Religions are so confusing. While I appreciate their sacred value to the participants, it seems they are holding most of us back from the sacred.
I read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John just to remember Jesus. So often the image is distorted by propaganda and promotion through religious leadership. I try to read and ask myself if Jesus would have been an elder with the Jehovah's Witness group. Would Jesus serve with any Mormon bishops? How many hail Mary's would Jesus be willing to say? Would Jesus go to a priest to confess sin? Wait, he knew no sin, but died for ours.
Hmm...Matthew, Mark, and Luke all confirm that the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom at the moment Jesus died. Whether you're in the camp who says they meant it literally or those who say they meant it symbolically, the argument can be made that the significance is the same; it solidified believers' authority to enter into contact with the Father without a mediator.
So why and how do religious tenets consistently contend that they are the final authority and in order to get to Him you must go through them. How strange for the God of the universe to come down to Earth in the flesh and condemn religious leaders for their utter hypocrisy, tell everyone they're welcome to commune with Him now through the sacrifice He was going to make, and offer them the gift of His Holy Spirit for guidance and comfort only to return to His spirit form to tell a bunch of different individuals with spurious backgrounds to make new rules to follow to get to Him.
Curious. It's also peculiar to see images of Jesus before Catholicism became the standard Christian expression of discipleship. He's got shorter, curlier hair, a beard, and his skin is copper-tone. So, the false image of Jesus that's been handed down for generations is itself calculating, preying on the human mind's perception of things to create a reality that does not now, nor ever did exist. The worst part is that doing this limits our connection to the truth of who God really is. If we were to see beyond religion to the heart of who we are, why we're here, and God's perfect design for us it would end senseless suffering all over the earth. But, religion holds us back. I look forward to the day when we free our minds and become what God always intended.
I read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John just to remember Jesus. So often the image is distorted by propaganda and promotion through religious leadership. I try to read and ask myself if Jesus would have been an elder with the Jehovah's Witness group. Would Jesus serve with any Mormon bishops? How many hail Mary's would Jesus be willing to say? Would Jesus go to a priest to confess sin? Wait, he knew no sin, but died for ours.
Hmm...Matthew, Mark, and Luke all confirm that the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom at the moment Jesus died. Whether you're in the camp who says they meant it literally or those who say they meant it symbolically, the argument can be made that the significance is the same; it solidified believers' authority to enter into contact with the Father without a mediator.
So why and how do religious tenets consistently contend that they are the final authority and in order to get to Him you must go through them. How strange for the God of the universe to come down to Earth in the flesh and condemn religious leaders for their utter hypocrisy, tell everyone they're welcome to commune with Him now through the sacrifice He was going to make, and offer them the gift of His Holy Spirit for guidance and comfort only to return to His spirit form to tell a bunch of different individuals with spurious backgrounds to make new rules to follow to get to Him.
Curious. It's also peculiar to see images of Jesus before Catholicism became the standard Christian expression of discipleship. He's got shorter, curlier hair, a beard, and his skin is copper-tone. So, the false image of Jesus that's been handed down for generations is itself calculating, preying on the human mind's perception of things to create a reality that does not now, nor ever did exist. The worst part is that doing this limits our connection to the truth of who God really is. If we were to see beyond religion to the heart of who we are, why we're here, and God's perfect design for us it would end senseless suffering all over the earth. But, religion holds us back. I look forward to the day when we free our minds and become what God always intended.
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