Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Integrating Christianity into a spiritual context

Adam · 02-12-2007, 07:43 PM

"Jesus died for our sins."

Can I believe in that literally? No. That is why I am not a Christian.

Can I believe in that figuratively? Absolutely. It still doesn't make me a Christian by any strict definition.

Jesus held many titles after his death. One of the most fitting was the Prince of Peace. With what we have of Jesus' life tells us that he was a person who stood up for the little guy, as long as that little guy was trying to stand on his own as well. When he told a lawyer to love his neighbor, and the lawyer asked who his neighbor was, Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan, a kind hearted man who was persecuted by the majority because of his culture of birth. To put this into perspective, imagine a white preacher in Alabama in the 1950's giving the same parable to an all-white congregation about a black man helping a white racist, despite a school teacher, a preacher, and a police man passing him by for dead. Imagine the outrage that would have ensued from such a sermon. Such acceptance of people, no matter what their birthright, didn't take roots in the hearts of men until the 1960's, almost two thousand years after Jesus's life... Now we can't imagine inner peace and racism coexisting in the same person.

If it can be believed that Jesus had a choice in whether to die or not, why would he choose to die in such a humiliating, degrading way, flanked by two of the lowliest criminals, stripped of his pride, executed publicly? This is speculation here, but it seems that he chose to die that way to show that humility is important, and that even a great spiritual leader is not above the filth of the earth.

Jesus's message was of love and acceptance... most of all, of forgiveness to our fellow men... and that message is repeated in the corners of all religions, written between the lines and hidden behind the beurocracy of the churches; echoed in the Wiccan challenge when entering a circle, where you enter in perfect love and perfect trust, and the password is a kiss.

And, what greater way to show love, than to do everything necessary, even die, to bring peace to others, even people that you don't even know?

So, my interpretation of Jesus dieing for our sins is not that he literally took up my sins, blotting out the spiritual ledger of good and evil, but that he died as an example of peace, sacrificing his own life so that others, even two thousand years later, can know what peace feels like, and so that we can know forgiveness from each other as we learn how to forgive everyone else.

02-12-2007, 07:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Adam Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Logan, UT Posts: 357	"Jesus died for our sins." Can I believe in that literally? No. That is why I am not a Christian. Can I believe in that figuratively? Absolutely. It still doesn't make me a Christian by any strict definition. Jesus held many titles after his death. One of the most fitting was the Prince of Peace. With what we have of Jesus' life tells us that he was a person who stood up for the little guy, as long as that little guy was trying to stand on his own as well. When he told a lawyer to love his neighbor, and the lawyer asked who his neighbor was, Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan, a kind hearted man who was persecuted by the majority because of his culture of birth. To put this into perspective, imagine a white preacher in Alabama in the 1950's giving the same parable to an all-white congregation about a black man helping a white racist, despite a school teacher, a preacher, and a police man passing him by for dead. Imagine the outrage that would have ensued from such a sermon. Such acceptance of people, no matter what their birthright, didn't take roots in the hearts of men until the 1960's, almost two thousand years after Jesus's life... Now we can't imagine inner peace and racism coexisting in the same person. If it can be believed that Jesus had a choice in whether to die or not, why would he choose to die in such a humiliating, degrading way, flanked by two of the lowliest criminals, stripped of his pride, executed publicly? This is speculation here, but it seems that he chose to die that way to show that humility is important, and that even a great spiritual leader is not above the filth of the earth. Jesus's message was of love and acceptance... most of all, of forgiveness to our fellow men... and that message is repeated in the corners of all religions, written between the lines and hidden behind the beurocracy of the churches; echoed in the Wiccan challenge when entering a circle, where you enter in perfect love and perfect trust, and the password is a kiss. And, what greater way to show love, than to do everything necessary, even die, to bring peace to others, even people that you don't even know? So, my interpretation of Jesus dieing for our sins is not that he literally took up my sins, blotting out the spiritual ledger of good and evil, but that he died as an example of peace, sacrificing his own life so that others, even two thousand years later, can know what peace feels like, and so that we can know forgiveness from each other as we learn how to forgive everyone else.