Re: God is Love
Great post NotReady.
"1 John 4:
8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
I think where harsh arrogant Christian prosylatyzers miss the boat, and thereby drive people away from a religion they are suppose to be attracting to it, is that the converse of this is also true. Those who Love, Know God. I believe this is supported by scripture. For example when Jesus said that those who are not for him are against him and those who are not against him are for him. Also, when asked by his disciples if Simon the Magician who was preaching in favor of Chirst was ok even though he wasn't one of them and probably wasn't doing it right, Jesus gave the thumbs up to Simon. Also when he said, you will know my followers by their fruits. The fruits he was talking about were acts of Love.
This makes Christianity a very accessable religion because nearly everyone has experienced some kind of Love in their life if only the love of their Mother. The mission of Jesus was to inspire people to make Love their vocation in Life, to follow his example.
The Religious theology that subsequently developed was in an effort to keep people focused on that Good News, that Love triumphs over the ways of the world. Thus the Myth of the Resurection. They needed to speak with authority so they spoke with the authority they gave to Jesus. Thus the Myth of the Son of God. Who can speak with authority for a family in place of the Father? The Son of course. Everybody understood this kind of language at that time. To further emphasize the purity of Jesus' message they developed the Myth of the Virgin Birth. The Gospel of Love was unspoiled by base motivations of men. This mythological language was common at the time and easily understood. People were immersed in mystisism at that time. It's how they understood their world.
But too many Christians today have turned the Gospel of Love upsidedown. They have turned a Religion based on Love into a Religion based on Literal versions of Myths. They have become like the Pharasees who Jesus preached Most Vigorously Against, Laying the Burden of these Myths on people like the Pharasees lay burdens of ritual on the Jews of that time.
The Dogma of Jesus as a Sacrifice to God for our sins was developed to End the Culture of Sacrifice to the gods or God that was prevalent at that time. It was meant to focus people on the Gospel of Love, that to follow Jesus meant a Life Vocation of Love, to sacrifice your Life to Love, so to speak, rather than making blood sacrifices to God. Blood sacrifices were to be abadoned. The blood of Jesus sufficed.
It is because of his Gospel of Love that Jesus continues to touch so many hearts and draw people to his cause. The message and spirit and Love of Jesus, his Life does live on and thus the Ressurection is meaningful. But Jesus would be turning over in his unmarked grave if he could see how in this modern era the Myths and Dogams of the past are being Arrogantly and Unlovingly Erected as barriers between Himself and people still desperate for a message of Love.
Thus those who know Love and do not reject it but live and encourage it, Know God, Know Jesus, and are BLESSED not condemned to hell for failing to bow down to the Idols of Dogma and Myth. Those who know Love and reject it, living hateful lives reap the hellishness of that hate as they live. Just as the "Kingdom of Heaven is upon us" as Jesus said, the hellishness of hate is upon those who make that choice in their life. What a shame if they never get a chance to be touched by the Gospel of Love because all they ever hear about it are indigestable Myths and Dogmas.
PairTheBoard
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