Jesus brought 'salvation'.
According to this view, Jesus teaches people how best to think and behave, if they want to achieve bliss.
Thus salvation is achieved by being merciful, meek, pure in heart, feeding the hungry...
Some evangelical Christians, such as the crypto-Jew John Calvin, disagree with this view, claiming that God demanded a human sacrifice before anyone could be saved.
This ties in with the ancient religions of Iraq and Iran whose priests enjoyed human sacrifice.
And if nobody could be saved prior to Jesus's death, then Abraham was not saved.
And if nobody could be saved prior to Jesus's death, then Abraham was not saved.
2. The Christus Victor view.
According to this view, Jesus brought salvation by defeating Satan.
The problem with this view is that wars, famine and evil continue to exist.
..
3. The satisfaction theory of atonement.
According to this view, thought up by Anselm, God is a feudal lord.
Jesus brings salvation by appeasing the feudal lord.
In the 16th century, the Calvinist Protestant Reformers declared that God was full of anger and demanded a sacrifice.
So Jesus was sacrificed to appease God.
This Calvinist theory conflicts with the idea that God is a loving and merciful God.
..
Advocates of the New Perspective on Paul argue that many New Testament books by Paul the Apostle used to support the theory of penal substitution should be interpreted differently.
When Paul said you could not be saved by 'works', Paul meant 'works' such as having your penis circumcised, not eating pork, and not working on the Sabbath.
..
Jesus taught people to be merciful, meek and pure in heart.
In 11th Century Christian Europe, "an entire class of warriors ... had little to do but fight among themselves.[9]"
In 1095 Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade as a way of getting rid of these Christian thugs.
When Paul said you could not be saved by 'works', Paul meant 'works' such as having your penis circumcised, not eating pork, and not working on the Sabbath.
..
Jesus taught people to be merciful, meek and pure in heart.
In 11th Century Christian Europe, "an entire class of warriors ... had little to do but fight among themselves.[9]"
In 1095 Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade as a way of getting rid of these Christian thugs.
In the Holy Land, at that time, Christians and Moslems 'lived in peace'.
Radulph of Caen wrote that the Christian Crusaders "impaled children on spits and devoured them grilled."
..
Can homophobes and racists be saved?
Everyone can be saved if they 'tune in' to the 'Holy Spirit'.
When you are tuned in to compassion and not forcing your own selfish agenda you will find that life goes better.
Anonymous writes:
The modern emphasis on salvation is a radical departure from the essence of Jesus's message, which was to follow Him, which meant to "Go [act in the world?] and sin no more".
Indeed, obsession with one's personal "salvation" is closely linked to pride, the ultimate deadly sin.
When you "sin no more" - simply, like a child - you align with divine purpose and become attuned to the real world, not the coercive counterfeit foisted on us by the corrupt financial system.
And you don't fret about your destiny, having faith that God, who is Love, will take care of it.
Hello Aangirfan,
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and thanks for all the great work you have done this year. Also thanks for all the kindness you have shown. I hope that on some level at some point you are rewarded for what you have done. Thanks.
Hi James,
DeleteMerry Christmas!
- Aangirfan
Christmas 1914-the soldiers wanted peace, friendship and an end to fighting, the Generals forced them to resume fighting and took steps to make sure there would be no repeat. http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/1224/668806-christmas-truce-a-miracle-not-to-be-repeated/
ReplyDeleteBOTH sides, including the French, took steps to make sure the Christmas truce would never happen again. BOTH sides agreed to nonstop shelling to start on Xmas Eve and continue for 24 hours.
DeleteGreg Bacon. Japan? 1970's? You?
DeleteThank you Aangirfan and Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you!
Delete- Aangirfan
https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/bbc-executive-ive-never-felt-uncomfortable-being-jew-075733061.html
ReplyDeleteMerry Xmas Aang!
ReplyDeleteHave an enjoyable day.
Merry Christmas to you!
Delete- Aangirfan
Aang, hava bonnie, cracking - refreshment in the struggle - day. Tap got me most this year but you're a close second. I can't resist highlighting Info/AJ being provocatively affirmed on Drudgereport today. The only red links, aside from the headline - we all move forward through this.
ReplyDeleteAnd these occasional 'god' posts rightly aim to upset unfounded apple-carts and yet they're a searcher's signpost to explore. A quick respondo: If you follow theology named after 'Calvin', you've problems with evil 'open theists' like me can reasonably refute. The evangelical debate over 'penal substitution' is within the wider context (more often liberal position), questioning the emphasis on the atonement, suggesting it's misplaced. The 'new perspective' on Paul rightly challenges the reformed view (i.e. Calvinism, which actually begun with Augustine), asking, what is grace and what about 'works'? You ask, 'Can homophobes and racists be saved?' I'd say, do you look or sound saved being either? God says, this way and that; 'tune(d) in to compassion and not forcing your own selfish agenda'. Preach it Aang.
And to: Everyone can be saved if they 'tune in' to the 'Holy Spirit'.
Yeah... oh yeah x
Mark
Merry Christmas!
DeleteYour writing is very poetic.
- Aangirfan
I'm sorry to say Drudge changed the colours since I wrote this. What a shame. Would have taken some balls to do that. The new emphasis is almost the opposite... what's he done this for? Mark
ReplyDeletewhen the bible talks about defeating satan, this has to be looked at symbolically and not literally. Satan is another name for the ego, our anger, our jealousy, our hatred, fears etc not some character with horns. To find salvation we have to defeat these, this annilation transforms us and we start to christify ourselves...
ReplyDeleteIn medieival times the ego was represented by the dragon with St George defeated, in the greek times it was the black charging bull or minatour, or medussa.
The modern emphasis on salvation is a radical departure from the essence of Jesus's message, which was to follow Him, which meant to "Go [act in the world?] and sin no more". Indeed, obsession with one's personal "salvation" is closely linked to pride, the ultimate deadly sin. When you "sin no more"--simply, like a child--you align with divine purpose and become attuned to the real world, not the coercive counterfeit foisted on us by the corrupt financial system. And you don't fret about your destiny, having faith that God, who is Love, will take care of it.
ReplyDeleteVery well put!
DeleteI'll add this to the text.
- Aangirfan
so refreshing to see things regarding the Christ faith sensibly discussed, when everyone and his uncle constantly just seems to attack and mock...great stuff
ReplyDeleteI do wonder about the crusades though,what about the sword of islam and conversion, the slave taking and rapine, reaching southern england and even the west of Ireland, the white slavery the sub saharan slavery unfortunately I could go on and on.................
once again, thoughtful article,respect....and happy Christ mas