Posted by Jeff from bgp01107368bgs.wbrmfd01.mi.comcast.net (68.42.59.180) on Thursday, May 23, 2002 at 10:56PM :
In Reply to: Stella posted by Julia from dhcp100056.res-hall.northwestern.edu (199.74.100.56) on Thursday, May 23, 2002 at 7:47PM :
: Jesus is the only way to God. I don't think
: that this kind of belief can lead to
: the mass killings of jews. While some Christians
: see Jesus as the only way to God, that doesn't
: mean Christians have the right to judge
: or condemn people or do anything brutal
: to them. What happened to jews was not
: a result of believing exclusively
: in salvation through jesus christ by faith
: alone. Judgment of anyone is in the hands
: of God, not christians.
: I think that what killed those jews was
: basic human sin. Human sin killed, and continues to
: kill people under the guise of extreme nationalism,
: or economic oppression, or denial of a
: public health infrastructure....to me
: it all boils down to sin.
: I anticipate a delightful response from my
: fred.
Julia,
Is ignorance sin? Ignorance and Greed are the killers. Is the American public guilty of a "sin" for being ignorant of the sanctions against Iraq, and for not questioning their government when they kill innocents around the world? Should I take a bathey? Is that a sin? Are the Israelis "sinning" in letting their Army kill innocent people?
The problem with blaming it all on sin... well, it's just like saying "Ah, it's human nature to kill (sin)..." which means that there's no solution. Just a problem.
An interesting side note: Years back I wrote a scholarship essay on "The ties that bind" Jews and Chaldeans together with Jewish student from my high school. He was a year older than me, and probably one of the brightest people that I have ever met. Anyway, after going to the Chaldean church, and to his synagogue, he said to me that the "concept of sin" was completely foreign to him. Jews didn't look at the world, or their religion in terms of "sins". They never used the word "sin" in their prayers or rituals at all. Their goal is to follow a set of laws which are "righteous"... Christians on the other hand seem to just kill, and sin sin sin and then repent, repent, repent!
So, I'm off subject here. Back to what you said "Jesus is the only way to God." No, that didn't cause mass killings of Jews. The belief that the Jews (and their modern day "descendants", who were really Europeans that converted to Judaism some 1000 or so years ago) killed Jesus and should suffer for it is what fueled the Anti-jewish pogroms and killings and such...that, and encouragement from Christian leaders.
-- Jeff
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