianity right there.

Jesus never condemns inequality, calling one Caananite woman a "dog" and forcing her to admit that she is. He tells a rich man to give up all his wealth and later says (paraphrased) "screw the poor, live it up while I'm here". Worst of all, Jesus taught that hell was real, terrifying people for thousands of years. Efforts to "save" souls from Hell have led to atrocities and persecution.

You miss the point of this all together. Jesus was using a slogan of the Jews, that it was only Jews who mattered (we even see that in Romans) But Jesus healed many gentiles and talked to them, it would be silly to think that Jesus really thinks of people as dogs. Did not Jesus heal the woman?

If I ever stand before Jesus and he tries to judge me, I'll ask him "What about you? You have a lot of explaining to do! Your institution has created massive misery, stagnation and bigotry. You watched your followers kill and torture in your name and did nothing to stop them. The blood on your hands would match that of Hitler, Staliin, Genghis Kahn, Atilla and other terrors of history. You are the least fit to sit in judgment over humanity. It is YOU who should beg OUR forgiveness, not the other way around."

Are we talking about Jesus or Christianity?

To quote Ghandi, 'Keep your Christianity, but give me your Christ.'

---

"Not only do they misunderstand the words of the philosophers; they even stoop to assigning words of the philosophers to their Jesus. For example, we are told that Jesus judged the rich with the saying 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god.' Yet we know that Plato expressed this very idea in a purer form when he said, 'It is impossible for an exceptionally good man to be exceptionally rich.'* Is one utterance more inspired than the other?" (94).

Do you actually know what Jesus was talking about?

[Zen Badger]

The Jews were not very moral. They hated everyone who didnt dress like them or have their foreskin removed.

So what? it doesn't mean that jesus wasn't jewish.

As to Socrates, again so what? do you think throwing him into the argument validates your godboy?

No it doesn't.

[Justtristo]

Jesus got his morality from the Torah with an added twist in that he preached people to observe the Torah not just outwardly, however in their hearts as well. He attacked fellow Jews who observed the law outwardly and thought were righteous with god.

For example; Jesus Golden rule in the Sermon on the Mount or plain, was a paraphrase of Leviticus 19:18
" Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Likewise his turning the other cheek.

By the way I dont think all of the moral values Jesus preached were good, for instance his command to turn the other cheek and his view that remarrying after divorce (unless the divorce occured because of adultery) is adultery.

[solja247]

As to Socrates, again so what? do you think throwing him into the argument validates your godboy?

Two of the greatest men who have existed have zero evidence for their existence.

Jesus got his morality from the Torah with an added twist in that he preached people to observe the Torah not just outwardly, however in their hearts as well. He attacked fellow Jews who observed the law outwardly and thought were righteous with god.

The OT gives us a completely different picture, that God didnt want their sacrifices or their circumcission, but their hearts. I wouldnt say with a twist, Jesus took the torah and used the principles out of it.

By the way I dont think all of the moral values Jesus preached were good, for instance his command to turn the other cheek and his view that remarrying after divorce (unless the divorce occured because of adultery) is adultery.

I have thought about that myself. Perhaps as Jesus says your 'hearts were hard' could mean that in a perfect world, where women and men were treated right in a relationship and LOVED each other, adultery would be the only reason for divorce?
But maybe Im just reading too much into the text.