Mariano, from the Atheism is Dead Blog, had a brilliant idea. Christians who blog about Apologetics and Christian issues collaborating together. For my part of suggesting topics, I want to respond to the article entitled What Would Jesus Do? and I want to be clear why the subject is important because there is nothing and no one more central to the truth of Christianity than the person, life, and work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ. My article will be posted in such a way that I will copy the article's bullet points and put my comments afterward in red. The author of the article attempts to discredit Jesus by taking his words and message to seem that atheists are more moral than Jesus. Definitely blasphemous, but needs to be countered. Advocate child abuse and murder amongst many other cruelties.
Christians are always claiming, “he’s the lamb”, “our savior”, “the king of peace”, “the embodiment of love”, amongst the many other names they associate with a loving, merciful nature. Jesus a nice guy? Not in my book. Nor in any other person’s who is capable of compassion and rationality. Let’s examine who the hell the Jesus character really is. These verses will show not only is Jesus’ “loving” nature a joke but so are the Christians who worship him. Jesus’ real mission to come to earth:
Jesus says that he has come to destroy families by making family members hate each other. He has “come not to send peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
Jesus says, “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace on earth! No, rather a sword lf you love your father, mother, sister, brother, more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. “The real beauty of this verse is that Jesus demands people truly love him more then they love their own family. I ask you how can we love someone that we can not see or interact with? Love is an emotion pertaining to physical existence not to faithful ideologies, yet God threatens you with Death just because your love for your mother maybe stronger than your love for him. Matthew 10:34
Families will be torn apart because of Jesus. “Brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death." Matthew 10:21
Jesus strongly approves of the law and the prophets. He hasn’t the slightest objection to the cruelties of the Old Testament. Matthew 5:17
Let's look at what Jesus actually said - in context - Matthew 5: 32-38
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
The atheist commentator is wrong. The commentator is saying that Jesus is saying that he is outright come to divide families and turn people against their parents and parents against their children. The author makes this assertion and never seems to ask why people will be divided because of Jesus. Jesus himself gives us the answer in verse 32. Families will be divided because of Jesus because when people choose to follow Christ family and friends will turn on them. Recall that in the first century and all the way through today many people who had chosen to follow Christ have been killed, persecuted, and their family and friends were the ones who turned them in. This is what Jesus was referring to. Jesus never told us to not love her parents and families. Jesus went far enough to tell us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. When asked "Who is my Neighbor?" Jesus responded with the parable of the "Good Samaritan" where someone who should have hated a man who was robbed and left for dead acted in compassion while the man's so-called brothers and leaders stepped over his half-dead body. Check it out in Luke 10: 25-37. especially verses 36-37 Jesus asks: "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
Jesus told us be like the good Samaritan. Keep in mind that under most circumstances, Samaritans and Jews had no interaction. They hated one another. The man whom the Samaritan had helped would have more than likely not done the same for the Samaritan had the positions been reversed. That is the kind of morality Jesus expects of us. Also, who said that we can't interact with Jesus. He's alive and you can interact with him if you seek him. Of course Jesus had no problem with the Old Testament....He is the Word - the Torah fulfilled and personified. If anyone would like discuss this point further, I invite comments.
Jesus advocates murder and death:
Jesus condemns entire cities to dreadful deaths and to the eternal torment of hell because they didn’t care for his preaching. Matthew 11:20
They are condemned because they rejected Christ. It's like a drowning man who rejects an offered life preserver. Jesus was not pleased that they refused to repent (nor was he surprised). He was merely pointing out what the consequences of rejecting him are.
Jesus, whose clothes are dipped in blood, has a sharp sword sticking out of his mouth. Thus attired, he treads the winepress of the wrath of God. (The winepress is the actual press that humans shall be put into so that we may be ground up.) Revelations 19:13-15
I'd like to know why the author thinks that humans will be ground up in the winepress. I can't find it in the text. This portion of scripture is only showing what the consequences of rejecting Christ will be.
The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into a lake of fire. The rest of us the unchosen will be killed with the sword of Jesus. “An all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Revelations 19:20-21
What else would we expect to happen to those who choose to disobey God and reject salvation?
Jesus says he is the only way to salvation yet he purposely disillusions us so that we will go to hell:
Jesus explains that the reason he speaks in parables is so that no one will understand him, “lest . . . they . . . should understand . . . and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Matthew 13:10-15
Jesus explains why he speaks in parables to confuse people so they will go to hell. Mark 4:11-12
It's interesting that an atheist would feel disillusioned that Jesus spoke in parables. Verse 11 gives the answer. Jesus was talking to his disciples. If you want Jesus to speak plainly to you become a disciple of his. By definition, an atheist rejects Jesus as his/her Master.
