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"Religion" doesn't have the slightest thing to do with Jesus coming. Religion human thing. Jesus didn't say "go and spread religion to every man"...he said "go

"Religion" doesn't have the slightest thing to do with Jesus coming. Religion human thing. Jesus didn't say "go and spread religion to every man"...he said "go and spread the GOOD NEWS to every man". Religion is the word we use to describe how us human's have managed to twist and warp and misunderstand that good news. We use it for gate keeping: "sorry this event is for church members only". We use it to put down people based on their behavior: "He seems like he needs religion". We use it to interfere with the law of the land: "Sorry, that law doesn't apply because of religious freedoms". And so on.... I don't think the big man gives one fiddly flying fig leaf about "religion". His son said(over, and over, and over!) that "I desire mercy, not sacrifice.". That means NOT excluding people over religion, insulting or belittling them with religion, or creating an unfair situation with "religious freedoms" in law. He wants MERCY.... that means instead of telling the beggar that religion would help him get clothed, fed, and generally happy - you should be giving him or her your clothes, sharing your food or drink, and welcoming them to your home where they can be safe. Will they abuse your trust? Who knows - and it's not important - your mercy to them was the critical action. You don't get into heaven for being discerning and clever...there is no award for actions like "I didn't invite him home, because he looked like a criminal and I don't trust him...". That's not mercy, that's you finding a human excuse to ignore the least of your brethren.

thinkingtoilet 1y ago
I literally have no idea what you're talking about. I feel people like you pretend Europe's colonial era didn't exist or the American slave trade didn't exist or the holocaust didn't exist, etc... etc... etc... The only response to the millennia long list of atrocities Christians have committed, often times to other Christians, is the 'no true Scotsman' fallacy.
- hatradiowigwam 1y ago
  I think those were evil people doing evil things. Who calls the people who perpetrated these things "Christians"? If I am king, and direct my armies to slaughter another country's people because "<anything> cannot be tolerated by us, the Christians"....then I am a liar, and masquerading as something I am not. The people that did these things wanted to do them for one or more reasons, and none of those were because God told them to, or Christianity demanded it of them.
  - thinkingtoilet 1y ago
    Sigh...
    - FrontierProject 1y ago
      "All programming language documentation is worthless because some developers make spaghetti code."
cozyman 1y ago
Jesus founded a church in Matthew 16. He literally said go forth and make disciples of all nations. I could go through scripture and demonstrate why almost every claim you said here is false, but you don't care about scripture, just emotion.
- hatradiowigwam 1y ago
  Churches are fine - there are endless letters and instructions to them in the scripture you mention. "Religion" is not the same word as church. If you feel compelled to "demonstrate why almost every claim you said..." etc, feel free - it's ok! Christianity is about mercy and compassion, and you mention "emotion" - that's absolutely true. I'm very emotional about it, because my message is an emotional one, and emotions were high when it was given to me. It's not going to end my little universe if you disagree, or make fun of, or try to embarrass me about it. My sincere hope is that you are happy, and that through "emotion" or any other medium, you make others around you happy.
  - cozyman 1y ago
    So Jesus: 1. Founded a church 2. told the apostles to make all nations disciplines and baptize them, bringing them into that church 3. The apostles wrote letters to those churches instructing the people on how to live a christian life 4. The successors of those apostles carried on their teachings, spreading more churches all over the world and convening councils to clarify doctrine sounds a lot like a religion, how do you define religion?
    - hatradiowigwam 1y ago
      Religion (to me) is defined as a codified subset [or even superset] of beliefs, rituals, and culture. The letters you speak of (penned by apostles of Jesus) are exactly as you describe. They were humans, trying to do what a divine being told them to do. It appears they went about it(at least partially) by writing letters. The passage I believe you are referring to, where Jesus instructs his disciples is: > Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, This doesn't say to "spread religion", it literally tells them to teach and baptize all nations. They went and wrote letters, and here we are thousands of years later calling that "religion". What is important to you? I see this conversation as attempting to make disciples of all nation. If it's successful for anyone(not you necessarily, maybe someone reading)...then hoo-ah! That's a win! If not, the instructions that preceded the passage you refer to say that I should "shake the dust from my feet", and leave the metaphorical house(s) that will not listen. I don't know how we got from 0-50 A.D. to where we are now, regarding "religion", but I don't see even the most remote connection from the behavior of Jesus' disciples and their letter writing, to whatever the heck is going on in modern day.

thinkingtoilet 1y ago

I literally have no idea what you're talking about. I feel people like you pretend Europe's colonial era didn't exist or the American slave trade didn't exist or the holocaust didn't exist, etc... etc... etc... The only response to the millennia long list of atrocities Christians have committed, often times to other Christians, is the 'no true Scotsman' fallacy.

hatradiowigwam 1y ago
I think those were evil people doing evil things. Who calls the people who perpetrated these things "Christians"? If I am king, and direct my armies to slaughter another country's people because "<anything> cannot be tolerated by us, the Christians"....then I am a liar, and masquerading as something I am not. The people that did these things wanted to do them for one or more reasons, and none of those were because God told them to, or Christianity demanded it of them.
- thinkingtoilet 1y ago
  Sigh...
  - FrontierProject 1y ago
    "All programming language documentation is worthless because some developers make spaghetti code."

cozyman 1y ago

Jesus founded a church in Matthew 16. He literally said go forth and make disciples of all nations. I could go through scripture and demonstrate why almost every claim you said here is false, but you don't care about scripture, just emotion.

hatradiowigwam 1y ago
Churches are fine - there are endless letters and instructions to them in the scripture you mention. "Religion" is not the same word as church. If you feel compelled to "demonstrate why almost every claim you said..." etc, feel free - it's ok! Christianity is about mercy and compassion, and you mention "emotion" - that's absolutely true. I'm very emotional about it, because my message is an emotional one, and emotions were high when it was given to me. It's not going to end my little universe if you disagree, or make fun of, or try to embarrass me about it. My sincere hope is that you are happy, and that through "emotion" or any other medium, you make others around you happy.
- cozyman 1y ago
  So Jesus: 1. Founded a church 2. told the apostles to make all nations disciplines and baptize them, bringing them into that church 3. The apostles wrote letters to those churches instructing the people on how to live a christian life 4. The successors of those apostles carried on their teachings, spreading more churches all over the world and convening councils to clarify doctrine sounds a lot like a religion, how do you define religion?
  - hatradiowigwam 1y ago
    Religion (to me) is defined as a codified subset [or even superset] of beliefs, rituals, and culture. The letters you speak of (penned by apostles of Jesus) are exactly as you describe. They were humans, trying to do what a divine being told them to do. It appears they went about it(at least partially) by writing letters. The passage I believe you are referring to, where Jesus instructs his disciples is: > Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, This doesn't say to "spread religion", it literally tells them to teach and baptize all nations. They went and wrote letters, and here we are thousands of years later calling that "religion". What is important to you? I see this conversation as attempting to make disciples of all nation. If it's successful for anyone(not you necessarily, maybe someone reading)...then hoo-ah! That's a win! If not, the instructions that preceded the passage you refer to say that I should "shake the dust from my feet", and leave the metaphorical house(s) that will not listen. I don't know how we got from 0-50 A.D. to where we are now, regarding "religion", but I don't see even the most remote connection from the behavior of Jesus' disciples and their letter writing, to whatever the heck is going on in modern day.