WWJD?

Thanks, Steve, Chris and Paul.

Steve: I like your take on interpreting the work/words of Jesus. It seems very pragmatic and reasonable. I wouldn't be surprised to find a creator to have a similar view of his creation. I mean, if there is anything wrong with us, who does he have to blame but himself? I think we nonbelievers sometimes find pleasure in imagining God to be some inflexible Tyrant of Love dishing out wrath and reward with cool efficiency. Maybe he is more laid-back. Looking upon us he might think, "Hmm, Steve handled that pretty well", or "Oof, bad move Steve, c'mon man WWJD?". Still, as much as I appreciate this interpretation, I wonder, do you then feel it necessary to go to church, choose a denomination, have communion, or take part in these constructs of organized religion? Do you think practice necessary? Or, more importantly, do you feel a significant brotherhood or empathy to those who do practice? As for faith and deeds, Jesus says a lot about both. From what I gather, faith seems to be first, and deeds are supposed to come naturally, and to be unsung. I think those trumpeted deeds have something to do with the ills Chris is talking about. Finally, I wonder what your thoughts are about the modification of the bible over time.

Chris: I feel your pain, brother. Catch me on a bad day, and I'd say that anyone religious is insane. However, we know it's not true. There can be little doubt that the practice of religion is a human characteristic. Most all of us do it. As for the contradictions resulting from belief in an all-loving omnipotent creator, we could list them all day. However, the same goes for any system of beliefs, right? Add some laws, and you have one big fucked-up minority-screwing mess. -Such is the nature of systems. However, Chris, I do know you to be a frequent practicer of unsung altruistic deeds. Maybe moreso than the lot of us. I wonder, why do you do them?

Paul: I believe you are right about the Golden Rule. I think we as a society justify most of our punishments that way. No doubt, punishment has purpose. Still, Jesus has a strange take on punishment. I can't recall him ever endorsing it. In fact, I think he kind of says that punishment hurts the punisher, and that's why it should be avoided. Yet, that seems extremely unrealistic. I haven't read the Koran. However, I've read some Islamic history, and I have harbored similar feelings. It blows me away that Mohammed was both a political and military leader. That is so fucking different from Jesus. I mean, we can always throw Jesus in the face of Christains who want to go to war. However, you can't really say the same for Muslims. War is part of their religious history. Furthermore, Jesus said, "Render unto Cesaer the things that are Cesaer's, and unto God the things that are God's". That's an endorsement of the separation between church and state. Not so much for Mohammed. -I think GW missed that.

Like Paul said, this could go on forever. Basically, I just wanted to know how believer's resolve faith, organized religion, and confusing divine advice. And, to the point, when/why/how do they choose one over the other to make decisions in everyday life.