Correcting Two Common Christian Beliefs
In this article, I correct two common Christian beliefs.
1. That Christians follow the Bible
2. That Jesus led a blameless life and had only good teachings.
1. That Christians follow the Bible
Christians do not follow what the Bible says. Rather, Christians follow what their pastors (priests, ministers, etc.) tell them the Bible says. Here are some instances.
a) Jesus clearly condemns taking oaths. “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Most Christians will swear an oath in court, when assuming political office, when joining the armed forces, or when becoming a citizen.
b) The Bible says a talking serpent spoke to Eve. Pastors and priests say the serpent is really Satan, so hardly any Christians believe it was really a serpent. Given a choice between what the Bible actually says and what their pastor says, most Christians believe their pastor.
c) Jesus says, “And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.” Most Christians don’t believe Jesus meant what he said, so they call their dad “father.”
2. That Jesus led a blameless life and had only good teachings.
Jesus did not lead a blameless life and some of the teachings of Jesus are evil.
Jesus did not lead a blameless life.
a) When he was twelve, Jesus and his parents when to Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus stayed behind without telling his parents. When Mary and Joseph noticed he was missing, they returned to Jerusalem and spent three anxious days searching for him. When they finally found him, Mary said, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Jesus might have said, “Mom and Dad, I’ll be staying behind in Jerusalem for a few days. I’ll see you soon, so don’t worry. Love you.” But he didn’t.
b) At a wedding feast, Mary informs Jesus the hosts have run out of wine. “Woman, what have I to do with thee?” responds Jesus. That’s a harsh way to address your mother.
c) Jesus said not to call your dad “father.” He calls Mary “woman” when “mother” would be the loving thing to do. Later, as he’s being crucified, he again calls his mother “woman” as recounted “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” There is no place in the Bible where Jesus addresses Mary as “mother.”
d) Jesus sees a fig tree and goes to eat, but the tree has no figs. So, Jesus curses the tree and the tree withers. Jesus curses and withers the fig tree during the time of the year when fig trees do not yet bear figs!
Some of the teachings of Jesus are evil.
a) A child that curses a parent must be put to death. That teaching appears twice in the Old Testament. Jesus cites that teaching with approval. “Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!’ Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’” A horrific teaching.
b) Jesus praises the man who self-castrates. “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."
c) Jesus claims “I and my Father are one” which makes Jesus fully responsible for all the barbaric Old Testament teachings about killing witches, keeping slaves, murdering all the Amalekites and “everything that breathes” (Amalekite elderly, children, infants, cattle, dogs and cats).
The ancient Roman Empire made Christianity its official religion. It changed the Jewish name of its central character from “Yeshua” to “Jesus,” which is a Roman name like Brutus, Gaius Cassius, Longinus, Marcus, Aurelius, etc. And the Empire changed the supposedly sacred Saturday sabbath ordained by God to Sunday. Christianity, like other organized religions, is a man-made creation.
For someone who wants to prosper in the world, accepting the predominate religion makes sense. For someone who really believes in God and wants to get closer to God, looking for the truth rather than accepting man-made fantasies makes sense.