3 The book "Ten Things I Hate about Jesus"

[Linna Heartbooger]

(Actually, that was just the title the author wanted to give it.)
The Christian publishing company negotiated him down to:
"Ten Things I Wish Jesus Never Said."

I like this guy's writing style. (Yay, Amazon Preview-thingy.)

I think the book's easy to obtain in the U.S. and in S.A.
I don't know about the U.K., Scandinavia, Australia, Europe, etc., etc.

Anyone else interested in a book discussion?

[Avatar]

Well, don't think I'll pick it up, but if you post the 10 things, my opinion is freely available.

--A

[Orlion]

Well, don't think I'll pick it up, but if you post the 10 things, my opinion is freely available.

--A

Pretty much where I am at. Might be a novelty, but I would never pay to know

[Linna Heartbooger]

Cool beans.

1. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

2. "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away."

3. "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God"

4. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me"

5. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you because of me"

6. "You have heard that it was said 'love your neighbor and hate your enemy' but I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven"

(Yes - I know that's not all 10 yet!)

[Ananda]

Linna, is it a sort of explaining difficult passages for people who are already believers sort of thingie? As in, what does each of these really mean and so?

I read the Bhagavad Gita version from the hare krishna group once (prefer the other translations). I loved the illustration plates in it! Anyway, the guru of the movement or however you want to call him also interpreted each section as the book went on. Is this sort of like that- analysing the passages and contextualising them?

[Orlion]

Ananda.

It's actually a sort of, "think you know what Jesus said? Well, think again! I know you folk don't read/ignore certain parts of the Bible and I'm going to educate ya!"

Christians (particularly those in the US, I've seen) focus a lot on the Saving Grace of Christ, how by having faith and accepting him as your saviour, you can become saved! As central as that concept is to Christianity, another aspect is that a Christian is suppose to strive to follow the teachings of Jesus. Of course, once you get into his teachings as recorded in the Gospels, you run into a lot of clear instruction that most people find uncomfortable because of how clear it is and because of just how far off they are from actually following them.

The results often are: ignore these teachings or interpret them in such a convoluted ways such as observed here. Yes, it is a video by an atheist and is included here to illustrate what I am saying.

[Linna Heartbooger]

Linna, is it a sort of explaining difficult passages for people who are already believers sort of thingie? As in, what does each of these really mean and so?

Ananda- I think it's not so much aimed at believers per se...

...as at people who are familiar with the Bible, but for whom the wonder has waned and the words have gotten stale; to them, it doesn't sound like it really means anything extraordinary anymore.

...contextualising them?

Did you just say one of my favorite words? Contextualization?
Oh, yes. There is analysis and contextualization.

In there, there is... stuff like extracting meaning from the original Greek...
...and using the words of Jesus to test how we think about things,
...and seeing how different scriptures throughout the Bible weave in and out of each-other.

Also, actually, it looks like the book's online:
Ten Things I Wish Jesus Never Said, by Victor Kuligin

[Ananda]

The results often are: ignore these teachings or interpret them in such a convoluted ways such as observed here. Yes, it is a video by an atheist and is included here to illustrate what I am saying.

Oh, that was funny. It was part of what I was asking about when I started the thread about why people become joiners for things they really don't follow.

Linna, is it a sort of explaining difficult passages for people who are already believers sort of thingie? As in, what does each of these really mean and so?

Ananda- I think it's not so much aimed at believers per se...

...as at people who are familiar with the Bible, but for whom the wonder has waned and the words have gotten stale; to them, it doesn't sound like it really means anything extraordinary anymore.

...contextualising them?

Did you just say one of my favorite words? Contextualization?
Oh, yes. There is analysis and contextualization.

In there, there is... stuff like extracting meaning from the original Greek...
...and using the words of Jesus to test how we think about things,
...and seeing how different scriptures throughout the Bible weave in and out of each-other.

Also, actually, it looks like the book's online:
Ten Things I Wish Jesus Never Said, by Victor Kuligin

That sounds a lot like the krishna movements bhagavad gita text dissection thingie. here is a sample of it to see if I am close to understanding:
www.asitis.com/2/12.html

I am not an atheist, but also not a religious person and do believe that all man made religions are the fancies of man and that no one knows what Is, but I do still enjoy parts of all religions. My reading interest has always been more to the eastern religions, so I am not familiar enough about bible stuff to really engage deeply over them, but I am curious to watch you discuss it and learn what you think. I think how we interpret and try to put things into our lives says more about us as individuals than about the thing we are focusing.

This is a bit I sort of like from the bible:

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

The main issue I have with it is the punishment focus. But, I do like the appeal to the oneness of being which I did bold. Lord Krishna talks similarly about the oneness, but without the eternal punishment bits.

I hope this is one of the ten things!

[Linna Heartbooger]

My reading interest has always been more to the eastern religions, so I am not familiar enough about bible stuff to really engage deeply over them, but I am curious to watch you discuss it and learn what you think.

Cool!

Guess I should hurry up and post the rest of the 10 things then! (actually, unless I've messed up, there are 11 Jesus-quotes... bonus chapter?)

Of course, once you get into his teachings as recorded in the Gospels, you run into a lot of clear instruction that most people find uncomfortable because of how clear it is and because of just how far off they are from actually following them.

You possibly already know I think this, but - well-spoken statement, there!