Why Jesus Would Have Hated Most Modern Day Religion
Jesus would not be a “Bible believer,” as we use that term in the post Billy Graham era of American fundamentalist religiosity.
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May 15, 2014 |
The following is an excerpt from Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God: How to Give Love, Create Beauty and Find Peace by Frank Schaeffer. Click here to buy a copy.

A leper came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” If Jesus had been a good religious Jew, he would have said, “Be healed,” and just walked away. Instead, he stretched out his hand and touched the leper, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean,” even though he was breaking the specific rules of Leviticus. Two chapters teach that anyone touching a person with leprosy is contaminated.

Jesus certainly was not a “Bible believer,” as we use that term in the post Billy Graham era of American fundamentalist religiosity that’s used as a trade-marked product to sell religion. Jesus didn’t take the Jewish scriptures at face value. In fundamentalist terms, Jesus was a rule-breaking relativist who wasn’t even “saved,” according to evangelical standards. Evangelicals insist that you have to believe very specific interpretations of the Bible to be saved. Jesus didn’t. He undercut the scriptures.

The stories about Jesus that survived the bigots, opportunists and delusional fanatics who wrote the New Testament contain powerful and enlightened truths that would someday prove the undoing of the Church built in his name. Like a futurist vindicated by events as yet undreamed, Jesus’ message of love was far more powerful than the magical thinking of the writers of the book he’s trapped in. In Jesus’ day the institutions of religion, state, misogyny and myth were so deeply ingrained that the ultimate dangerousness of his life example could not be imagined. For example his feminism, probably viewed as an eccentricity in his day, would prove transformational.

Jesus believed in God rather than in a book about God. The message of Jesus’ life is an intervention in and an acceleration of the evolution of empathy. Consider this story from the book of Matthew: “A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.”

Jesus recognized a bleeding woman touching him as a sign of her faith. By complimenting rather than rebuking her, Jesus ignored another of his scripture’s rules: “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time her [period], or if she has a discharge beyond the time, all the days of her discharge she shall continue in uncleanness... Every bed on which she lies during all the days of her discharge shall be treated as [unclean]… Everything on which she sits shall be unclean … Whoever touches these things shall be unclean” (Leviticus 15:25).

Jesus’ un-first-century antics went beyond coddling lepers and welcoming the touch of a bleeding woman. He held a dead girl’s hand, violating explicit commands: “He shall not go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother” (Leviticus 21:11) and “Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him” (Numbers 19:13).

As an ultimate **** you to rule-keeping scripture zealots everywhere, Jesus hung out with whores. Embracing whores was a double rebuke to the Jewish scripture-thumpers because it put Jesus on the side of the pagan, prostitute-condoning Roman occupiers and made him a traitor in the culture wars of the day. Yet, the anointing of Jesus by a prostitute is one of the few events reported in all four gospels. As Jesus blessed and defended her, Matthew’s gospel says the disciples “were indignant” while Luke describes the woman who did the anointing as “a woman in that town who lived a sinful life,” which is a coded phrase for a filthy hooker who is certainly not one of us.

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Jesus was neither religious or a jew. And leprosy wouldn't effect Jesus if he did not allow it to, what in the world?



He didn't "undercut" anything. He wasn't a bible believer? Most to all of it is about him, starting in genesis. No Jesus wasn't breaking any rules, they are his rules, he was here to fulfill one set of rules/covenant and give us another. He didn't break one commandment.

Jesus isn't under the covenant, he's not bound by any rules/laws. He is God he can do what ever he wishes or wished to do. Of course he wasn't following old testament/covenant laws, he was here fulfilling them making them null and giving us a new set of laws.

I am done with this thread for now, when you wish to come back and have a discussion rather then just copy/paste an article from somewhere I'd be more then happy to discuss with you.

Yahshua did not make anything null and void. The sacrafices are not their because of his sacrifice. still was not made null and void according to acts 21 Paul entering the temple. their has not been a Temple since around 67 ad. u twist scriptures. Yahweh said he is the same yesterday today and tomorrow and when Yahshua comes back as Zech 14 says the Law will be kept

Matthew 5:17
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

When something is fulfilled, it then becomes null and void, it no longer has any power because it has been just that, fulfilled, completed, finished. And the sacrifices are not there because sacrifices were of the old covenant and not included in the new covenant Jesus made with us. And yes Yahshua is the same today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow. But that has absolutely nothing to do with one covenant being fulfilled and us receiving a new covenant in it's place. That's not "change" as they are prophesied to work in such a way.

was the 10 commandments part of the law? He fulfilled it?

Has all been fulfilled?

