All u christians, this will give u a better idea

[Shinobi]

...

[SmileySpirit14]

i know jesus knew what was going on: its the idea that god has saved us through jesus: we couldve all be not here today if it werent for him: now all the ppl are not caring one bit, some ppl are pretending to care just like the story said. and its breaking his heart to know all these ppl are ungrateful.

[James S]

It's not that people are at heart ungrateful, or uncaring. Most people in our society have heard the story of Jesus. Most versions are told with a high level of emotional content. Similarly, stories like yours are told to evoke emotions in people to try and force them to making some kind of descision.

The more times people hear these kinds of stories, the more "immune" they become to it's emotional content. It's not that they don't care, they're just tired of hearing it. Such emotional enticements just don't work on a lot of people anymore.

This is not a criticism. Just an observation.

Regards,
James.

[Tayesin]

Hi All,
Perhaps James is correct about people 'turning off' when faced with the repetitiousness of this story. Just like we do when we see pictures of thin, starving Ethiopian children etc.

Maybe there is more to the current situation than this factor.  Perhaps now that the Church has so little control over the inclusion of 'other' material at our disposal, much of it based in historic fact, that shows it was the Church and those behind it in it's early years who gave the death of Jesus it's anecdotal attribute of "dying for our sins."

Add to this the research into the psyche of the times that shows Jesus was only one of thousands of miracle workers in his time and only one of many people who had the saviourship concept forced upon them by the Hebrew religious foundation underlining middle eastern Jews of the time.  

Moreso, many people are now aware that through research into the translational mistakes that inevitably occured with the Bible, we have at best a very poor perception of the facts.  Truth is stranger than fiction they say, and in this case it certainly is.

Having said this, I do not disagree that Jesus was an exceptional being prior to his alledged death.  From other historical accounts from a variety of countries, I see he was what we may call a Master.  

He was most certainly an enlightened human being capable of great things that he told us we were also capable of.  He made no distinction between himself and any other human, women included.  In fact, we could say his misson was centred on the oneness of humanity, equality, freedom for all and at the top of the list we would have to add.. equal souls in the creator's eyes.

If this is so, then why have we humans elevated him to godlike stature, part of a trinity, as the only son of god ?  Didn't Jesus say we would come to know that it was us who are the true sons of the father ?  He saw no difference so why do we ?

Jesus was a human being of his times and culture.  He was also a person who had come to know their own divinity which I see as the thing motivating him to want to make changes in his world.  

Being enlightened, at one with the creative Universal awareness (god), being empowered to change what he saw as injustice in his culture and knowing the probable consequences of acting upon that does not make the man 'God's only son who died for our sins'.  It makes him no more or less than Ghandi and Mandela or any other human who acts on changing the way things are.  If we read about these two men, we also see that they are extremely wise in a spiritual sense.  So in the next 500 years or so, will we humans turn them into new gods or sons of gods ?

It is no wonder that so few people care about this attributed characteristic of Jesus in these times.  We can now have the luxury of making up our own mind's on this and all other issues.

This is just my opinion and not meant to disrespect your chosen belief system.  So if I have, then I apologize for that.

Love Always.[]

[The AlphaOmega]

I thought you were a little messed up at the beginning, but by the end I was very suprised... it makes sense to me.  That's a perspective I have never seen before.  It's true in it's simplicity and delivered very nicely.  Good writing!

[Taalnar]

Many have given their blood for us in war.  Shall we make an emotional story to worship them to?  Should we worship their parents?  Many have suffered.  Will you tithe to the religious elite to sit on their thrones for their suffering?

Don't mean to sound ungrateful.  But I don't like the emotional spin people put on believing in Christ.  He's much better and much more worthier than a mere sympathy vote.

