Comments on: Six Thoughts About Jesus

By: erotik

erotik — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:40:30 +0000

Dies ist ein gro

By: erotik

erotik — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:39:49 +0000

Dies ist ein gro

By: Matthew Goggins

Matthew Goggins — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:42:29 +0000

Ucfengr,
Is that the same Soen Shaku who said …
Nice quote, o Ucf-sensei!
Buddhism develops a core set of very interesting observations and beliefs about human nature into a comprehensive cosmology and way-of-life. But it’s a cosmology and way-of-life marked by some remarkable shortcomings.
Buddhism has made valuable contributions to the cultures and history of mankind, but it’s not the answer to everything, doesn’t even come close.
Z.Z.,
Wow, I probably care less about that than any other thing in the universe. Thanks for setting my new floor.
You’re welcome.
If you’re curious as to why you should care, well then you probably shouldn’t care.
I was just providing Joe with what I hoped would be some useful atheist feedback. I don’t expect he has a lot of atheist buddies that he goes around showing his blog-posts to.
I guess I deserve some sarcasm for tagging a religious post with a non-religious perspective. But on the other hand, if you really are in possession of the love that passes all understanding, I think I could expect a little bit less of a snarky tone, mate.

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:54:43 +0000

DaveD, I agree. I would only contend that just as politics can be a person’s idol or god, as can money, sex, etc…, so can something good be turned into an idol — even sharing the gospel. I go to a church where that is such a large focus, that I sometimes go why? Why should a person want to be saved? Yes, Jesus died, but tell them how great the person of Jesus is. Tell them about heaven, tell them about the wonders of creation.
And I often think the church would have people beating down the door to demand christians tell them about salvation, if it did its job in discipleship — people would be of such godly standing and good repute that people would say: ah, there is something special about them. I want their peace, I want their hope…. Or they would be convicted of their life since the Christians around them were not hypocrites! Or they might advocate the principles even while being an unbeliever, and eventually find that the Lord snared them (as He did me!).
Yes, people told me about the gospel (I dismissed it), they told me Bible verses (but what does that matter to someone who doesn’t believe the Bible is true) .. it was quiet dedication and study of rational Christians that appealed to this former unbeliever. Certainly I was looking for God, felt the emptyiness, the guilt, but I wasn’t going to trust my life to someone who gave me drive-by religion (as most sharers of the gospel have seemed to me).

By: ucfengr

ucfengr — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 04:19:27 +0000

Here’s what Soen Shaku (translated by Suzuki) said over 100 years ago
Is that the same Soen Shaku who said “Even though the Buddha forbade the taking of life, he also taught that until all sentient beings are united together through the exercise of infinite compassion, there will never be peace. Therefore, as a means of bringing into harmony those things which are incompatible, killing and war are necessary.”?

By: ZZ

ZZ — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:04:13 +0000

Matthew Goggins,
“I am an atheist who loves many things about Christianity,”
Wow, I probably care less about that than any other thing in the universe. Thanks for setting my new floor.

By: Elwood

Elwood — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:53:44 +0000

Twice in comments above, I’ve read someone say that we must put sharing our faith over family.
“Our first and highest priority is not family, is not work, is not politics; it is following Jesus and bringing others to him. ”
“Supposedly, only 2% of “believers” shared their faith within the last year.
Is that OK since He really wants me to: make money, run for office, push for legislation, be at home for my kids or wife, hang out at the mall, go to college, etc?
”
I disagree.
It is true, we must put God at the top, over family, and not make family a false idol. However, some can fall off the other side of that cliff and neglect their God-given calling to rear their family in the name of doing “churchy” stuff. I once met a woman whose dad had abandoned his family because God was “calling” him to the mission field. Obviously, that’s an extreme case. But, I imagine the temptation is largest for pastors, especially the ones we’ve all heard of and admire because we’ve read their books or been to one of their conferences.
A family should be Gospel/mission-focused as well and look outside itself, but just making quality time to go on vacation with your family is not the same as being there, day after day, even during those unpleasant times we’d rather be at work (if you are in full-time Christian work), or sharing our faith, or anything else.
I have a friend who laments that his church almost seeks to usurp the role of the family in forming the kids’ characters – program, program, program, and would like to see more of the church leading the entire family unit as a whole, allowing the parents to assume their rightful role. It’s ironic then, that often times, the PK’s end up not having enough of their dad’s time because he’s so busy with the church (or, if he’s a big-name guy, probably traveling a lot.)
I don’t know which big name evangelical leaders who go on the speaker’s circuit, or travel overseas a lot for ministry have kids still at home. Many of them probably have kids that are already grown. And, others probably do keep a balance and make sure they make up for time away from home with extra time around the house (not just “quality time” but quantity. And, it’s a problem even lay people who are volunteers in ministry have to deal with.
My only point is that as a father, I believe we should put God first, as our Lord… but I believe God’s directive to us is to make our family our highest priority. Forming your kids IS sharing the Gospel. It IS discipleship.
Yes, God is first. But family should not take a back seat to anything else.

By: George 2

George 2 — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:31:45 +0000

Joe — When you were four, no doubt you knew Jesus loved you because (you were told by the song and your mother) the bible told you o. But now that, as you say, you’re on a first-name basis, you know He loves you because you know Him, right?

By: smmtheory

smmtheory — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:58:53 +0000

How different would Buddha have behaved under similar conditions in the same place! Instead of whipping the evil-doers he would have converted them, for kind words strike deeper than the whip.

And Jesus has the t-shirt that says:
Been there…. done that….

By: Mumon

Mumon — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:29:21 +0000

That some non-Christians might be unimpressed with the morality of Jesus Christ is true. Here’s what Soen Shaku (translated by Suzuki) said over 100 years ago (http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/zfa/zfa13.htm) :

The beauty and the truth of many of Christ’s sayings fascinate me, but truth does not become clearer by being pronounced by a man who works miracles. You say that, “We can explain Buddha without the miracles which later legends ascribe to him, but we cannot explain Christ–either his person or his influence–without granting the truth of his own claim that he did the supernatural works of his father.” We may grant that Jesus Christ is the greatest master and teacher that appeared in the West after Buddha, but the picture of Jesus Christ as we find it in the Gospel is marred by the accounts of such miracles as the great draft of fishes, which involves a great and useless destruction of life (for we read that the fishermen followed Jesus, leaving the fish behind), and by the transformation of water into wine at the marriage-feast at Cana. Nor has Jesus Christ attained to the calmness and dignity of Buddha, for the passion of anger overtook him in the temple, when he drove out with rope in hand those that bargained in the holy place.
How different would Buddha have behaved under similar conditions in the same place! Instead of whipping the evil-doers he would have converted them, for kind words strike deeper than the whip.