Posted by panch from pool0297.cvx25-bradley.dialup.earthlink.net (209.179.217.42) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 at 11:28AM :
It was an agreement between him and his father. Jesus died for Jesus, because that's what his old man wanted him to do.
In the Mideast Christianity is on the way out. We've been steadily losing numbers and this last example of Christian warfare brought to them by the United States should just about finish us off.
I have nothing against Christianity...it's probably at least as good as the religion of Ashur, and certainly no worse. It's also not that much different, better or worse, than Judaism, which it came from, or Islam, which came from the both of them.
But what do any of them have to do with being Assyrian. As Christianity goes down in the MidEast, does Ashurism have to go with it? What did Jesus's being executed have to do with Ashur...with me...with my children? We have endured the most awful things and been "glad" to have kept faith with Christianity...reformed Judaism by any other name. So long as we died Christian, it was some sort of a victory.
We are increasingly forced to find refuge in Christian lands where we will be '"safe". And our sole interest seems to be in rejoicing that we are able to finally be Christian...and pointing out how badly we have been and are being treated by Muslims...who themselves have several complaints against Christianity and us.
Our complaints, our appeals to the West, our insistance that we have "national question rights" to that land, or to anything...will impress no one and get us nothing but more of the same "nothing" we have always received from "friends".
And here in the West, where we could do anything for our Assyrian Heritage...we have again broken up into quarreling religious factions...and once again our Assyrian heritage will pay the price.
What does the future hold for us in the West...as Christians? More of the same...we will go on maintaining loyality to various sects...each convinced it has the "truth"...and increasingly our young people will either lose interest in religion altogether, or they'll turn into that most frightening thing of all, "Born Agains".
Each religious faction will claim it represents Assyrians...when it's clear none of them do...as none of our clubs and political gangs represent anyone much. The only hope "Assyria" has, is of putting aside these religious squabbles and mind-numbing distinctions...and concentrating on something we can agree upon...and what can that be except the value of our History...ALL of it...and the need to promote it and expand upon it and inform our neighbors and children and the entire world that the people of Ashur still exist. Something most of the world still doesn't even know about.
No one says you have to stop being Christians, or any number of different varieties of Christians...or that you have to be ONLY Christians...or can't choose some other religion to follow, besides our own religion of Ashur. All I am saying at least is let us focus on something we can agree upon. We will never agree on religion...of ANY kind.
Can we not agree that the world needs to hear about us...as Assyrians and not as abused and suffering Christians? Wouldn't it be a logical place to start...from the beginning...from when we were unified and powerful and creative and gave so much to Humanity? Later...after we are known, we can regale people with how we found better or different religions.
But if we start from religion...we will get nowhere...just as we have gotten nowhere for 100 years in America and the West.
What difference does it make what we die out from...either murder or our own neglect and indifference? If you're dead and gone you're gone. Christianity is safe...as safe as anything could be. It is Assyria and Assyrians and our children's future AS Assyrians that is in danger.
-- panch
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