Hello all! For those of us who weren't in class today for group, we discussed Paul the Apostle and his peculiar ways of going about and persuading his belief of Christianity after being converted into a follower of Jesus. Our factual question was this:
Where was Paul from?
A: Tarsus
JMH had quite a few interesting things to say about this enlightened fellow. Firstly, his sole reason for being blessed by Jesus was his having faith in him--which seemed to have sprung out of nowhere (Previously known as Saul, Paul was blindingly struck by Jesus' great light and later was restored of his vision thanks to another disciple of Jesus). Perhaps the crazed Saul had a reincarnating experience; or maybe he just stared at the Sun for too long. Whatever the case, this born-again man decided to spread the word of God and promised righteousness through FAITH alone (whether or not you're circumcised!)
The group's focal point was this: How can the Bible be taken this literally when Paul never even personally met Jesus? Can one solely put faith in something else of "higher power" and derive a solid, definite outcome? (For ex. "The Secret" Prof. Oliver talked about a few times in class--is this nonsensical, bloody hogwash or a real way to go about achieving your goals in life?) I'd like to know you guys' input.
Ohyeah- My additional discussion question was this: How (if by faith alone in Jesus Christ one will be promised an everlasting life) are those in far off, unknowledgable places affected?
Personally, I strongly believe that a grown man in a New Guinean tribe shouldn't roast in hell just because he's never heard of some Jesus guy. What about life on other planets? Did Jesus' rope-threaded sandals take him that far to enlighten? I know our missionaries here sure haven't.
Well, I'm a little unhappy about the number of comments here...But whatevz.
ReplyDeleteAlright, I could go on and on about this crap, but I'll keep it short for fear of crushing someone with text blocks.
1. The Bible is an excellent source of anecdotal sentiments, and following the preachings of Jesus (pretty much the common day PLUR, which I completely support) is a great way of becoming a great person.
2. Paul was the first person to say that Jesus was God, yet he never met him, and wrote about him fifty years AFTER Jesus' crucifixion. The only thing he wrote about was the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. He drew conclusions about God out of thin air.
3. All of the books of the new testament were written fifty to seventy years after the crucifixion as well. These were originally stories told about a historical Jesus. Through hearsay, and what I like to call the best game of telephone ever, a group of scholars compiled the few stories scattered around into the gospels we read today. This is after, of course, they had their go at the editing process and forgot most of the details.
4. To take any of this as complete fact and truth, is utterly nonsensical in my opinion.
-Shrug-
And I think everyone shouldn't burn. So...lol
I think that many people do go around having a type of "blind faith." If you ask them, they will say something like you can not reap the rewards of God unless you completely believe in him through your mind, body, and soul. This type of total devotion is what a real devotee seeks to achieve. They say that once you reach this level, worldly pleasures and basic human emotions seem not as important anymore which is why they can have this blind faith.
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