RE: One Yeti's Perspective #275: Oh, You Disagree?!
I agree that we often don't need validation, but I think validation is healthy SOMETIMES too.
Being in like-minded company feels good if you are used to being around people that constantly disagree with you. And I think agreeing about some things and disagreeing about other things offers a good balance between the two.
The hardest thing for me in terms of making friends and discussing Christianity is that most people I meet haven't tested the Parables of Christ so they haven't arrived at anything even remotely close to my conclusions.
I love discussing Christianity, life and spirituality but often run in to problems when I try to discuss it with devout Christians.
P.S. I would rather associate myself as someone who studied and tested the Parables of Christ as opposed to calling myself a Christian or non-Christian. I think that would be the most accurate description of my experience with the Bible.
Interesting you say tested the parables what do you mean? Do you state it as you have read and tested Jesus' teachings and found that they weren't for you, or not correct?
The recent comment I made right before this one explains it more. I read the Parables of Christ, did everything it said to do and discovered some of what it is pointing to.
The testing involved following the instructions Christ gave i.e. When he said surrender all of your possessions and follow him I did.
This was over the course of 15 years and sometimes I was focusing on something else but I repeatedly went back to following the instructions he gave at different times in my life and eventually saw the moon so to speak.
I'm still growing though but I am starting to focus more on easing suffering, preventing suffering and in some cases removing suffering. I think that is the ultimate end goal and realization, not Heaven or anything selfish like that. (How could anyone righteous enjoy paradise knowing the majority of mankind was suffering unbearably? Wouldn't happen).
P.S. I just actually had this ultimate realization a couple days ago after discussing this with you. I have been focusing on health for about a year but recently realized that the cessation of suffering is the moment the real war is won. Happiness (i.e. Heaven) health and everything else is just a minor battle.
As long as anyone or anything is suffering, the rest of the whole that we are will be effected too. Sometimes it's delayed but a person or thing suffering anywhere in reality effects us all.
That is amazing. It is great that we have multiple views. Given your description..I think Jesus is the moon. What I mean is that I believe that all things were created through Him. When he gave us directions for life I believe that it was encompassing buddhist thoughts toward suffering. I believe it is deeper though. When we focus on the moon (in my case Jesus) we can see the truth through His teachings, the by product is infact taking care of the suffering in the world. I think it would be impossible to be a devotee of Jesus and not live a life the isnt about yourself. The real difference is in the individual acknowledging Jesus for who He says He is (God) or not...
Thank you for discussing this with me @freedompoint.
I think the main topic is the end of suffering but that following in Christ's footsteps will lead a person to discover that is the most important matter at hand - not pleasure I.e. Heaven or Paradise.
I think it is good enough to speak about easing and removing suffering in and of itself, but the Bible does have pointers. One of the pointers is when Jesus 'says' that he will give you his 'new name' in Revelations.
I believe his new name is:
The 'Jesus' in 'I Am Jesus' was removed with the 'I Am' remaining by itself.
There is more than that but I believe knowing 'I Am' and more importantly, the Great I Am when even the 'I Am' is removed, is more valuable than remembering the storyline that the pointers were framed in.
I really enjoy your company 😊