Christianity, Love, and eschatology

Submitted by xtian (United States), Feb 3, 2006 at 03:28

My friend,

It is important to note a couple slight differences in what love is in Christianity. First off, to think is the same as "to do". Thought is equal to action. To think hate is to hate, while to think love is to love. Remorse for sin is comprable to an apology. Jesus, who knew the scripture perhaps better than any at his time, most likely knew this story. He also advocated the Golden Rule-to treat others as you yourself would like to be treated. This is just the converse of your statement.

Saint Paul spoke of "agape", or disinterested love. It meant love without self-interest involved, and doing it based purely on helping another individual. This love came threw faith, only possible with grace.

It is important to note that Jesus was an apocalyptic Jew. Prior to Jesus and the apocalyptics, Jews believed that the dead would go to She'ol, a graveless pit where you would remain as a shadow. Only reputation lived on as an afterlife. Death was a punishment for sin, and there was no immortal or eternal soul.

Jesus taught that the good would be physically resurrected to the pre-Fall Eden. He said, to get there was only possible through love (agape), regardless of charity or any other self-interested love. Jesus conquered death through his blood sacrifice, gave the apostles the power of forgiveness, and eternal life through Nephesh (the breath and wind of God).

Jesus conquered death, which was His main purpose. He also taught Love. This is the similarity between Judaism and Christianity. We have the same basic teachings, but we believe in an afterlife, possible through Jesus. I was not trying to say that Love did not exist in the Torah, it merely continued into the New Testament.

As for persecution, any type of religious killing is vanity. That is not taught. Christians, however, were persecuted as well. Under the Romans, under the orthodox Jews as heretics, under the Nazis (especially Catholics), by the KKK (especially Catholics in the south US).

Much of the Middle Ages and any Christian to Jewish persecution is horrible. I am ashamed for this. However, the holocaust was not Christian fault-Hitler believed in the occult and Atlantis. Christians were persecuted here too, although not nearly as much in any way. The point is that I am sorry whenever my fellow man is injured or enslaved.

I look upon the Jewish peoples as a chosen peoples, my brothers in this world and the next. We follow the same ideas, but a different eschatology (doctrine of last things). We have the same God, the same merciful benevolent God.

xtian

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