Matt 5:17-20

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill . 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
NKJV

has Pentecost been Fulfilled ?

Has all been fulfilled? He did not say he fulfilled all did he?

Everything from the old covenant, including but not limited to sacrificial laws.

Then what you r saying is Yahweh is not the same yesterday today and tomorrow.

The 10 commandments r of no use then.. Name me what Yahshua did bring?

But God did not change, it was professed in the old testament/covenant that it would come to an end after certain prophecies were fulfilled, just as the new testament/covenant has. The 10 commandments in questions that was given to Moses on the tablets, yes are fulfilled. BUT, funny thing lol is you can find all the 10 commandments throughout Jesus' teachings. The biggest difference and about the only one between old and new covenant is sacrificial laws or the lack thereof along with judging and so forth, they would all relatively be connected.

Lets just take this one of the last things Yahshua did and said about Passover..


Luke 22:15-18
15 Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
NKJV


How do you see this verse about Yahshua saying he will not eat the Passover until it is ( Passover) is fulfilled in the Kingdom of Yahweh.

Did Yahshua fulfill the Passover?

He didn't specifically "fulfill" the Passover. You have to keep in mind what the Passover is. The Passover is a Jewish holiday only, celebrating when God liberated them from slavery of the Egyptians. It's not a what would you say, a general holiday/celebration. There's nothing to fulfill necessarily with the Passover. Please stay on track my friend and not get things out in left field. The Passover isn't a law, and that's where the context was referring to. So again I ask you my friend, please keep the discussion in context.

Yahshua came because the religion authority had made the commandments of men more than the commandments of Yahweh. U pick and choose what is fulfilled and what is not. Hebrews says what was changed. The Apostles kept all the law. They told new converts in acts to go to the synagogues to learn. Their was no NT. You keep saying the commandments of men. The traditions of Men. Yahshua kept neither. Yet he is our example. He keeps the Law yet the Law is not our example. You choose tithing. not in the NT. Pentecost is OT. 10 commandments OT. and the Apostles kept the Law. Your preachers tell u from a young age. Christmas is Holy, Easter is Hold , Sunday is Holy yet no where does the Bible say these are Holy. These are traditions of men to keep you in the dark. open your eyes.. If you fulfill a order at a factory does that mean the factory is shut down? If your father says d not smoke do you Honor him by smoking? it's satans ministers of Light that hold you down. Blind your eyes. If the NT is all we need throw the OT out. make it say what u want it to. well that's why their are 1000's of different Christian beliefs. all saying they are right. I studied electronics. Ohms Law is in everything. If I through our Ohm Law then all electronics would go away. Just as the scriptures have

Jesus didn't come for any religion or about any religion, lost me there my friend. And those were not specifically the reason(s) he came, he came because it was foretold he would come. He came because it was his plan to come. I do not pick and choose what is fulfilled or not. ANYTHING in the old law/old covenant is fulfilled, completed, finished. Of course there was no NT, the NT was still in the writing at that time. You have to also keep in mind, the NT is mainly epistles written for this reason or that reason. It's not like they were sitting there writing out the entire bible. The bible is a COLLECTION of different epistles written by the apostles to this king or that king, for this reason or that reason. I spoke of nor speak of any of man's traditions. And Yashua/Jesus did keep them, he kept them to the dot. He had not one fault, not one sin.



Genesis 2:3
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

And what does it matter if we weren't told to celebrate Christmas, Jesus' birth? We don't celebrate because we have to, we celebrate because we're doing just that. Celebrating the birth of our savior.



The old testament is kept for knowledge of the past. Of how/why things are ran the way they are now, that's all. We are no longer under that covenant, but is kept for history and knowledge.

that's fine.

Not one iota of the Law will change until all is accomplished and the Kingdom of g-d come and as Luke says the Kingdom of g-d is within you

Exactly, in the covenant we are under now. Find a verse like the from the old covenant/testament then there would be a problem.

Meaning the covenant we are under now will be the covenant we will be under by the time the Kingdom of God comes.

Mal 4:1-6
4:1 "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. 3 Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty.

4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."
NIV

Call me dumb, but what connection do those verses have with what's being talked about?

Its Prophecy of the forerunner that would come before Yahshua comes back. The Law of Moses and the EliYah message both that have been done away by new testementers.

. Find a verse like the from the old covenant/testament then there would be a problem.

These are verses about what would happen before Yahshua's return. Nothing would change. the message of the 2 witnesses as they fulfill prophecy

And exactly why would there or could there be a prophecy of something that happens after another prophecy? What gives you the idea it's about someone after Jesus? When in fact when this prophecy was made Jesus hadn't even come the first time yet.

thiers why u need to study.