89 chapter project: Matthew

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Do you distinguish at all between "sacred" texts, like Torah, Talmud, Christian Scripture, The Upanishads, etc., and "fiction" written for purely entertainment value, like Winnie the Pooh, Lord of the Rings, etc?
I suspect a lot of "sacred" texts are just old scams, like the Book of Mormon is a scam. Scam artists simply kept writing and evolving scam religions. Christianity is a better scam than, and built from, Judaism. Islam is arguably better at scamming people than Christianity.

In that way, "sacred" texts are far worse than fiction written with entertainment in mind. They were very likely written with controlling your mind in mind.
 
I suspect a lot of "sacred" texts are just old scams, like the Book of Mormon is a scam. Scam artists simply kept writing and evolving scam religions. Christianity is a better scam than, and built from, Judaism. Islam is arguably better at scamming people than Christianity.

In that way, "sacred" texts are far worse than fiction written with entertainment in mind. They were very likely written with controlling your mind in mind.

Considering that many people of faith have suffered and even been put to death for their beliefs - where's the scam?
 
By other scammed groups who insist their scam is right and every other scam is wrong.

And if willingness to die for your scam makes it not a scam, then there are some Kool-Aid drinkers you need to account for.
 
By other scammed groups who insist their scam is right and every other scam is wrong.

And if willingness to die for your scam makes it not a scam, then there are some Kool-Aid drinkers you need to account for.

What makes religions a scam iyho chansen? They don't sound like scams to me - "Come with us if you want to risk suffering and slaughter."
 
"Come with us if you want access to our way to cheat death"

It's a con job. It's not that any of them want to die - it's that they are brainwashed into thinking death isn't in the cards for them.

Look at the Christian missionary idiot who recently trespassed on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, whose inhabitants have virtually no contact with the outside world and are known to kill those who have historically tried.

John Allen Chau: American missionary believed killed by Sentinelese tribe knew the risks, friends say - CNN

His friend said, "This can make a statement to the world that this faith is worth dying for, I suppose."

No, this makes a statement that the faith makes one stupid enough to essentially commit suicide and put a remote tribe at risk of infection that could wipe them out, just because Jesus.

This faith makes people do stupid things. It makes blackbelt and unsafe say the the stupid things I quoted above. This is all part of the stupidity problem that Christianity does a terrible job of dealing with.
 
"Come with us if you want access to our way to cheat death"

It's a con job. It's not that any of them want to die - it's that they are brainwashed into thinking death isn't in the cards for them.

Look at the Christian missionary idiot who recently trespassed on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, whose inhabitants have virtually no contact with the outside world and are known to kill those who have historically tried.

John Allen Chau: American missionary believed killed by Sentinelese tribe knew the risks, friends say - CNN

His friend said, "This can make a statement to the world that this faith is worth dying for, I suppose."

No, this makes a statement that the faith makes one stupid enough to essentially commit suicide and put a remote tribe at risk of infection that could wipe them out, just because Jesus.

This faith makes people do stupid things. It makes blackbelt and unsafe say the the stupid things I quoted above. This is all part of the stupidity problem that Christianity does a terrible job of dealing with.

Thanks chansen, I can see where you're coming from. I do agree that the missionary to the island seems a fool. Imho, sharing about Jesus is best done with one's neighbours after first developing friendships with them.
 
Is a sacred text different if it's clearly a compilation of different writers, like both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, or if it purports to be a divine revelation, like the Qu'ran or the Book of Mormon?
 
Do you distinguish at all between "sacred" texts, like Torah, Talmud, Christian Scripture, The Upanishads, etc., and "fiction" written for purely entertainment value, like Winnie the Pooh, Lord of the Rings, etc?
No. Not at all.
If any book be it lord of the rings or the bible asks us to suspend belief whilst we read. Then clearly it isn't fact but fiction even if the book claims that it's true. Are we not intelligent enough to know the difference.
What is the difference between gandalf the white, who was gandalf the grey, who was resurrected after being killed, who also could part water, made thunder bolts. etc. (this just one example) And mose, jesus etc.
There were an abundance of fantasy fiction being written or relayed in the past there are numerous books we refer to as myth and legends which we do not revere. Why not? But we revere others because someone said or the book tells you it is true? Really!
 
