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non violence is good right?

AdeamusAdeamus
edited December 2005 in Faith & Religion
I do not know much about christianity...i know a little about jesus...i think i know enough to say the following...

jesus was all for non violence and peace.

ok...well, the most visible christians, the leaders of the USA, seem to be all for war and vengeance...

are there groups of christians that are actively campainging for peace? that are speaking out agains the war?

i would like to think that at least a portion of the people who have accepted jesus as their savior, would agree with a key concept....

i try to stay away from all media because it usually only depresses me...so there are many areas in which i am exceptionally ignorant...this may be one...

Comments

  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited December 2005
    Adeamus wrote:
    I do not know much about christianity...i know a little about jesus...i think i know enough to say the following...

    jesus was all for non violence and peace.

    ok...well, the most visible christians, the leaders of the USA, seem to be all for war and vengeance...

    are there groups of christians that are actively campainging for peace? that are speaking out agains the war?

    i would like to think that at least a portion of the people who have accepted jesus as their savior, would agree with a key concept....

    i try to stay away from all media because it usually only depresses me...so there are many areas in which i am exceptionally ignorant...this may be one...

    You may want to investigate the Religious Society of Friends ("Quakers").
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited December 2005
    You may also want to read the part in the Bible about the hissy Jesus had at the temple with the money lenders...

    -bf
  • AdeamusAdeamus
    edited December 2005
    thanks

    that is somewhat comforting :)
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited December 2005
    Adeamus,

    Christianity, due to various interpretations, is a very uneasy bridge to tread with many Christians.

    The Bible allows for people to flip-flop back and forth between the Old Testament and the New Testament very easily.

    So, even though Jesus was the latter part of the Bible's teachings (which dealt with grace, love, compassion, etc) - people still also find it very easy to go back to the Old Testament and preach"eye for an eye", "righteous anger", the killing of armies or people or children, etc.

    It just depends on what people want to do - and then they will find scripture to support their own selfish intentions.

    Really quite slick if you think about it - you can find a scripture to promote just about anything you want to do.

    -bf
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited December 2005
    Adeamus, I don't believe there are any sutras that are self-contradictory.... and the simplicity of Buddhism is that it leaves the onus - and the responsibility - very much on the shoulders of the practitioner/seeker. Therefore, in any Thought, Word or Deed, one is encouraged, strongly, to really consider not only the action but the consequence. And it bears mentioning that consequences include 'The Bigger Picture'... ie, the things that may well result further down the line...
    This is where Universal Compassion and unconditional Love are such compatible 'Bed-fellows' and where asking for forgiveness durinhg confession, and wanting absolution from an unseen deity, is an argument fraught with dirty great big holes....

    My POV, anyway....
  • AdeamusAdeamus
    edited December 2005
    frightening...i have clung to ignorance for a long time...desperately trying to avoid social awareness. i really had a difficult time dealing with life in the united states. it was a major motivation for me leaving. i live in shanghai now, and i do NOT regret the move.

    anyway..on a slightly related topic that i am afraid will probably cause a lot of trouble...i have been doing a lot of writing and i am always doing research for new stories. one of my story ideas required me to dig a little into different belief systems. these google searches led me to some Satan worshipping sites (namely the church of satan) and some hardcore christian sites...

    i am a pacifist and find truth in the teachings of buddha (if i am not a buddhist right now) and i found that my believes and feelings were aligned more often with church of satan then in that of the christian sites...that scared me (i will qualify this by saying that many of the christian sites i saw may have represented obscure minorities in the religion, i do not know...)...

    but whatever...it is late in shanghai...so i probablystopped making sense a while back...

    :)

    (i am compelled to edit this for fear that i am misunderstood...if you dare go to the church of satan website and read the FAQ..you may be surprised by some of the answers...i was....i had an image of everyone reading this post and then locking their doors, or hidng their children behind their back and quickly adding me to ignore list....but i have an active imagination..and like i said..it is late in shanghai)
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited December 2005
    We do have a thread on satanism, so don't worry, it's not an issue with us... hang on, I'll find it for you....
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited December 2005
    There you go.... see what some of our members had to say on it....
    :)

    http://www.newbuddhist.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96
  • AdeamusAdeamus
    edited December 2005
    whew...
    i feel better..thanks federica...

    forget what i said in the last post..i can't even find the FAQ..but whoever answered the questions...(their founder i believe) had some very good answers...

    i am certainly not signing up for a newsletter...but it was to make a point..anyway...

    thanks :)
  • AdeamusAdeamus
    edited December 2005
    oops...wrong website..it is REAL important to go to the FIRST church of satanism...much less radical...

    here is link, just in case i made anyone curious

    http://www.churchofsatan.org/faq.html

    hey...even Luke had to go in the cave and confront the dark side, and he turned out ok.
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