Jesus advocates child abuse:
Jesus is criticized by the Pharisees for not washing his hands before eating. He defends himself by attacking them for not killing disobedient children according to the commandment: “He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.” Matthew 15:4-7
Okay. I wonder if the author understands how to read. This is what the text actually says:
For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
Jesus never said that they should kill disobedient children. He is drawing a lesson on how they picked and chose what laws and traditions they kept and which ones they changed. The author missed the point of what Jesus was saying. Sad.
Abandon your wife and children for Jesus and he’ll give your a big reward. Jesus asks that his followers abandon their children to follow him. To leave your child is abuse, it’s called neglect, pure and simple. Matthew 19:29
No where does the Bible ask us to neglect our children! The author has again taken a text out of context. Jesus is talking to his disciples after he just told them in verses 23 and 24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Jesus then tells them that all we need to do is to put him first and everything will work out for us, but part of putting him first is to take care of our parents and children.
Jesus criticizes the Jews for not killing their disobedient children according to Old Testament law. Mark 7:9
The author has the wrong reference. Mark 7: 9-12 says:
And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."
As you can see Jesus admonished the religious leaders for teaching people that they do not need to honor their parents. If you are going to use scripture to criticize scripture at least get the reference correct.
A few other things about Jesus:
Jesus says that those who have been less fortunate in this life will have it even worse in the life to come. Mark 4:25
More problem with context. Here is what the passage truly says in verse 24 and 25:
"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
Jesus was not talking about wealth or riches. He's referring to enlightenment, meaning how much of scripture and spiritual things we understand and accept.
Jesus sends the devils into 2000 pigs, causing them to jump off a cliff and be drowned in the sea. Clearly Jesus could have simply sent the devils out, yet he chose instead to place them into pigs and kill them. This is called animal abuse. Mark 5:12-13
Let's get this straight. In order for this argument to even get off the ground then one would have to grant that Jesus had the power to cast out demons (given that they exist) and they submitted to Him. Unless you'd want to argue that demons would obey a mere man then you have to consider Jesus' claims to be Yahweh. Remember all the other cases in the Bible where demons were exorcised by people, they did it in Jesus' name. Therefore if Jesus is who He claims to be, then He made those pigs just like He made everything - giving Him the right to do whatever He pleases with what He created. Argument is therefore silly. Jesus is not guilty of animal abuse. Abuse is using something other than how it was intended to be used. Jesus made everything h3 can't abuse what he has created.
Jesus kills a fig tree for not bearing figs, even though it was out of season. Jesus must not be as smart as Christians would have us believe, for he was retarded enough to do something this silly. You’d think the son of god (god incarnate) would know that trees don’t bear fruit in dry season. Mark 11:13
Does the author know why Jesus acted the way He did? Of course He knew what the season was. You show your own stupidity. Jesus cursed the fig tree in order to teach his disciples. If you bother to read a few more verses down you read in 22-26
"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
What I am saying is that Jesus used the Fig Tree as a teaching opportunity to teach his followers about prayer and faith.I found out that there exists an article on why Jesus cursed the fig tree in Hard Sayings of the Bible by F. F. Bruce from the blog called Lighthouse Prayer Line. Here is the excerpt:
Was it not unreasonable to curse the tree for being fruitless when, as Mark expressly says, "it was not the season for figs"? The problem is most satisfactorily cleared up in a discussion called "The Barren Fig Tree" published many years ago by W. M. Christie, a Church of Scotland minister in Palestine under the British mandatory regime. He pointed out first the time of year at which the incident is said to have occurred (if, as is probable, Jesus was crucified on April 6th, A.D. 30, the incident occurred during the first days of April). "Now," wrote Christie, "the facts connected with the fig tree are these. Toward the end of March the leaves begin to appear, and in about a week the foliage coating is complete. Coincident with [this], and sometimes even before, there appears quite a crop of small knobs, not the real figs, but a kind of early forerunner. They grown to the size of green almonds, in which condition they are eaten by peasants and others when hungry.
When they come to their own indefinite maturity they drop off." These precursors of the true fig are called taqsh in Palestinian Arabic. Their appearance is a harbinger of the fully formed appearance of the true fig some six weeks later. So, as Mark says, the time for figs had not yet come. But if the leaves appear without any taqsh, that is a sign that there will be no figs. Since Jesus found "nothing but leaves" - leaves without any taqsh- he knew that "it was an absolutely hopeless, fruitless fig tree" and said as much.
This means that although it was not the season for figs there should have been something edible on the tree. Another way to look at this event is that when Jesus comes to inspect your life there should be fruit. Something that should be able to be used to help others even if you are in transition (as we all are) to what we will be. Luke 12:47 Jesus okays beating slaves.
This was another parable. In context Jesus is talking about servants (all of humanity) not necessarily slaves. We will all be judged according to how good we are at being obedient and carry out our purpose. But we will be judged according to what we did with what we knew. People who had more access to more knowledge but still chose to ignore the master will have more punishment than those who disobey out of ignorance.
