Friday, November 27, 2009

Strange man

My brother and I met strange and yet I think hurting man today.

He obviously was hurt against the church and thinking that the leaders of churches were power hungry. He went on saying that Zionism was evil and that "Jew" actually meant "unbeliever"...went on to talk about how the Bible is unreliable and he questioned whether Jesus was a real person or though he would like to think He was. He also mentioned how Barabbas the prisoner was not a real person...etc etc and went on and on. He also claimed that he had been reading secular history books which he mentioned a lot.

LOL, we were just dumping a trailer load of rubbish at the tip and he drilled us!

Well, it is hard to talk to people who are hurt like that but I simply challenged him to suggest why all the records he read were accurate?
Such as, he was claiming that Barabbas was not a real person because he was not in Pontius Pilate's records.
How can he say that? Who said Barabbas was not real? The Bible was revealed to be accurate once again in 1962, and that there was actually a Pontius Pilate. Why then should we assume that Barabbas was not real!
Carrying on,
He repeatedly said that all we had was the Bible (as if it was not good evidence for Christ) to support our beliefs about history. During this conversation I am wondering what on earth he was reading? I admit there are not many records outside of the Bible about Barabbas or Jesus (as far as I know) but to say that all we have is the Bible is ignorant.
Tacitus and the Talmud (http://judaism.about.com/od/beliefs/a/jesus.htm) for example mention Jesus. For me the gospels are enough, but to say that it is all made up, even his actual being a "person", I think is far fetched!
If I had his attitude to history as he did to Christianity then I probably would not believe the majority of history. I can be skeptical if I want to be, but then I must be skeptical about my own skeptical thinking.

ARGH, frustrating to talk to hurt people who seem to be against Christianity. I do hope he will come to his senses..I mean what do you say to someone like that? Nothing I can do but pray for him.
However, I can understand him being hurt with other people you look up to and respect, this so often happens with Pastors. Still no excuse though, pastors are people and after being to Bible college and seeing an inside look into a lot of what they have to deal with is eye opening. One preacher sugested that offences are caused by someone not living up to there expectations.
For example: What would you expect from a pastor and what would you think if he didn't meet your standards made for him?
Now, think about people who aren't in leadership...who much would you expect from them?
See, we have levels that we measure people with and it is easy to see how we can get so offended with people that we can possibly idolize.
Don't get me wrong, elders or pastors are to have a high standard as should all christians but I am talking about people forgetting that pastors are people who make mistakes.

Wow, that was little more blurb.

Dan

2 comments:

  1. lo... a 'Switch' in both your thinking And presenting Post... allow me to clarify...

    You refer to "Jesus'... both with regards to Barabbas as being a "real person"... AND, "...that Barabbas was not a real person because he was not in Pontius Pilate's records."

    Nevertheless, "... he questioned whether Jesus was a real person or though he would like to think He was. He also mentioned how Barabbas the prisoner was a real person...

    Whoa. Wait, wait... slow down, Grasshopper...
    Which way is it...?

    I can readily understand one's "hurt" ... even 'anger' and 'disappointment' over being lied to by trusted 'authorities' and 'peers'...

    "Jesus Christ" and "Jesus Barabbas" are very different topics of and for discussion...(so is "hurt")... I can gage "hurt" and anger and disappointment by my own. I also know satisfaction... in knowing the difference.

    "Jesus Barabbas", written in the original Greek 'Holy Gospels' (27:17) according or attributed to Matthew, -but that His name (Jesus) was removed and/or omitted from the Latin translation of the same text and, most of all the subsequent translations thereafter... leaving us latter-day people with only 'Barabbas' instead.

    'Barabbas' is not a proper or surname per se' (anymore so than is "Christ"), -it is an Aramaic appellation, -that is to say that it is what He (Jesus) was called. It means: Bar = Son + Abba = Father (as in 'the Father of us all' or 'God', if you will).

    He [Jesus] Barabbas was "set free" and therefore Not "crucified".

    "Jesus Christ", on the other hand, is a literary construct... 'appearing' as a result of an epiphany in the mind of Saul of Tarsus.

    See http://www.scribd.com/doc/21413753 for further details and elaboration...

    Roland, -a reluctant iconoclast.

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  2. Hey there,

    Whoa. Wait, wait... slow down, Grasshopper...
    Which way is it...?


    Sorry..missed a word.
    I should have said: "he questioned whether Jesus was a real person or though he would like to think He was. He also mentioned how Barabbas the prisoner was not a real person..."

    There fixed.
    I have added a little more at the end of the post expanding on offenses and hurts.

    So are you saying that Barabbas was Jesus? I have heard that before.
    But when I read the gospels they seem to present two very different people.

    cheers

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