The Sermon on the Mount

[mrgorth]

Since there's been some religious acrimony on here as of late, I thought I'd throw out one of the reasons Jesus is cool:

The Beatitudes

1And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:


3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

[Beware the Beast Man]

1. Thank you

People on both sides of the fence just don't get what Jesus taught sometimes: peace, love, tolerance, and forgiveness. Good post. It's soothing.

[Wind Dancer]

8. It is refreshing!

Many don't get it but there are some of us that do!

[kentuck]

2. It could also be called the Creed of the Liberals...

Although liberals would never admit it, we are all Christians in spirit and action and political persuasion. Woe unto those Pharisees! :)

Actually, that is my favorite passage from the Bible.

[PsychoDad]

3. Indeed.

Jesus, or Isa in arabic (May Allah be pleased with him), Is a great prophet. In fact one of the major prophets of Islam.

His teachings taught the universal truth of the oneness of the family of man, and our responsibility toward each other.

[skjpm]

7. Whether Jesus is God, or just knows God very well. . .

we all tend to agree that H/his words reflect what God is like. And even those who don't believe in God find that Jesus calls us to the highest level of humanity.
It might be time to stop trying to figure out what sort of wierd God/prophet/teacher/alien-hybrid Jesus is and just listen to H/him.

[Beware the Beast Man]

4. It's also funny how little things change.

Remember, when Jesus gave his sermon, it was at a time when there was a huge economic disparity in the Holy Land: you were either rich or poor. I'm no theology expert, but I think that in those times, being materially wealthy was believed to be a sign that God had shown favor upon you. To be poor meant to be cursed. Like I said before, funny how little things have changed. Jesus gave hope to the poor, both in wealth and in spirit. I can't deny a message like that.

[H2O Man]

5. Nice!

One of the greatest revolutionary manifestos in human history.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. "Jesus is just all right with me" And you have posted

some of the many reasons why. :^)

Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/liberalchristians.htm

[havocmom]

9. Not Christian in that I do not believe faith in the translations of gospel

over the centuries is the only way to salvation, but I have always considered Jesus as a master/teacher and my bible pages with the Sermon on the Mount are well worn. It is the teachings which guide me, not belief that the teacher was more than any of us can be.

Salvation? I'll take personal responsibility/good works as the ticket and leave testimony, confession, very visible (and audible) prayer to those for whom it comforts. Personally, I have had too many bad experiences with individuals who do one thing (harm others and deny responsibility) say another (that they never do bad things) and think they get off because they believe they are forgiven and that assures their trip to heaven. I think the godhead requires more effort than just that sort of faith.

Sermon on the Mount is a beautiful philosophy and brings me great comfort and hope.

[Cheswick2.0]

10. one of my favorite teachings of Christ is

Father
Though we can not see you or completely understand you, we aknowledge that you are everywhere and greater than any of us individually.

Help us to live as brothers and sisters in the light of our shared existance and conciousness, and as you have taught us. Help us to make this world a paradise like we imagine Heaven to be.

We ask only for enough to eat and for your unconditional love. In exchange we will try to love each other in peace and understanding as well.

Lead us away from those things that tempt us to debase ourselves and each other. Give us the strength to resist the things which cause us to hate each other.

For you are in us an around us, you connect us and it will always be so.

[Az]

12. Can you explain

what this passage means to you. I would enjoy hearing your interpretation of it. :)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

15. where is this in scripture?

or should I be looking outside the Canon to find it?

theProdigal

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. I've never seen this in the Protestant-approved Bibles I've read

You may need to look into some other unapproved writings for that one.

(Doesn't mean He never said it or something similar. Just means that the Bible has been vetted by so many people of the centuries, who knows what priceless words were left out?)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

17. i agree

lots of other stuff out there that has been attributed to Him. Get to read some of it...just wondering where you found this one.

theProdigal

[Cheswick2.0]

19. It is my translation

It's pretty easy to figure out actually.

[carols]

22. Lord's prayer?

Nice translation!
Carol

[Cheswick2.0]

23. Yup

And thanks, I don't think anyone will be putting it in a new version of the bible but it is what I think the prayer means.

[supernova]

24. The Lord's Prayer?

Now that I look at it.

Thanks for posting The Beatitudes. It's a great reminder of what xtianity is supposed to be about.

[ThoughtCriminal]

11. Public Prayer

Matthew 6:5

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "

[Cheswick2.0]

20. Matthew 5 vrs 14 ->16

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

[checks-n-balances]

13. Thanks for posting. Anyone familiar with Jesus' "Sermon on the Plain"?

It's lesser known, because it's more pointed & clear. Found in sixth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Matthew tended to "spiritualize" the message, and Luke is more graphic ("Blessed are the poor" instead of "Blessed are the poor in spirit). Both are wonderful messages, but the second is harder to follow...

If Jesus is the standard for secular & religious (because, as some say, he reflected the truest nature of God), then we all come up short, don't we? And if we who say we're Christian aren't following him, then we deserve to be criticized when we say we aren't. (In my reading of scripture, Jesus reserved HIS sharpest criticism for religious HYPOCRISY.)

Religion doesn't have to divide us if we use our minds (God-given?) instead of just our emotions. Nobody needs to be defensive, and again, if any religion around here is getting criticized, it's the RW distortions of Christianity.

[kentuck]

14. Luke's is the best !

:)

[Alerter_]

18. kick

!

[indigobusiness]

21. All wisdom is cool.

The acrimony stems from the distortions and idolatry, it seems to me.