jar - On Christianity

Yeah, some Christians believe that. It never made much sense to me though. I believe that he lived for us.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Well, it may be slightly more than "just reading". He was asked what was most important wasn't he?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I don't quite see that or that his message is of total service. His message was about living life. He partied, threw fishfries, went to weddings, laughed and cried with his friends, played jokes on them and chided them at times.Jesus did not make EVERY lame person walk, or all the blind to see or raise all the dead or cure every leper he passed. He lived life. He did not seek out the sick, the lame, the blind, the leper. He didn't open a clinic or hospital, nor a soup kitchen or church. He lived life. When an opportunity came along he took it.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Sure. Pretty human reaction. Most folk don't want to die. As to his death, dying is a function of being born. Crucifixion also wasn't all that unusual, in fact there were at least two others crucified the very same day, time and place while it is likely that dozens or even hundreds of folk were crucified that day throughout the Roman Empire.The message of Jesus is NOT his death, it is his life and the wondrous things he taught us during it. It is his resurrection and ascension after death. It is the empty cross.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

There are several examples in the Bible. One of my favorites is the tale of Peter walking on water. Jesus convinces him to come out and stroll the waves, but when Peters suspension of reason fails him, he starts to sink. Jesus laughs and in a friendly manner chides him, but helps him back to the boat.Another classic is Doubting Thomas. Tommy says "Yeah? You say you are Jesus so prove it?" Jesus kinda laughs and says "Sure Tommy. Come here. Stick your hands in the holes. Doubt I could do much water walking with these feet, eh?"Even Jesus first miracle is an example of His sense of humor. Jesus makes the miraculaous beer run but does he spoil the fun by explaining it? Nope. He just sits back and lets the good times roll.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Nope, not in the Peter story. But reading it I can't imagine it without the chuckle. Mayhaps some can but I sure can't. If you want to see the store as morose, then fine. You are welcome to view it that way.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Well Jesus seems like a fun guy to be around. I mean come on, He knew Peter would fail, scared the shit out of him, but He also was there to help. Peter was safe even if Peter didn't know it.But that is not to say that Christianity as I see it is easy. I don't see all the copouts, benefits and "get out of hell free cards" that many Christians seem to think exist. You don't get to blame problems on some Fall, or claim the "devil made you do it" or know that you are saved just cause you "believe". You also have to try to live the life.But GOD knows we are humans just as Jesus knew that Peter would fail, or Thomas would doubt or that folk would worry if there was enough Low Country Boil to feed all the guests. Jesus didn't punish Peter for failing to walk on water, He was probably pleased and surprised Peter got as far as he did. He held Peter up, led him back to the boat and calmed the winds.GOD is like that. Like a parent watching a child when the training wheels first come off, GOD knows we will likely fail, and GOD will be there to help us up when we fall over, get us back on the bike and watch us try again. One day we might even get the hang of it and that taste of freedom when you take your first ride and the wind is blowing in your face and your hair is flying and you are out of sight of the house and you can go anywhere, is something you will always cherish. And whether you know it or not, a parent is watching through the curtains, maybe even a tear of joy in the old mans eye.The otherside of Christianity as I see it is that just like learning to ride the bike, YOU have to do it. There are NO training wheels like the Fall or Satan or Knowledge that YOU are Saved to hold you up.GOD sent us the message that we all start out saved. Atheist, Agnostic, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Taoist, Satanist, Wiccan, Buddhist, or Anamist, all start even. When you die though you will be judged. And you will be judged individually, uniquely, against yourself. Did you try to do what is right and not do what is wrong?You won't be able to say that "The world is filled with sin" or "We are all Fallen" or "The Sins of Adam" or even "I'm a Christian". None of those will carry any weight. The judgement will be on what you did and what you might have done, and the Judge will have perfect knowledge of both.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I wouldn't. I don't think there is any such thing.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I think GOD does judge what is right and wrong, just that there is no absolute. GOD will judge the individual individually. He knows that we will always be working with incomplete information, making snap judgements, and that we will often get it wrong or wish on later though we had done differently. He will know all of that.GOD will judge us on what we did and what our own unique capabilities were. But he will judge you against YOU and me against ME.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Teacher while here on earth. Judge later.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I think that is important and also to understand that while He was here on earth He really was human. He had no powers that every other human doesn't have. The difference was that he showed us by example what a human really can be, what really is possible.I see everything as GOD teaching us a lesson. Here is HUMAN. Here is LOVING. Here is ANGER. Here is TRUST. Here is VISION. Here is FAITH. Here is LIFE.Now that you good folk see what can be done, try to do it. It's likely you will fail, but if you do, get up, dust yourself off and try again.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

And therein lies the difference. She will not be wrong.I went on to explain it in the parts you neglected to include. You will be judged by a different standard than I will or Ringo will or Faith will. You will be judged against ROBIN, what Robin might have been.There is no absolute standard.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Yes and no.I never got the "he died for our sins" message from reading the Bible. GOD forgives sin. GOD has no need to come down and kill himself to pay himself for our sins. It is simply a silly idea.What I get from the Bible is that GOD is forgiving. No one starts off damned. Every one of us though will be judged and judged based on what we do during this life, and what we could have done. We are expected to try to do what is right and try not to do what is wrong.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

No, not that much. And even if they did, it is simply silly.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Well the cross and even the crucifixion isn't that unusual. Remember, as I pointed out before, there were atleast two others crucified the same day, time and place as Jesus and likely hundreds or thousands that same day throughout the Roman Empire.This is one of the funnier aspects of modern Christianity IMHO. In the Protestant realm, the symbol is the empty cross, placing the empahsis on the life before His crucifixion and the fact that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. The cross is but a moment, a breakpoint between the two lessons to be learned. In the Roman Catholic tradition on the other hand you see the Crucifix, the Man Hanging. There you see more symbology on the actual death, then on before and after. Different views.What I find funny though are the Fundamentalist and Evangelical preachers standing beneath the symbol of the Empty Cross chattering on about the crucifixion as the central point of Jesus life yet totally missing the message displayed.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion