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My favorite story about Jesus


thylacine

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There is a sculpture/statue in my area that's of a homeless man. He's unshaven, and disgusting, sleeping on a bench. It's only when you draw closer and look at the scars on his hands and feet that you realize he's Jesus.

It's hilarious, because so many people complained about the statue as it's near their church. "We don't want to see a disgusting statue in our community" they say.

It's hilarious, because the point of it is to show that Jesus is everyone. That you should treat the homeless beggar on the street the same way you should treat Jesus.

It's also hilarious that I, as an atheist, can see the beauty and true meaning of it but many church goers cannot. I really like the story shared in the OP. I mean, I'm not Christian but I find it very beautiful.

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SorryNotSorry

Question: why does the guy on the Zig Zag cigarette papers package look like Jesus?

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SexNotHaver

IDK I just like the story where he cursed a fig tree.

Just because the mental image always made me laugh.

I mean, the meaning of it makes sense, but still.

"DAMN YOU TREE."

I agree. I was actually thinking about that a few days ago.

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Usernamethe2nd

That sounds a lot like that story in Greek mythology with Baucis and Philemon. Zeus and Hermes disguise themselves as poor peasants and knock at people's doors to ask them if they can stay for the night, and everyone but Baucis and Philemon slams their door at the face of the God of thunder.

Strange I was thinking the same thing! Doesnt everbody else die afterwards and they turn into a tree? I remember this story from Ovid. I need to read Ovid again!

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willnightshade

There is a sculpture/statue in my area that's of a homeless man. He's unshaven, and disgusting, sleeping on a bench. It's only when you draw closer and look at the scars on his hands and feet that you realize he's Jesus.

It's hilarious, because so many people complained about the statue as it's near their church. "We don't want to see a disgusting statue in our community" they say.

It's hilarious, because the point of it is to show that Jesus is everyone. That you should treat the homeless beggar on the street the same way you should treat Jesus.

It's also hilarious that I, as an atheist, can see the beauty and true meaning of it but many church goers cannot. I really like the story shared in the OP. I mean, I'm not Christian but I find it very beautiful.

Got a pic?

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Re zig zag papers, from the all-knowing (but needing editing) Wiki:

The character portrayed on the front of Zig-Zag products, colloquially known as the "Zig-Zag man", originates from a folk story about a Zouave in the battle of Sevastopol. When the soldier's clay pipe was destroyed by a bullet, he attempted to roll his tobacco using a piece of paper torn from his bag of gunpowder.[1]

In an advertising campaign in the 1960s, Zig-Zag published leaflets with the Zouave facing the viewer (much like Uncle Sam) and the caption, "Captain Zig-Zag wants YOU!"

In January 1969, a band called "Captain Zig-Zag and the Acid Test" (featuring a lead guitarist who was a lookalike for Captain Zig-Zag) was the warmup band for Led Zeppelin's Whisky a Go Go debut (Alice Cooper was also on the bill).

My ex-partner looked exactly like Captain Zig-Zag when I first knew him. I thought he was beautiful.

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  • 1 month later...

The premise of this thread is really interesting :)

Along the same lines, the way I see it is, what separates us from homeless people on the street? What separates a politician from a waitress? What separates an African child from a European child? Occupation, status, race, age are only things. Chosen identities. They don't define who we are, they only define what role we play. People are quick to judge, to define, to separate themselves from someone else. Yet contradictorily, people also have a yearning to belong, constantly seeking groups of people with whom they're similar to to alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness.

The deeper you look, the more you see that we're all really the same. No matter who we are, we're all looking for the same things. When you realise that no matter who we are, where we're from, what we've done, what we'll do... when you can see a connection between things and you see that in our hearts, we're all kinda really the same, it puts everything into a very different perspective.

Jesus could be the man on the street, the guy at the supermarket, the woman on the train. Jesus could be me or you. Jesus came to teach forgiveness. He knew that no matter who they were or what they did, the people he met were worthy of his time and worthy of forgiveness. No matter who they were, they were worthy of love.

That's the most important thing I take out of it all... Jesus treated everyone equally, even those who wanted to punish him. To me, treating everyone with kindness, forgiveness and compassion shows true strength. As you give, so you shall receive.

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Calligraphette_Coe

So, was Jesus 'in the closet' about being divine so as to not bias the experiment? And if being 'in the closet' to later assume an exalted place is a Good Thing will those of us who stay in the closet get some sort of exaltation when we 'come out' to his followers, or will we always be 'street people' beyond redemption?

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Yes, in the story, Jesus was "in the closet" about being divine, so as to not ruin the experiment.

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Calligraphette_Coe

Yes, in the story, Jesus was "in the closet" about being divine, so as to not ruin the experiment.

But as all of us in closets know, the one entity you can't fool is yourself. If you're omniscient, how can it be an experiment? And what can one learn if one already has all the answers? Could it not be a form of divine insanity a la Einstein, to keep repeating the same experiment and expect a different result?

And why no experiments by female divinities? You sort of have to hand it to the Greeks, their belief system absolutely allowed for Goddesses.

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Yes, in the story, Jesus was "in the closet" about being divine, so as to not ruin the experiment.

But as all of us in closets know, the one entity you can't fool is yourself. If you're omniscient, how can it be an experiment? And what can one learn if one already has all the answers? Could it not be a form of divine insanity a la Einstein, to keep repeating the same experiment and expect a different result?

And why no experiments by female divinities? You sort of have to hand it to the Greeks, their belief system absolutely allowed for Goddesses.

I don't see the experiment so much as a learning experience for Jesus, but rather a teaching one.

As for female divinities, I was taught that God was neither male nor female (beyond gender expression so to say)...and as a human on earth took on the form of a man. I don't find it demeaning, just part of the teaching.

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It's really just a story with social commentary about how we treat the poor. It's not meant to be factual.

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Calligraphette_Coe

Yes, in the story, Jesus was "in the closet" about being divine, so as to not ruin the experiment.

But as all of us in closets know, the one entity you can't fool is yourself. If you're omniscient, how can it be an experiment? And what can one learn if one already has all the answers? Could it not be a form of divine insanity a la Einstein, to keep repeating the same experiment and expect a different result?

And why no experiments by female divinities? You sort of have to hand it to the Greeks, their belief system absolutely allowed for Goddesses.

I don't see the experiment so much as a learning experience for Jesus, but rather a teaching one.

As for female divinities, I was taught that God was neither male nor female (beyond gender expression so to say)...and as a human on earth took on the form of a man. I don't find it demeaning, just part of the teaching.

And that all of The Twelve were men, and it's God the Father? And didn't Paul say that women's place in the Church was one of subservient silence?

I suspect religion has touched my life in a way you'd probably suspect was not positive and that I'm just being a pain in the ass by asking these questions. That I'm being argumentative because I have a deep-seated guilt about being genderqueer that I'm trying to justify and get others to understand. I've just seen and been treated to soo many sexist and homophobic things by religious people that I think it's only fair to ask about the contradictions or just plain wrong things coming from some religionists.

Such as the one from a devout fundy who used to preach on AOL that homosexuality and transgenderism were sins that God would NEVER forgive.

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Re: why no female divinities... well, the Judeo-Christian tradition is monotheistic, and other ("pagan") religions have multiple deities, including goddesses. So, Christians believe in one God, and therefore see God as masculine. There are female saints and angels, however, most of the angels you read about in the Bible are apparently masculine, And that's how it is, I suppose. Let me ask this question, if Jesus appeared 2,000 years ago, and was born a girl instead of a boy, would anyone listen to Her teachings? I would have to guess, No, because that was the culture then, and it's still the culture now for a lot of people.

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Calligraphette_Coe

Re: why no female divinities... well, the Judeo-Christian tradition is monotheistic, and other ("pagan") religions have multiple deities, including goddesses. So, Christians believe in one God, and therefore see God as masculine. There are female saints and angels, however, most of the angels you read about in the Bible are apparently masculine, And that's how it is, I suppose. Let me ask this question, if Jesus appeared 2,000 years ago, and was born a girl instead of a boy, would anyone listen to Her teachings? I would have to guess, No, because that was the culture then, and it's still the culture now for a lot of people.

I guess my answer is that of Geoge Benard Shaw's, the original author, I believe of the quote:

You see things; and you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?”

And and then you follow it up with this one:

The apparent multiplicity of Gods is bewildering at the first glance; but you presently discover that they are all the same one God in different aspects and functions and even sexes. There is always one uttermost God who defies personification.

Is it that a female Messiah couldn't project a mixture of sublime benevolence while at the same time projecting confident divine authority? Or would the idea of an omnipotent female be too terrifying? Or do people think that religion is just as much about punishment as salvation, and was a case of

You just wait until your FATHER GETS HOME!

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Artistofnoname

Re: why no female divinities... well, the Judeo-Christian tradition is monotheistic, and other ("pagan") religions have multiple deities, including goddesses. So, Christians believe in one God, and therefore see God as masculine. There are female saints and angels, however, most of the angels you read about in the Bible are apparently masculine, And that's how it is, I suppose. Let me ask this question, if Jesus appeared 2,000 years ago, and was born a girl instead of a boy, would anyone listen to Her teachings? I would have to guess, No, because that was the culture then, and it's still the culture now for a lot of people.

I have a feeling he would have gotten listened to somehow even if he were born female. Jesus was both God and human after all. It would have happened...

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TheLeafBunny

If I might add to the discussion of why God is masculine/why there's no mention of a divine feminine, Mormons believe in a Heavenly Mother (it wouldn't make sense to believe that families are eternal and then assert that Heavenly Father is a single Dad); however out of reverence and in following Christ's example of praying to the Father, independently praying to and/or worshiping Her is discouraged and a lot of us tend to not talk much about Her for that reason. And/or because of a narrative, that may be true or not, about how Heavenly Father knew how He and His Son would be ridiculed and their names blasphemed (either by self-righteous pricks doing terrible things in His name or in denying Him altogether) and didn't want to see Heavenly Mother treated the same way.

And as for my favorite story about Jesus, I must say I like the story at the end of the Gospel of John (I think?) where He appears before Peter and some of the other fishing Apostles after His resurrection and ascension. After overfilling their nets with fish, He sits down with them over dinner and asks Peter "Do you love me?" Naturally Peter responds, "Lord, you know I do." Jesus' response? "Feed my lambs." This dialogue is repeated twice more before Peter gets the message that just because Jesus would no longer be physically among them did not mean his mission or role as His disciple was over - in fact one could almost argue that it had just begun.

I feel it can stand to teach us that servants of Christ should always be engaged in the work of God in one way or another, and in a way, that our mission is never over. We might not be called to part the sea or lead a congregation or do big things like that, but even something as simple as serving others is participating in the work of God. I feel this is something that people of all faiths and denominations can forget at times as they get caught up in their daily lives and/or in trying to follow the letter of the law so closely as to forget the spirit of the law. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, though.

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Jews recognize the shekinah, the feminine principle in the manifestation of God.

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  • 2 weeks later...

One of my favorites has always been when he told the men who were going to stone the prostitute that whoever was without sin (missing the mark) could throw the first stone. None of of us are always on target in this life and judging others for it isn't the point...paying attention to our own behavior is.

I don't think the point of that story is what is sinful and what isn't. It's about not judging others.

This story was add later. It never happened.

The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53

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My favorite story from the Bible is his entry into Jerusalem at Passover. It is so joyous. I relate to Jesus just fine with the sense of conflict he faces, but coming to the Passover scene is so hopeful.

My favorite story about Jesus that's not in the bible is The Penitente Thief by Fray Angelico Chavez. It has surreal twists between the earthly and spiritual realm, and awe-inspiring miracles that paled compared to simple faith and common sense.

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crazypimpernelfan

I love all the stories of Jesus in the Bible! They're all very inspiring and help me in my study of Catholic Apologetics. :)

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Too Old for this Site

My favorite story about Jesus in the Bible is the one where he's overturning the money-changers tables in the temple.