I hope I didn't offend.  But this story sounds like something those televangelists would say to try to get your credit card number "No minimum to buy!".  It makes me sad. []

[SmileySpirit14]

i get what ur saying taalnar, but war heroes in my opinion dont deserve any kind of award...soldiers, war fighters, anyone who died just for the sake of land and such deserve to suffer. i can understand that they fight for ppl, but fighting isnt going to bring them back. we should let god deal with them. its like when u get hit and u hit that person back, u both get in trouble....its not worth it when sumone else who is supposed to handle it does

[Taalnar]

Hi Smiley, nah I was getting at how your story tries to put an emotional spin on stories to try to persuade you to do something like give them money and worship someone.  It just doesn't seem right.

Not all people who went to war did so for land.  They did it to help those who suffer and would suffer.  It may sound like an irony, but where I live was actually planned to be given to the japanese for the sake of peace.  If the japs did come, my grandfather (who fought) said they would have put the sword through every women and child and any man of fighting age would be enslaved.  I would say this is true.  But thanks to those who fought, I live in relative peace and freedom (sounds overused since 9/11, I know) but its true.  Remember, many (if not all) soldiers who fought would have mcuh rathered staying at home.  They are not blood thirsty.

[Yerzak06]

That story kind of shocked me at first. It makes me ashamed that sometimes ive slept in church and not wanted to go so i could sleep in. Damn, thats a really good analogy everyone can relate to.

[SmileySpirit14]

go ahead and sleep in. im christian, but i never go to church b-cuz i hate preachers and popes and such. im christian by heart and i believe in my experience and anwsering my prayers ect. i would advise not to go to church! i dont believe anything they say

[Yerzak06]

yea, i find i learn alot better if i just read my bible and experience stuff for myself. Its more meaning-ful to me that way.
But some help from others is important becuase much of the bible is hard to interprit and figure out. I ask for help sometimes so that i dont confuse myself and believe something falsely.

[SmileySpirit14]

well the person u ask for help on interpretting what it means probably drew conclusions so to where its his own opinion.

[Yerzak06]

either that or he has actually more knowledgable about the subject and has put more time into studying it. Many people are smarter than myself[]

[SmileySpirit14]

all the studying that person has done is not solid evidence...the only way to truly know is if god/jesus told u, or if u went back in time and experience it for urself.

[Yerzak06]

Yea, i see your point. thanks

[MAGUS89]

Whoa, This is a very emotional story and I see the true meaning behind it. I also am a Christian but dont like going to church and dont believe them or the popes. I just think it has to do with a relationship with you a Jesus(God).

[SmileySpirit14]

It's a Wednesday night and you are at a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot yelling, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio!"




And while the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made: "Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from a 'mystery' flu." Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country.




People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working! California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts.




It's as though it's just sweeping in from the borders.




And then, all of a sudden, the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected, and so, sure enough,all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting,




everyone is asked to do one simple thing: Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood type taken. That's all we ask of you. When you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals.




Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it.




Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take your blood type and they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home."




You stand around, scared, with your neighbors, wondering what in the world is going on and if this is the end of the world.




Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that's me."




Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. Wait a minute!




Hold on! And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure.




We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has got the right type." Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging one another ... some are even laughing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you, sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying.




Then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and your wife aside and says, "May we see you for moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we need ....... we need you to sign a consent form." You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken has been left blank.




"H-how many pints?", you ask.




And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and he says, "We had no idea it would be little child. We weren't prepared. I'm sorry sir, we need it all!"




"But but .. You don't understand."




"We are talking about the world here. Please sign. We need it all!"




"But can't you give him a transfusion?"




"If we had clean blood we would. Can you sign? Would you sign?"




In numb silence, you do.




Then they say, "Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?"




Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" Can you take his hands and say, "Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never ever let anything happen to you that didn't just have to be. Do you understand that?"




And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've GOT to get started! People all over the world are dying.




Can you leave?"





Can you walk out while he is saying, "Daddy? Mommy? Daddy?





"Why, why have you forsaken me?"





And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son some folks sleep through it ... some folks don't even come because they go to the lake or the seashore ... some folks come with a pretentious smile and just "pretend" to care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DON'T YOU CARE?"





Is that what GOD wants to say? "MY SON DIED FOR YOU. DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?"





"FATHER, Seeing it from YOUR eyes breaks our hearts. Maybe now we can begin to comprehend the great Love YOU have for us."