What Would Jesus ( really ) Do?

[Rick336]

Here's an article I found by Brian Elroy McKinley about "W.W.J.D.?"

"WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? (W.W.J.D.?)
By John Elroy McKinley

The latest Fundamentalist gimmick is to parade around with bracelets bearing the letters "W.W.J.D.?" It's designed to remind Fundamentalist youth not to misbehave. It's also a way for these same youth to "share their faith" when someone asks what it means. It stands for "What Would Jesus Do?"

Indeed, what would Jesus do? Would he support Fundamentalist extremism or would he spread love and forgiveness? Would he dump on homosexuals, or would he fight for their rights as human beings? Would he picket abortion clinics, or would he comfort a woman in need of such a procedure? Would he be complaining about alcohol or would he be drinking it with his friends? You be the judge. In John 8:4 Jesus was brought a woman caught in adultery. Rather than condemn her, he forgave her and said the only people allowed to condemn her were the ones who had never sinned. No one condemned her that day. In John 4:7 Jesus encounters a prostitute at a watering well. Rather than judge her harshly for her sins, he asked her for a cup of water and gave her comfort for the mistakes in her life. And in Matthew 11:19 Jesus was called a drunkard for drinking wine in the homes of local crooks and thieves.

Jesus was not the uptight, judgmental founder of Fundamentalist Christianity. He was radical. He was compassionate. And he was forgiving. Rather than thumping people over the head with the Old Testament (the New Testament hadn't been written yet), he spent much of his time standing up to the Fundamentalists of his day. In Matthew 23:27 he said they were nothing more than "whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." And isn't that so true. These are people who claim their made-truths come straight from the Bible, and yet they don't even know what's in it. They wear a facade of righteousness, and yet they sin by adding their unfounded doctrines to the Bible. They like to condemn others for living in sin, and yet they are blind to all the sins they simply ignore or write off as irrelevant.

You don't have to let them get away with it. The next time they launch an attack, stand up for your beliefs, stand up for your rights, and fight back with their own words. Or rather, fight back with God's own words.

[NathanATX]

Funny.... I'm in dialogue right now with Chad Thompson who wrote, "Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would."

[srspring]

While talking with a friend this morning I came to an interesting thought.

I hardly ever remember seeing Gay protest signs that read "Jesus hates gays" etc. It always says "God hates gays".

I thought that it was kinda interesting. On one hand they say Jesus! Jesus!
but when they protest they say God! God! Does this mean that deep down they know that it would not make sense to include Jesus in thier evil deeds?

My friend (who is straight) said they probably say "God" because over the centuries "God" has been used to create fear in people.

Just my thoughts..

[Mia14]

Jesus said nothing about homosexuals - something significant for such an important teacher to forget if his Father did indeed hate it. Jesus did talk about loving each other, though. As long as we love each other, I believe Jesus would love us.

[NathanATX]

Watch "Dear Dr. Dobson"

http://www.soulforce.org/article/dear-dr-dobson-video

[nowvoyager]

That's a really good little article Rick, thanks for posting it. I'm always looking for concise points to counteract that fundamentalist thought.

The easy answer is that I don't think those who "thump people over the head with the Old Testament" are really Christians, though they claim to be, as they don't actually follow what Christ says. I'm not sure what they can be called, but I do like Andrew Sullivan's definition of calling them "Christianists". (http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/)

Mia - I agree. Jesus and John Lennon: All you need is love.

[pnggrad79]

I don't know if anyone knows who Roberts Liardon is, but he was outed about 2-3 years ago and has suffered tremendous loss in his ministry. He is an anointed, spirit filled man of God and his outing has only made his preaching more powerful and vital to the gay community. He said one day while teaching a class on 2 Timothy at my church, that we should be LOUD about the things God was loud about and quit making such a big deal about the stuff he really didn't say a whole lot about (i.e. homosexuality) I tend to think he is right. God (Jesus) didn't seem all that concerned about who we sleep with, rather he was concerned about the condition of our hearts. Do we love God with all our hearts? Do we love each other as we love ourselves? Jesus summed up the law and the prophets with these two commandments and as I read the NT, this is what He was all about. He didn't go around knocking people over the head with his 20 lb KJV Bible, he was gentle and gracious. He was loving and merciful. He had hard words for the pharisees, who weren't concerned about the fact that a paralyzed man could walk about 30 years, they got their panties in a wad over the fact he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath.

Question-are we so afraid of liberty and freedom in Christ, that we grab onto the security of legalism and rules, thereby missing what Christ died to give us? I think the American church exemplifies that missing the point.