Outside of the Bible, my favorite Jesus story is this one:

A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables, and when he picked up a CD player to place in his pack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, "Jesus is watching you."

He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight out, and froze. When he heard nothing more after a bit, he shook his head, promised himself a vacation after the next big score, then clicked the light on and began searching for more valuables. Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard,

"Jesus is watching you." Freaked out, he shone his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot. "Did you say that?", he hissed at the parrot.

"Yep," the parrot confessed, then squawked, "I'm just trying to warn you."

The burglar relaxed. "Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?"

"Moses," replied the bird.

"Moses?" the burglar laughed. "What kind of people would name a bird Moses?"


"The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus."

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crazypimpernelfan

My favorite story about Jesus in the Bible is the one where he's overturning the money-changers tables in the temple.

Outside of the Bible, my favorite Jesus story is this one:

A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables, and when he picked up a CD player to place in his pack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, "Jesus is watching you."[/size]

He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight out, and froze. When he heard nothing more after a bit, he shook his head, promised himself a vacation after the next big score, then clicked the light on and began searching for more valuables. Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard,[/size]

"Jesus is watching you." Freaked out, he shone his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot. "Did you say that?", he hissed at the parrot.[/size]

"Yep," the parrot confessed, then squawked, "I'm just trying to warn you."[/size]

The burglar relaxed. "Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?"[/size]

"Moses," replied the bird.[/size]

"Moses?" the burglar laughed. "What kind of people would name a bird Moses?"[/size]

"The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus."[/size]

I've heard of that story before! I loved that one so much because it's so funny. :D

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One of my favorites has always been when he told the men who were going to stone the prostitute that whoever was without sin (missing the mark) could throw the first stone. None of of us are always on target in this life and judging others for it isn't the point...paying attention to our own behavior is.

I don't think the point of that story is what is sinful and what isn't. It's about not judging others.

I heard another version of this story recently but it involved a regular priest instead of Jesus. A mob had gathered to stone a woman to death for sleeping with her brother's husband. The priest jumped in front of her and asked the mob whoever is without sin cast the first stone. When no one stepped forward the priest grabbed a rock and bashed the woman's head in saying "If only perfect people can uphold the law then the law will not exist."

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alpacaterpillar

One of my favorites has always been when he told the men who were going to stone the prostitute that whoever was without sin (missing the mark) could throw the first stone. None of of us are always on target in this life and judging others for it isn't the point...paying attention to our own behavior is.

I don't think the point of that story is what is sinful and what isn't. It's about not judging others.

I heard another version of this story recently but it involved a regular priest instead of Jesus. A mob had gathered to stone a woman to death for sleeping with her brother's husband. The priest jumped in front of her and asked the mob whoever is without sin cast the first stone. When no one stepped forward the priest grabbed a rock and bashed the woman's head in saying "If only perfect people can uphold the law then the law will not exist."

...her brother's husband? How modern is this story? Or did you mean her husband's brother?

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Yeah, sorry. Her husbands brother. :(

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Comrade Eden

There is a sculpture/statue in my area that's of a homeless man. He's unshaven, and disgusting, sleeping on a bench. It's only when you draw closer and look at the scars on his hands and feet that you realize he's Jesus.

It's hilarious, because so many people complained about the statue as it's near their church. "We don't want to see a disgusting statue in our community" they say.

It's hilarious, because the point of it is to show that Jesus is everyone. That you should treat the homeless beggar on the street the same way you should treat Jesus.

It's also hilarious that I, as an atheist, can see the beauty and true meaning of it but many church goers cannot. I really like the story shared in the OP. I mean, I'm not Christian but I find it very beautiful.

I read an article about this and it made me so happy.

I basically enjoy any story where Jesus is a kind person who treats people well, and is basically almost nothing like what social conservatives imagine him to be. Christians should actually ask themselves "What Jesus Would Do" in a situation, because it will almost definitely not be what they would do.

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