Is a sacred text different if it's clearly a compilation of different writers, like both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, or if it purports to be a divine revelation, like the Qu'ran or the Book of Mormon?
No. Aesops fables are full of wisdom but not revered as sacred text. Why?
A thousand and one nights This work of fantastic tales and fantasies was collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central, and South Asia and North Africa. each story supposedly told by Scheherazade. not revered as a sacred text. Why?
 
I believe that Scripture is best read, as suggested by Christopher Wright in his book The Mission of God, with a missional hermeneutic of its whole canon. Such a hermeneutic, as Wright explains, means seeing Scripture as the deposit of and witness to God's mission in all creation and history.

And from there the story goes on in great leagues as legions coming from the depth of the unseen pool ... it's dark! Many find it a lost sensitivity ... like a body at rest when the psyche rages and rants ... horses running with the Gae*Ls?

Something must be gathered from all stories as some mystery distributed them mystically; alien powers of the other kind? Tis ineffable to those confident of one side or the other of the struggle ... with the means and mediums! Mettle 'n?
 
In mind ... or out of mind ... which is abstract and creative from the physical perspective ... just imagine if the psyche is non-existent ... can man hold sway over it except in the physical sense? Then it passes like through a Die ... drawn out or druid into the mystical!

Then some say heaven is a state of mind ... or a state of psyche is a dark place to get stuck ... psychotic state in which one sees no responsibility for "nothing" ... any hints or clues of obvious icons?

No one understands? Perhaps this is ultimately (distantly) beyond us ...

Is it fabulous to see what's hidden in the heavenly fabrications ... aspirations for the next stage ... like layers in the story!
 
I believe that Scripture is best read, as suggested by Christopher Wright in his book The Mission of God, with a missional hermeneutic of its whole canon. Such a hermeneutic, as Wright explains, means seeing Scripture as the deposit of and witness to God's mission in all creation and history.
How do you view the sacred texts of other world faiths?
 
Summary Matthew 11: 1 - 30

Jesus is presented with increasing significance in this chapter.

1. From prison, John the Baptist sends out two disciples to look for Jesus. Jesus responds and sends back a message about His ministry. Jesus speaks to the multitudes about John, saying he is a prophet and more than a prophet. If one is willing to accept it, John the Baptist is Elijah who has returned.

2. Woe to the cities which have not repented!

3. Jesus speaks of his nature as Son to the Father and offers rest to the heavy laden.
 
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Reflection: Matthew 11: 1 - 30

Rest to the heavy laden is a new concept for this chapter, balancing out the cost of discipleship which was discussed earlier in Matthew.

Verses 28 - 30 are familiar from my Sunday School days: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."(NKJ)

How do find rest for our souls in Jesus? Is the yoke of following him easy and the burden light?

Do you see any inconsistency in this chapter?
 
Reflection: Matthew 11: 1 - 30

Rest to the heavy laden is a new concept for this chapter, balancing out the cost of discipleship which was discussed earlier in Matthew.

Verses 28 - 30 are familiar from my Sunday School days: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."(NKJ)

How do find rest for our souls in Jesus? Is the yoke of following him easy and the burden light?

Do you see any inconsistency in this chapter?

Carry-on ... support the lesser power until it hertz ... remember the the lesser conceived ... and powers will corrupt those out of existence ... perhaps as grapes of wrath that will haunt ...

In serenity I know I can't change much as the world of the physical gods turn slowly ... they don't pick up wisdom to quickly ... as they build walls for a shut out! The snipper enters stage from the myth of the 3 faiths ... spun and woven ... wolfers?
 
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