The words of rabbis certainly don't carry more weight than the proclaimed words of the Prophets.
Actually, for Talmudic Jews, the Talmud is more important than the Torah. Most of the Israeli settlers are Talmudic Jews.
All Rabbis are schooled in Talmud, so it does carry a lot of weight because the belief is that one cannot understand the Torah without the Talmud teachings.
The Kabbalah has a mixed acceptance within the Jewish Faith. This is because there was a Kabbalist who was deemed to be the long awaited Messiah. However, he was captured by the Sultan and offered his life or conversion to Muslim Islam. He and five of his followers converted and many Jewish folks blamed Kabbalah. Shortly after this the Kabbalah was, once again, only taught to the select few.
Only recently has it come to be "Kabbalah for all" and even that isn't the entire teaching. Many Rabbis aren't happy about this new Kabbalah resurgence.
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ... We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of." Edward Bernays, Father of Public Relations
The New Testament is the teachings of Paul, not Jesus. You'd have to dig up Essene teachings in order to find out what Jesus would have taught.
Basically, their teachings promote non-violence, prohibit the consumption of animal flesh, and involve spiritual work and meditation.
Google should help you find what you're looking for.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
If you look, there is an abundance of evidence that the New Testament was not written by the original apostles, and/or rewritten using some of the original documents as a guide.
Have you ever heard of the Council of Nicea? It occured in 325 AD, quite some time after Jesus died. That is where the NT texts were actually written.
As far as Paul, his teachings differ from what Jesus would have taught, and the rest of the NT follow HIS teachings not that of the historical Jesus, since Jesus would have taught Nazarene doctrine, which were in many ways opposite that taught by Paul who had never even met Jesus.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
You don't have a clue. Lie after lie is all you know because you follow your father the devil. That's why you defend the devil worshiping Jews.
If you want to know who's lying here Ricky, just follow the link to how the New Testament came about.
I'm sure it's not the story your pastor will give you, if he even talks about it all.
The article I linked is based upon mountains of historical evidence, indisputable evidence in fact.
Did you know that the earliest known form of the New Testament, the Sinai Bible, is drastically different from later editions?
You base your life on lies, then have the audacity to call someone who is trying to steer people away from pure hatred a liar.
If anything, it is your own belief system that is of the devil.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
And oh yeah, supposedly your man god called that Jewish god his father.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
What it comes down to is that most religions on earth have been responsible for the suffering and misery that have plagued Mankind since the dawn of civilization.
It is has been a tool for the elite to control the masses of people over the eons of time, and serves its purpose to this day quite well.
No proof of anything is needed, just a guy with a pedestal to preach from and a stack of paper and ink in his hands written by authors who were told to create what they created by the king, emperor, or pope. It most certainly wasn't "God" who influenced them.
Hell, some have even made stuff up themselves out of thin air to suit whatever purpose matched their own personal agendas.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
I'm not even sure if all of the Essene stuff is true, it just would seem that a lot of it probably is.
In terms of what actual history reveals, have you read the link in post #97?
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
What it all comes down to is that ALL religions are corrupt, and all point fingers at each other as to who is evil.
They are ALL evil for the most part.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Christ however is not a religion. To follow him is not a religion.
It is, since he more than likely never existed.
In fact, even if he did, God wouldn't need to embody himself into a man and die on the cross to make a point.
He could just speak from the clouds if He wanted to.
In fact, it's against the 10 Commandments to worship an idol or false god. I guess that's why "christians" wish to condemn Judaism as satanic, since to obey the 10 Commandments would mean to stop worshipping Jesus.
It depends if you want to remove Jesus from the origins of the faith and claim all that counts is what he said, even though what "he said" was fabricated by those at the Council of Nicea and appended, changed, modified, and otherwise spun for the next 1000 years before ever making it into an English bible.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
I know so very few people that simply follow Christ in the ultimate of simplicity that it is, and none that walk into church doors on Sundays.
If anything I'd take the Essene side of the story, since if Jesus DID exist, he WOULD have been an Essene due to not only his place of birth, but the fact that there are historical claims that he WAS an Essene, they really did exist, and they were a peaceful and spiritual people.
I have not heard of ONE war they were involved in. In fact, most if not all of the original Essenes were wiped out by Rome due to their failure to defend themselves through violence.
Like you said, I haven't seen too many people like that walking around these days.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
The research the man did and the references to respected sources cannot be denied.
Have you looked up anything he listed as evidence, such as the Sinai Bible, or the actual historical references to the Council of Nicea?
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
I also don't think that you're aware of the history of the Council of Nicea as it relates to Christ? I don't see much to link the two frankly
Two words.
