It wasn't just a matter of memorizing the ten commandments or saying the rosary, it was more complicated. Jesus lived in a world with dynamics and I wanted to understand the impacts of him and on him of the world he lived in.
This is a map of "The Levant" in case anyone wanted to know. It is a geographical reference. There is always unrest in that small patch of land.
My upbringing was Roman Catholic. I'll tell you how devout my father was; he got married on the Feast Day of St. Thomas. My father's first name was Thomas. His family was very Catholic.
From an early age I rejected that intense focus on religion. I would take fainting spells in church for as emotional it was to me. He was a great provider and a doting father, but, obviously his devotions got in the way of a sincerely close relationship.
But, to me when teachers talked about the saints and the like, they were real people. I always considered them real and not imaginary or too holy to consider their lives and how they lived them.
Growing up and putting religious teachings into perspective was easy. When I was a student in primary and secondary school, history was mandatory in every grade. So, when I learned about Jesus, he lived. He lived in the history I learned about.
He was a martyr. He believed in his thoughts and he liked to bring change to the lives of others. He accepted people as they were and sought to bring them a new spiritual awareness that would increase the dignity of their lives.
Spirituality is what makes everyday a day for living. Spirituality can take many forms and to that end there are many ways of thinking, creating values and living. Jesus provided a new spirituality to people and they bonded with it. It was probably very romantic and he obviously charismatic.
Spirituality is powerful and the devotion the followers of Jesus carried with them proved to be powerful enough to draw an army from far, far away into a foreign land to control the people motivated away from admiring the Roman Emperor.
I wanted to take time to put a perspective on this mixture of god and religion with government and politics the USA has gone through over the past decade. It isn't healthy to focus on a particular form of spirituality as if it is the only words a government speaks in relation to religion. Religion in the First World is not governing. Religion can govern. It has rules. But, for a country with many nations of people within it's borders to carry forward any form of religion as if a national priority is simply wrong. I find the decisions of the Robert's Court heavily tainted with religious bias. I don't believe it is a healthy court for the country.
So, there you have it. I don't think of religion as political. It really isn't. Religions have doctrines. The only time they are political is when government spending is linked to it. That is the power of government to move a nation's priorities. The taxes we pay are for the improvement of our country, the education of our children and in support of a court system that provides the individual with justice. When the USA spends it's money biased to faith and other doctrine besides our constitution the country won't survive. When the USA bends toward faith it is ostracizing the values of other citizens not so inclined and in that insults the dignity and integrity of their lives. It plays out in social situations that are dangerous.
I guess the take away from all this is: When politicians quote scripture they are most probably using it as one liners to motivate a political understanding. My understanding of the Bible is that the words, sentences and paragraphs were never meant for one liners, they were meant for understanding. I can't image any author of any book of the Bible feeling proud of the use of their words for a political byline.
Jesus wanted to change people's lives for the better. He never entered into war regardless of the chronic upheaval and wars that surrounded him. He was a man of peace. I think he liked luxury and the facility that provided it. Luxury was comfort and comfort is what provides the ability to learn. It was not unusual for any society to find comfort and begin their endeavors into philosophy. That reality spans every empire or nation that has existed.
Jesus, to my way of thinking, was a fairly clever man who espoused his ideas and principles to those around him and out of that grew a new direction for spirituality. His friends, family and those in a very tight circle were his most devoted followers. Interesting. Out of a group of religiously drenched people came a new spirituality that burgeoned a new Roman Empire east of Italy. Powerful.
Jesus' life was a turning point for him, those that most loved him and the world he lived in. He was a king maker. He was a revolutionary. He was a civil rights leader. He lived and died for what he believed and wanted for the world. It happened. It didn't happen in his life, but, it happened in the span of what would have been a normal life span. He was a radical and people loved it. He changed the world and over 2000 years later the values he taught survive.
When his power is put into context and the full weight of his life is measured, he is by far the most intense movement that carried forward from a birth in a stable. It is nothing to play with and is sure doesn't belong on a political stage.
My upbringing was Roman Catholic. I'll tell you how devout my father was; he got married on the Feast Day of St. Thomas. My father's first name was Thomas. His family was very Catholic.
From an early age I rejected that intense focus on religion. I would take fainting spells in church for as emotional it was to me. He was a great provider and a doting father, but, obviously his devotions got in the way of a sincerely close relationship.
But, to me when teachers talked about the saints and the like, they were real people. I always considered them real and not imaginary or too holy to consider their lives and how they lived them.
Growing up and putting religious teachings into perspective was easy. When I was a student in primary and secondary school, history was mandatory in every grade. So, when I learned about Jesus, he lived. He lived in the history I learned about.
He was a martyr. He believed in his thoughts and he liked to bring change to the lives of others. He accepted people as they were and sought to bring them a new spiritual awareness that would increase the dignity of their lives.
Spirituality is what makes everyday a day for living. Spirituality can take many forms and to that end there are many ways of thinking, creating values and living. Jesus provided a new spirituality to people and they bonded with it. It was probably very romantic and he obviously charismatic.
Spirituality is powerful and the devotion the followers of Jesus carried with them proved to be powerful enough to draw an army from far, far away into a foreign land to control the people motivated away from admiring the Roman Emperor.
I wanted to take time to put a perspective on this mixture of god and religion with government and politics the USA has gone through over the past decade. It isn't healthy to focus on a particular form of spirituality as if it is the only words a government speaks in relation to religion. Religion in the First World is not governing. Religion can govern. It has rules. But, for a country with many nations of people within it's borders to carry forward any form of religion as if a national priority is simply wrong. I find the decisions of the Robert's Court heavily tainted with religious bias. I don't believe it is a healthy court for the country.
So, there you have it. I don't think of religion as political. It really isn't. Religions have doctrines. The only time they are political is when government spending is linked to it. That is the power of government to move a nation's priorities. The taxes we pay are for the improvement of our country, the education of our children and in support of a court system that provides the individual with justice. When the USA spends it's money biased to faith and other doctrine besides our constitution the country won't survive. When the USA bends toward faith it is ostracizing the values of other citizens not so inclined and in that insults the dignity and integrity of their lives. It plays out in social situations that are dangerous.
I guess the take away from all this is: When politicians quote scripture they are most probably using it as one liners to motivate a political understanding. My understanding of the Bible is that the words, sentences and paragraphs were never meant for one liners, they were meant for understanding. I can't image any author of any book of the Bible feeling proud of the use of their words for a political byline.
Jesus wanted to change people's lives for the better. He never entered into war regardless of the chronic upheaval and wars that surrounded him. He was a man of peace. I think he liked luxury and the facility that provided it. Luxury was comfort and comfort is what provides the ability to learn. It was not unusual for any society to find comfort and begin their endeavors into philosophy. That reality spans every empire or nation that has existed.
Jesus, to my way of thinking, was a fairly clever man who espoused his ideas and principles to those around him and out of that grew a new direction for spirituality. His friends, family and those in a very tight circle were his most devoted followers. Interesting. Out of a group of religiously drenched people came a new spirituality that burgeoned a new Roman Empire east of Italy. Powerful.
Jesus' life was a turning point for him, those that most loved him and the world he lived in. He was a king maker. He was a revolutionary. He was a civil rights leader. He lived and died for what he believed and wanted for the world. It happened. It didn't happen in his life, but, it happened in the span of what would have been a normal life span. He was a radical and people loved it. He changed the world and over 2000 years later the values he taught survive.
When his power is put into context and the full weight of his life is measured, he is by far the most intense movement that carried forward from a birth in a stable. It is nothing to play with and is sure doesn't belong on a political stage.
