Is Mise,

I'd like to know the verse(s) you're referring to. Either way, that's a clear contradiction of Jesus' words and inconsistent with a perfect and unchanging god.

As a general comment, the irony of conservatives touting Jesus' lefty credentials when they ordinarily cannot stand anyone left-of-centre, has never escaped me.

Hi A.J.,

As a lefty, I've never really thought of Jesus as being a left-winger, but I am very strongly drawn to the story of the Good Samaritan, somebody helping somebody else NOT from his own group.

That sort of universalism is surely the antithesis of the tribal, backward parables of the Old Testament, and also of the current activities of ISIS and other Islamist-fascist groups in the Middle East, and north Africa, and central Asia.

On the other hand, I'm greatly encouraged by the spirit of the PKK and YPG and the amazingly brave women of the YPJ, who risk their lives to rescue and defend Yazidis and Christians, people from groups other than 'their own'. They are the real progressives in the Middle East and I think it is scandalous that they are still considered to be 'terrorists' by the West, just to please a dictator like Erdogan.

There might even be some other 'lefties' on this thread who would agree. But no, wash my mouth out !They don't have the courage to ever criticise ISIS.

Now wait for the apologetics :)

Joe

poirot: read the bottom of your post..."Deflection"

Never-the-less, Deflection.

poirot: I'm not even cognizant of the content of those posts...(coz I didn't read them:)

That's because you know the truth of those questions & are afraid to answer them publicly. Ay mate.

AJP: But I made the mistake of reading and studying the Bible when I became a Youth Group leader.

I actually read the whole thing while I was a t school. I was in trouble with the Brothers, Priests & even the Bishop for asking questions they didn't want to answer.

Errr, so don't feel I'm picking on just you, poirot.

I question everything. I always have. Wow, that's very left wing, isn't it. What the old saying, "believe none of what you hear & only half of what you see."

I also believe that people that refuse to give you a straight answer have something to hide.

AJ,

Your lack of knowledge of Christianity is astounding; you want a reference to the most basic of the beliefs on which Christianity is built?
Mathew 16-18, as I remember.
I've never read the whole Bible, I find it rather heavy going.

Where to start?

Dear JayB,

You wrote;

“I was taught at a good Catholic School that that's exactly what Jesus is supposed to have done & that the New Testament was the Replacement to the Old Testament. The Old Testament could be referred to as a guide only, as is the Apocrypha & the Apocalypse.”

So we are to dismiss the laws of the Old Testament and follow Jesus' teachings instead? Here is your problem, the words of Jesus from Matthew 5;

“17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

He was not about dismissing or disregarding instead he sought to extend the laws and their reach;

“21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Cont..

As to those who think the teachings of Jesus were not to the Left;

“If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

From Acts;

“32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”

Sounds pretty damn Bolshie to me.

Dear Josephus,

You wrote;

“Secularism had very little influence on the changes in English Parliament, e.g slavery. Wilberforce a devout Christian understood the scripture taught, "all men are equal". The secularist wanted to trade in slaves because it was an economic advantage.”

What tosh. After John Newton's 'Amazing Grace' moment where he committed himself to the Lord he continued slaving for another six years. Well why not, he was quite good at it and well rewarded.

It was fringe Christians called the Quakers who drove so hard to abolish slavery presenting a petition of 300 signatures from prominent members to the British Parliament 5 years before Wilberforce took up the cause. They needed Wilberforce's influence and the fact that he was a mainstream Christian to push the campaign and he stepped up to the mark admirably. All the while The Church of England was branding their own slaves with CofE in the West Indies.