All you need it love!

[moses]

We often confuse the feeling of Christian "love" for someone with a feeling of:

1. Pity for them.
2. Humanitarianism- or a love of Mankind.
3. Altruism, or self denial, and
4. Sentimentalism or wanting to be with others.

** These concepts of “love" have been re-enforced over and over again in the Bible through one story or another.
What Jesus actually said was something much more basic and infinitely harder to achieve.
The historical Jesus did not urge us to love Mankind or to feel pity for someone else. He did not tell us to deny ourselves for someone else's sake, or flagellate ourselves, or even to enjoy another’s company!


What He did say was pure and simple and straight to the point, "Love one another.” This sort of love is not the altruistic love of Mankind, nor the possessive love for our mate, but rather something, that requires hard work, tenacity, and sacrifice.
It is easy to love your wife or husband, child or parent, but to love your neighbor (or stranger) is a task that is never ending and always requires effort.
It is a love that seems to have no immediate benefit and therefore not practiced by many people.
However, in the long run, this is what will make Humanity rise up to its potential and approach what Jesus referred to as the "Kingdom of God.” (Father)
This was not something that is to be expected in the near, or far, future. Rather, it was a state of being that is present at this time, and only has to be observed and followed in order to achieve a state of Grace.
--Allan W. Janssen
:wink:

[seer]

We often confuse the feeling of Christian "love" for someone with a feeling of:

1. Pity for them.
2. Humanitarianism- or a love of Mankind.
3. Altruism, or self denial, and
4. Sentimentalism or wanting to be with others.

** These concepts of “love" have been re-enforced over and over again in the Bible through one story or another.
What Jesus actually said was something much more basic and infinitely harder to achieve.
The historical Jesus did not urge us to love Mankind or to feel pity for someone else. He did not tell us to deny ourselves for someone else's sake, or flagellate ourselves, or even to enjoy another’s company!


What He did say was pure and simple and straight to the point, "Love one another.” This sort of love is not the altruistic love of Mankind, nor the possessive love for our mate, but rather something, that requires hard work, tenacity, and sacrifice.
It is easy to love your wife or husband, child or parent, but to love your neighbor (or stranger) is a task that is never ending and always requires effort.
It is a love that seems to have no immediate benefit and therefore not practiced by many people.
However, in the long run, this is what will make Humanity rise up to its potential and approach what Jesus referred to as the "Kingdom of God.” (Father)
This was not something that is to be expected in the near, or far, future. Rather, it was a state of being that is present at this time, and only has to be observed and followed in order to achieve a state of Grace.
--Allan W. Janssen
:wink:

Didn't your Mr. Janssen say this:

We have to keep in mind, and never loose site of the fact that the historical "Jesus" was culturally a product of the ancient Near East, and in an area under Roman sovereignty.

"Christ" was a product of the people and times that came after him; most notably Pauline thought, as well as a Greek influence.

The parables and stories of the historical Jesus were the product of a first century Jewish "rabbi-sage-cynic" from Galilee who had an enormous influence on a handful of people around him.

We will refer to the historical figure as "Jesus" from now on and the person of mythology as being the "Christ" of our modern religion.

"Christianity," in its simplest terms, is the result of previous centuries of Jewish and Greek myth and conjecture about the coming of a “Messiah,” and revolves around the resurrection.

The teachings of Jesus were altered to fit the legend, but definitely took a secondary role.

So why should his "opinon" matter to us Christians?

[john-philip]

We often confuse the feeling of Christian "love" for someone with a feeling of:

1. Pity for them.
2. Humanitarianism- or a love of Mankind.
3. Altruism, or self denial, and
4. Sentimentalism or wanting to be with others.

** These concepts of “love" have been re-enforced over and over again in the Bible through one story or another.
What Jesus actually said was something much more basic and infinitely harder to achieve.
The historical Jesus did not urge us to love Mankind or to feel pity for someone else. He did not tell us to deny ourselves for someone else's sake, or flagellate ourselves, or even to enjoy another’s company!


What He did say was pure and simple and straight to the point, "Love one another.” This sort of love is not the altruistic love of Mankind, nor the possessive love for our mate, but rather something, that requires hard work, tenacity, and sacrifice.
It is easy to love your wife or husband, child or parent, but to love your neighbor (or stranger) is a task that is never ending and always requires effort.
It is a love that seems to have no immediate benefit and therefore not practiced by many people.
However, in the long run, this is what will make Humanity rise up to its potential and approach what Jesus referred to as the "Kingdom of God.” (Father)
This was not something that is to be expected in the near, or far, future. Rather, it was a state of being that is present at this time, and only has to be observed and followed in order to achieve a state of Grace.
--Allan W. Janssen
:wink:

How is this incompatible with altruism?

[seer]

How is this incompatible with altruism?

You see Moses here has found a new Messiah - his name is Allan W. Janssen...

[moses]

You see Moses here has found a new Messiah - his name is Allan W. Janssen...
Seer---you got nothing better to do than to write nearly seven thousand posts on a web site? Get a life!

[seer]

Seer---you got nothing better to do than to write nearly seven thousand posts on a web site? Get a life!


Did I expose your false messiah Moses? BTW - I have been sick and home bound of late...

[moses]

Did I expose your false messiah Moses? BTW - I have been sick and home bound of late...
sorry to hear that-Allan