Hobo Jungle

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Keep on twerkin , though!

No thanks; all yours.

Now that's something neither of us would want to see. Believe me.

[Tramp]

Murph, I must say that your lack of response to my heartfelt note certainly reveals more about Catholics. I write to you from my heart about GOD and you are more interested in joking about twerking with Grumpy, whatever that is. Cheers!

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Murph, I must say that your lack of response to my heartfelt note certainly reveals more about Catholics. I write to you from my heart about GOD and you are more interested in joking about twerking with Grumpy, whatever that is. Cheers!

I did reply, a kind of pre-reply, saying everything, from my perspective, as far as I was concerned, on July 9 @ 7:10am thread p1819.

There was no need to speak further to you on the subject making your subsequent remark(s) irrelevant to me and to the discussion as far as I was concerned. Case CLOSED , for my part.

I wish you well as you continue your struggles.

[Tramp]

Murph, OUCH. Struggles? That must be you. Do you not understand anything JESUS was supposed to teach you?

[Tramp]

Shame on you, Murph.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Shame on you, Murph.

Are you sure that is where the shame has landed?

[Tramp]

Yes. Sadly.

[Tramp]

I guess you would all let this (MY!) great thread die? And, why? Because I do not agree with the way the Catholic church behaves. Sorry I am not impressed with thousands of years of greed, cruelty, lies, deceit, and the buggering of children. No idea why not. The priests, when paid well, sing wonderfully, don't they?

[healey36]

The thread lives on, mate.

"I tried to find Him on the Christian cross, but He was not there; I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old pagodas, but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere.

I searched on the mountains and in the valleys, but neither in the heights or the depths was I able to find Him. I went to the Caaba in Mecca, but He was not there either.

I questioned the scholars and philosophers, but He was beyond their understanding.

I then looked into my heart, and it was there where He dwelled that I saw Him; He was nowhere else to be found."

Jelaluddin Rumi

[Tramp]

Thank you, Healey! Sometimes one friend is enough.

[Tramp]

Jesus wasn't real popular, was he? The truth is very rarely popular in its own time.

[robert.]

How often does a popular guy get stoned to death?

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Jesus wasn't real popular, was he? .....

Then, where did all the disciples come from, and Christianity itself ?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Jesus wasn't real popular, was he? .....

Then, where did all the disciples come from, and Christianity itself ?

Disciples - remember that birds & bees talk? Yup. Delivered by a stork from the factory.

Christianity - created out of necessity

[chuck]

Judaism itself was split into three major factions, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. The later took on a monastic existence and were most likely responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls. Jesus didn't have much nice to say about the Pharisees and most of the Sadducees disappeared after 70 AD and we don't have much written about them.

There were other religious and secular forces at play and much of the anticipation of the arrival of the messiah was centered on a political/military person that would lead the Jews out of their problems with Rome et al. Jesus was not received well by his own people because they did not understand or accept his teachings. They wanted someone that would raise up an army and throw out the Roman invaders. This wasn't going to happen for three significant reasons:

a) Rome was far to powerful militarily

b) The established religious power actually understood "a" and they were aware that there was money to be made off of Roman rule

(The Romans, much like the Mafia after them sold protection, partially protection from them but mostly protection from outside forces. They really cared little for local customs/religious practices so long as they did not interfere with their doing whatever they wanted to. Pay your taxes, we'll protect you. Don't pay your taxes or cause trouble and we will do unto you before you can do unto us. A very pragmatic people.)

c) The Jewish religious leaders failed/refused to accept Jesus teaching's out of hand.

So where did the disciples come from? The disenfranchised. The people who were looking for answers not found in the dogma peddled by all of the existing groups both secular and spiritual.

It is often overlooked that Jesus was a Jew. He died a Jew. Christianity as a faith was "born" on Pentecost. It was from the events that occurred on Pentecost Sunday that the people inspired by the Holy Spirit began to spread the word. Saul of Tarsus (who became St. Paul) was the most effective convert, spreading the word and reaching many converts. He and his successors were so effective that they flipped their roles. Christianity went from a marginal group to the state religion of the Roman Empire.