Jesus

[Saxon]

Anyone can make stats look good in their favour

the stats are not made to look any other than they are... the works listed are considered valid and true accounts by Scholars worldwide and the bible has indeed been cited as being the most valid of ancient texts

Wouldn't a supreme power looking over the entire planet come up with a better solution than to burn a few rules onto stone tablets and pass them out to a handful of people guided by one man and a dozen followers and then watch what happens?

I suppose it depends on wether that supreme power wanted to force you to his will or not

A couple thousand years later and he can't provide us with a little more guidance?

To some believers that statement is as nutty as saying why cant there be daylight during the day

Ah but he works in mysterious ways...

Ah that he does... That he does

[CoffeeCanuck]

I have to say Saxon, now I am confused as to what it is you want discussed.

~D

[Saxon]

I have to say Saxon, now I am confused as to what it is you want discussed.

~D

well I was looking for ideas on how people see Jesus what he is to them today etc etc

[steven lloyd]

I can’t exactly say I’m a Christian (as my personal beliefs step outside the bounds of structured Christianity) but I found this piece I thought I would share:


A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."

The Lord led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don't understand."

It is simple," said the Lord. "It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."

When Jesus died on the cross, He was thinking of you.

[sleepdeprived]

This is the first time I have read or heard of the stew parable.

While my beliefs also "step outside the bounds of structured Christianity", I find myself surprised that the Lord and the holy man didn't simply feed the starving group.

What sort of self respecting Lord or holy man doesn't feed the hungry?

[Amor vincit omnia]

He opened one of the doors and the man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The man said, "I don't understand."

It is simple - it requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."

[Boda]

This is the first time I have read or heard of the stew parable.

While my beliefs also "step outside the bounds of structured Christianity", I find myself surprised that the Lord and the holy man didn't simply feed the starving group.

What sort of self respecting Lord or holy man doesn't feed the hungry?

Is this where the "free will" variable is introduced as explanation to your question?

[sleepdeprived]

I honestly have no idea.
Is it?

[Saxon]

Remember this is just a parable ... a good one too, gets across quite well the point that we should be helping eachother... by working together we all benefit...

[sleepdeprived]

But that's just common sense Saxon. Of course we should help each other.

Doesn't it strike you as odd though that a holy man and the lord would not feed these guys? I mean ok, use their story in an illustrative lesson.

But I'm thinkin', feed the starving guys first (for God's sake). Make the value lesson; help even those who are unable to solve their own problems.

[Saxon]

I can see where you're coming from, It would indeed demonstrate compassion for the Lord to feed them, then again they may be in hell for their sins against man, maybe they know how to save eachother but none of them are willing..... :129:

[sleepdeprived]

Would your Lord not feed sinners?

[Saxon]

I suppose that would depend on him and how and what he wanted to teach them

[sleepdeprived]

That's harsh.

[Saxon]

just as harsh as to sit there and starve yourself to death just because you are too stubborn and full of hate to feed the man next to you..that you are prepared to watch him die or die yourself first.

Ok to me this parable gets across the message that in 'life' we should be helping eachother to survive... Its not literally people sat in a room starving
You talk about how the Lord should feed them ... now if this was all in a literal sense then Im sure he would feed them but as it's meant to show how we should treat eachother in life, he cant... I could not treat someone good or nice from you on your behalf.... Well I suppose in some situations I could but It wouldn't mean as much as you yourself doing it