Hesus Krishna
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
I don't have "a site". Which link are you referring to?
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
You then have absolutely no frame of reference for God.
The existence of that which is God doesn't depend on the existence of any man.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
I see misery and suffering caused by BOTH the Jewish and Christian religions, as well as that caused by the Islamic religion.
I'd say the Christians have on a whole caused more suffering than the Jews have, when you consider the various Inquisitions, witch trials, Crusades, and other such matters.
Show me the math.
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
Well for an example, how many Christians don't wholeheartedly support the killing going on over there in Iraq and Afghanistan?
But not even including that, how many people were hidiously tortured to death by the Church itself in the first 1000 years of its history?
How many were killed by the various Crusades?
I don't recall reading about any religious persecution perpetrated by the Jews back then. In fact, they were among the ones being persecuted.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
So, He didn't need Hebrews/Jews either to write down their oral traditions and Chosenite dogma and market it as the Word of God
Correct. In fact, much of what's in the Old Testament is derived from earlier legends from other civilizations, such as the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh.
There are MANY earlier "Sons of God" across various civilizations as well, such as Mithras, Krishna, Buddha, and quite a few others.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
You are aware, aren't you, that Jews have 72 names for God to represent His various manifestations?
They all convey a different aspect of the same God.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Elaborate on why you are seemingly ok with that but not with Jesus as a manifestation of God.
The various names of the one God, such as Lord God, I Am, etc., all relate to the One God.
Jesus was a man, a human being who walked the earth (if he actually did that is).
It's like calling a tree a star. You can call it that, but it doesn't mean it is one.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Back when? After the Old Testament slaughters by their forebears? Even the New Testament speaks of Jews as persecutors.
You don't need to convince me that both Christianity and Judaism are bogus and evil.
I already know.
No loving God would order the murder of innocent men, women, and children (including infants). See 1 Samuel 15:3
In fact, a true God who created the Universe and all within it would not need to order his "children" to do anything of the sort.
In the blink of an eye he could devastate a nation or the entire planet, and would not need the help of humans to accomplish his wishes.
Thus, since Christianity is based upon the Jewish Scriptures, and more than likely was created out of various religions with similar man gods, it is equally false.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
You don't need to convince me that both Christianity and Judaism are bogus and evil.
I already know.
I'm not trying to convince you of that. You argued that Christianity had caused more suffering and I contested that calculation. But let's discuss which has endeavored the most historically to ease suffering -- not monetarily but doctrinally and, more importantly, hands-on ministerially to the downtrodden and afflicted. Or, we could return to the original topic and discuss Brother Kapner's interview.
No loving God would order the murder of innocent men, women, and children (including infants). See 1 Samuel 15:3
In fact, a true God who created the Universe and all within it would not need to order his "children" to do anything of the sort.
In the blink of an eye he could devastate a nation or the entire planet, and would not need the help of humans to accomplish his wishes.
No argument from me but you seem to be of the opinion that the Creator of the universe and life itself couldn't manifest in human form if He wanted to do that. What's the rationale behind limiting Him so?
Thus, since Christianity is based upon the Jewish Scriptures, and more than likely was created out of various religions with similar man gods, it is equally false.
Long story short, Christianity is like the expression of the Creator's command: Let there be Light. Sure, humans have not been perfect examples of that but let's talk about Judaism. Or is it Jew-Deism? Or maybe Jew-Daism, with kind of a focus on Nature?
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
On the subject of the Crusades, it seems that you then want to disassociate Christianity from Jewish scriptures but there is evidence that a big motive of the Crusades was to re-enthrone a Davidic bloodline in the Holy Land. Do you agree or disagree?
I'd also like to hear what you think of Br. Kapner's assessment that if you put two Jews in a room for a week, by the end of the week they'll have formed 25 groups -- all of them Jewish oriented. I thought it was funny but probably not a big exaggeration. How about you?
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
No argument from me but you seem to be of the opinion that the Creator of the universe and life itself couldn't manifest in human form if He wanted to do that. What's the rationale behind limiting Him so?
You could argue that He or She (or It) could manifest as a cockroach or a bat, but that doesn't mean He or She would.
The very people whom you distrust so much are the same people who supposedly delivered a Messiah to the world. I find it odd that you trust them with that sort of story, yet distrust them in anything else.
If you delve into the origins of the New Testament, you'll find some extremely dubious history there, and if you follow the known trail of it's existing editions, you'll find words, verses, and entire chapters inserted, omitted, or otherwise modified over time.
Look up Codex Sinaiticus, that might be a good start.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen