Protestantism

» paper_turtle - My Take On Jesus

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Phil wrote:
my take on Jesus is that his actions are not esoteric; they are right on top and easy to read.
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Sometimes, but not always. I think many times there are many layers of meaning in what Jesus said/did. That doesn't imply he was esoteric, only that there is often more there then meets the eye (or ear).
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He came against the priesthood that was putting itself between humanity and God--keeping individuals from being at one with Our Father in Heaven. . . . That's an important point and not to be swept aside or overlooked.
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Yes, but that's only part of his message, only part of the reason he came. Some of us simply are not confrontational.
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But, more than that, I think its also important to consider the implications of not needing a middleman to get to God. The most important implication, as I see it is personal responsibility--and Jesus talked a lot about that. When he said, "No man is worthy unless he takes up his cross..." He wasn't talking about a literal cross; he was talking about taking responsibility for one's thoughts, words, and actions. AND since we are all One, we are called to be responsible for others, to care as much about others as we do ourselves.
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For you, this means confronting the spiritual bullies you encounter. For me, this means saying little and letting my life speak for me (or, chosing to speak through my art and writing rather than being confrontational).
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It means speaking the truth, but for me, I would prefer to speak in a way which invites dialogue. If that is impossible (because the other person simply will not hear), then I move on. When Jesus sent his disciples out on a mission he told them to shake the sand out of their sandals if people wouldn't listen. I take that to mean sometimes the best thing to to is just let it go.
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In real life, I'm the person to whom people voluntarily tell their life stories (often more than I would choose to know). I think they do this because they sense I will just listen--not judge, not try to fix, not lecture, not confront. I might ask, once they're finished, what they think they should do. And very often they look inside and are surprised to discover they know the answer. See, I think Spirit is also listening, and Spirit gives the answer, but we have to be quiet and allow Spirit room to move.
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peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle