Be More Like Jesus…?

The first comment isn’t the only one that doesn’t make sense… Does anyone understand what “Brenda” is trying to say in hers???

*sigh* I’ve heard way too much of this stuff. Whether Gary is one or not, it’s the sort of phrase southern baptists really like; I think they think it’s profound or poetic to say things like that. He also said ‘I didn’t get the joke’.

Actually, we were crucified with Him and buried with Him, then we were raised to life in Him. Until we reckon this to be true, then it is impossible to live in the victory we already possess in Him.

Many evangelicals believe that they can cast their suffering off on Jesus to take in their place. They believe that Jesus walks with them in all phases of life and then in death. Then they rise with Jesus after they die to everlasting bliss in heaven. They also believe that if you don’t believe this, then you will suffer on your own, die on our own, then burn in ever lasting torment in Hell. They also believe that Jesus will do all sorts of little favors for you if you pray to him. It is a theology of getting something for nothing.

The following is one of my favorite Naked Pastor posts.
10 Pieces of Advice for Ministry Candidates

Wow. This guy is in serious pain. I’ve got to admire the honesty of someone who can put it all out there like that and laugh about it.

I may have to make the trip to Rothesay one of these days (an hour and a half away)and buy nakedpastor a beer. Or six.

I’ve been following his blog for a while now, just because he’s local. (I’m in Saint John) He seems like a pretty cool guy. If I ever get the chance to hang out with him, I’ll buy him a beer for you.

I refuse to even acknoweldge the God of Abraham.

Any God who asks his followers to slit a child’s throat and then offers his own son willingly and knowingly to the most horrendous of torture is not the kind of God I would follow, even if I was religious.

Jesus was a failure three times: he failed to save palestine from Roman oppression, he failed to keep his disciples loyal, and even when he died, he failed to live up to the Bible’s promise of returning again within a generation–much to the chagrin of all the jews that died in the Uprising of 66 ad.

Gary Kirkham July 7, 2009 at 9:13 am

Actually, we were crucified with Him and buried with Him, then we were raised to life in Him. Until we reckon this to be true, then it is impossible to live in the victory we already posess in Him.

Gary

Sounds like a verbose way of saying, “Doubt is a bad thing.”

I like this one

I had an experience this week where I felt a fraction of what Christ must have felt when beaten down and questioned and called names. I was not crucified. But for a moment I felt quite rejected and stabbed and alone–all because I cannot dismiss God as a real entity, Christ as my savior, and faith as a part of who I am.

And so I listened to Fall Out Boy and felt better…

You know, it’s easy to get confused, and maybe even poke fun, wondering what they’re talking about. But they’re trying to work their way, and help each other through all that metaphysical stuff, which can require some significant mental gymnastics. They’re trying to balance their spiritual/theological side with how they orient themselves to the secular world.

I can empathize; trying to balance my rational atheist side with something that passes for a spiritual side. Every once in a while, I get that deer-in-headlights, talking-like-a-fortune-cookie kind of state too. You just gotta roll with it; If you’re lucky, you might get some insight out of it. The trick is to pick the insight out from all the crap.

I discovered that the easiest way to avoid all the cognitive dissonance and mental gymnastics is to not believe in fairy tails, and when a story conflicts with evidence, drop the story and go with the evidence.

It has simplified life immensely, even though it has greatly increased my research time.

I have to agree. I recognize spirituality as something that’s firmly rooted in psychology. As such, I can separate the perception of a thing from the thing itself. While I have nothing against a spiritual lifestyle, I think it’s important to maintain a firm root in reality without getting too attached to the metaphors. From what I’ve seen of Nakedpastor himself, he seems to be struggling lately with a similar understanding. His audience might be a different story.

But what to do when someone else has difficulty making that distinction? I don’t believe that mocking them is beneficial to them or to us.

I think you are thinking to hard.
If you are raised in a church you are taught to accept; not to understand.
Thinking and trying to understand is what makes people turn away from religion.
To paraphrase a bible quote: “walk a mile in there shoes” – to understand blind faith vs. reason don’t think.
I may have confused the issue….