John 10:10 says that the devil's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy but that He came to give abundant life. Is Christ's church allowing satan to steal, kill and destroy? or is it pointing the way to abundant life? I don't mean to judge or point fingers, but if I am not allowed inside a Southern Baptist church with my wife on my arm, and if gays are defrocked, and Fred Phelps holds us signs saying God hates us- you tell me, has satan won, or is this abundant life? I think the answer is apparent.

BE LOUD ABOUT THE THINGS GOD IS LOUD ABOUT AND QUIET ABOUT THE REST.

[Emproph]

If they really cared about helping homosexuals, even if their efforts were misguided, they’d be breaking their backs trying to find out and understand why we are convinced that we are natural as is, so they could reach us where we are.

I think there are many out there who are like this, but they aren’t the ones bashing us, because they don't want to.

Bigotry is not in believing homosexuality is wrong, it’s the Desire to believe so.

And when your desires line up perfectly with God’s, the certainty of sucess can make one blind to even the possibility of error.

Originally Posted by srspring

I hardly ever remember seeing Gay protest signs that read "Jesus hates gays" etc. It always says "God hates gays"...On one hand they say Jesus! Jesus!
but when they protest they say God! God!

Does this mean that deep down they know that it would not make sense to include Jesus in thier evil deeds?

My friend (who is straight) said they probably say "God" because over the centuries "God" has been used to create fear in people.

Who can argue with God? He said it, it's right there in the Bible! -It's the ultimate strawman. Create a bigger fear and then pretend to exchange it for a smaller one.

manipulation, playing (preying) on fear. It's guaranteed to be there in mass quantitiy. And fear being ever volatile, results are quick.

You can pin down what Jesus said, but if you want to “go to” heaven and eat it too.. I don’t hate you, God hates you, which I share with you “in love” (because I love to hate you). -Still a Christian, still going to heaven, but you get to hate in the name of Love.

And thus the idea of “Biblical inerrancy” is born. You can pick and choose what to believe to your hearts content and NEVER be wrong. If anyone disagrees, they disagree with God.

As long as the focus is on God as “opposed” to Jesus, God can be anything you want as long as you find it in the Bible. If Jesus were the focal point, Love would have to be the focal point. I think it speaks profoundly of (the lack of) their personal relationshiop with Jesus, and the Holy Spirity of Love when they do read the Bible.

Originally Posted by pnggrad79

Question-are we so afraid of liberty and freedom in Christ, that we grab onto the security of legalism and rules, thereby missing what Christ died to give us? I think the American church exemplifies that missing the point.

John 10:10 says that the devil's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy but that He came to give abundant life. Is Christ's church allowing satan to steal, kill and destroy? or is it pointing the way to abundant life? I don't mean to judge or point fingers, but if I am not allowed inside a Southern Baptist church with my wife on my arm, and if gays are defrocked, and Fred Phelps holds us signs saying God hates us- you tell me, has satan won, or is this abundant life? I think the answer is apparent.

BE LOUD ABOUT THE THINGS GOD IS LOUD ABOUT AND QUIET ABOUT THE REST.

I’ve been looking at this from the wrong angle. It’s up to real Christians to stand up and “LOUDLY” refute the unholy and false doctrine of atheist generating Christianists, be they professional or personal.

I actually am a Christian, and I need to be able to say so when necessary, and I think it's necessary, right about now.

I’ve been avoiding even ‘labeling’ myself that way because I don’t want to be identified with these “Christianists.” Not to mention the necessary 'higher standard' that's implied, but this is the higher standard.

They’ve literally perverted the concept of Christianity into their own egotistical images. Their most important need is to obey only the scriptures that "commands" them to obey only (some) scripture. As opposed to Loving to obey only the command to Love.

Only 'only Love' allows for the idea of hate in the name of love. That's our proof of it's superiority, and it's power, God's. It can't be done the other way around. I know we all see what we want to at times, but I think the difference is in the ability to recognize this.

Time to pick up the ball, but I say yes to judgement, not of them but of their evil doctrine. A clear distinction needs to be made.

No God came down from eternal and infinite heaven to show us what we have perfected all on our own, the selfish love of pride and all its attributes, judging, hating, etc.

Thus the importance of the Bible and it’s scripture to love others as God already does, and as we know God Loves us, INFINITELY. This is loving God above all else. Without that lesson, knowledge, understanding, Scripture is useless, lest ye be gunnin’ fer hell...

And thus the belief in hell. Continuing to create one in order to continue to be "right" about the fear of it.

It's sicklical logic.