It took me several decades to break out of the Pauline, Hellenistic view of Jesus and to add a few sprinkles of the Petrine, Judean concepts. When one opens their eyes, it is clear that there was a major battle going on between the Church in Jerusalem led by James, the brother of Jesus, Peter, and Paul. Agabus warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but Paul was a stubborn type. Continue reading ‘Are Those Jewish Roots?’
Monthly Archive for May, 2010
I love the way scientists study and discover truth- by way of hypotheses, as compared to the church where dogma and doctrines become infallible holy grails that must be upheld at any cost: in the name of God of course.
Some twenty six million Americans who are out of work or who are working for a lot less than they used to are looking down and the deep cavern below their feet. Many of those have had the rug literally pulled out from underneath them as their homes have been repossessed, and for some their car as well. What’s left to live for? Do they just JUMP? Continue reading ‘At The Edge Of An Abyss?’
There are sixteen plus people unemployed and another ten million under-employed. God only knows how many aren’t counted because once you’ve been out of work for six months and aren’t taking government money, you’re not counted. They are striking and rioting in Greece and that will come to America probably sooner than we think. Continue reading ‘Messages From The Margins!’
There are Marriott Hotels under all manner of names; however, when you see the J.W. in from of Marriott, you are staying at one fine hotel. Here in Houston, it’s the J.W. at the Galleria of course. One needs to make reservations early, or at least before the stuff hit the economic fan you did. Continue reading ‘No Room at the J.W. Marriott!’
Say what? Unfortunately we live in an era 2,000+ year removed from when much of the Bible was written. Once upon a time it was not thought bad or wrong to copy someone: plagiarism! Once upon a time it was not thought wrong to write under an assumed name or to attribute a thought to someone who had long since died, but were once a part of the community from which the unknown author resided. Continue reading ‘Blessed Are The Plagiarists?’
How can the death of a man 2,000 years ago save me from an eternal hell? That’s the question often asked by one being “evangelized” by a Christian. Another question commonly asked is why would a loving God kill his son? Oh yes, and why would a loving God send someone to a place of eternal torment at the end of this life? Unfortunately these real and practical questions only get convoluted answers at best. Continue reading ‘Atonement : Scheme Of Redemption?’
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring into literature and some Christian traditions, most often identified with the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers. or me the Holy Grail is symbolic of the search for the divine destiny that each of us can become. Finding some cup that Joseph of Arimathea is thought to have caught the blood of Jesus in, doesn’t figure into my worldview. Continue reading ‘Eternal Quest For Holy Grail’
Let’s begin with a concept that most should be aware even if they don’t have a deeper grasp of the term. I am talking about Hegel’s DIALECTIC! This Greek term, originally associated with the philosopher Socrates’ method of argument through dialogue and conversation. Then there’s the Hegelian dialectic, named after the German philosopher Hegel, refers to an interpretive method in which the contradiction between a thesis and its antithesis is resolved through synthesis. Continue reading ‘Dialectic or Trialectic?’
A Special Choosen People?
I don’t think so! I don’t embrace the fact that the Jews are a “chosen people” any more than anyone else. I don’t believe that Christianity has any inside track on a salvation that only comes through Jesus. I don’t believe that the incarnation (God coming in man) was only an event 2,000 years ago in the person known as Jesus of Nazareth. So, what do I embrace? Continue reading ‘A Special Choosen People?’