Jesus? What is so good about Jesus?

  part 1                                

by Mark Napier

As we have Easter upon us, we are hit left and right with the imagery of the Christian lie. Jesus this and Jesus that. We see people all over the world portraying the last days of this "man's" life. The morbid procession of people dressed as Jesus and carrying a cross on the way to be nailed to it. How one can glorify a tortuous way to die, and think it was grand and great, I will never know. Thinking about all these things over the holiday brought me to thinking about the person of Jesus. Was he a swell guy? Was he as great and kind as the preachers and ministers will have you believe? Was he "perfect" in every way? In this essay I will attempt to show you gentle reader that Jesus was far from "perfect" and not very "kind". I will use the bible alone to show you these things. For the most part I will be using the King James Version of the bible, as the majority of Christendom uses this book. Regardless of the merits or problems within. If you read this essay with an open mind not clouded by the church or religion you may very well come to the conclusion that I, and many others, have. That Jesus was not the "bees knees".

Red Lettering: The words of the "perfect" Jesus.
Green Lettering: The words of the "perfect" god.

(Please note that I do not believe in god or Jesus, for this essay I will assume that they are extant.)

FAMILY??

  It seems as of late that Christians are moaning about lack of family values and moral decency today. The ethics of the world are not godly and therefore of the devil, and a lack of Jesus and god is the reason for the moral decay. The bible supposedly holds all the answers for morals and "family values". Sure. Please show me once in the bible where "family values" appears. Or "family", for that matter. According to the bible, and many Christian apologists, Jesus never raised a family, was never married, nor did he father any children. By the very words of Jesus we something other than "family values". Let us have a look see gentle reader:

Matthew 10:35-36:
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

Pretty cut and dry gentle reader. And very moral I should say. But, to add to this godly moral we have another decree from Jesus:

Luke 14:26
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Another example of the "family values" taught by Jesus. Not to mention the peaceful savior he was:

Luke 22:51-53
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Why should we listen to Jesus then? I mean does this sound like the morals put forth by your church today? I should hope not. But then again Jesus offered these people reward for their hatred:

Matthew 19:29
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

I would call this a bribe, how about you gentle reader? But lets look at Jesus and his view on marriage, since we are to pattern ours after Jesus, okay?

Luke 20:34-36
34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

The so-called morality of Jesus teaches hate, and abstinence against members of the family and advises against marriage. If everyone on earth followed the virgin Jesus' life to a tee, not only would we have no families, but the entire human species would become extinct within a generation gentle reader. Anyone who wishes to hold the concept of a family as a moral imperative must abandon Jesus' example. Or would you disagree?

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Prince of Peace?

Many Christians hold to a doctrine of peace, and say Jesus epitomized this doctrine. Jesus was the "Prince of Peace". Okay, sure... if you would just read these verses gentle reader, and tell me what you think:

Matthew 10:34
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Luke 22:36
36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

Seems to me like peace is a foreign concept to Jesus. Jesus was supposed to be "god" right? So instead of stopping violence and war outright we get his from Jesus:

Matthew 24:6-7
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Another tell tale sign that Jesus was not peaceful god-man is the following verse:

John 18:36
36 If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews.

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To kill or not to kill?

Popular belief held by the majority of Christians is that Jesus is God. In weird Trinitarian way that no one really understands. Fully man and fully god. Hmmm, well I know gentle reader, I do not get it either. Looking at God in the Old Testament, we see that he is far from the happy hippy love god that Jesus is said to be. So, by default it would seem that Jesus is not the happy love god all claim he is. Simple huh? Lets look at Jesus in action in the OT, shall we?

Exodus 12:29
29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

Deuteronomy 12:2-3
2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

I Samuel 15:3
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Full of the love and non killing stance of the religion we have today huh? This is the same God the is Jesus. But then again, we can look at the New Testament and see more of the same God/Jesus that we have here:

Luke 19:27
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

(Note, that this is a parable of the nobleman, the point is that killing is not unacceptable to Jesus)

Revelation 2:23
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Metaphor or not this is moral? The punishment of the mother by the killing of the children? Praise Jesus! What did the children do to deserve this "just" punishment? Thank you. Would you admire this man? Or God?

 

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Your future and planning your life

The Biblical Jesus taught to seek the kingdom of God and to ignore future plans:

Matthew 6:33-34
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Earthly money is of no importance.

Matthew 6:19
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Encourage people to persecute you (Matthew 5:11). Give away anything you own to every man who asks, and if he steals it, don't try to get it back (Luke 6:30). Sell everything you have and give it to the poor (Mark 10:21). If someone hits you, invite them to hit you again (Matthew 5:39). Don't ever marry a divorced woman because you'll commit adultery (Matthew 5:32). Don't even look at a women in a sexual way because that also constitutes adultery (Matthew 5:28). And don't think about your life, what to eat, the health of your body or about the clothes you wear (Luke 12:22).

If people took the advice of Jesus, and followed all of his teachings, it would be a very different world today gentle reader. We will continue to look at Jesus in the next piece of the essay coming soon to the Island. Stay tuned gentle reader!