After defining everything Jesus was (and wasn't) in class, I have a much different image than that which was created in Catholic school. Jesus was taught as someone who seemed to be peaceful, holy, somehow on a completely different level than other humans. After talking about what he was really like, he seems much more realistic and likable as a person. I also feel like he was much more socially intelligent than I previously thought. To explain that, based on actions such as dining with the tax collector, I thought he was wise but also a bit naive to social workings. After talking about his rejection of patriarchy and his understanding of humans as social creatures, I feel I respect him much more than I did before, and not just because I was told that I should respect him.

First, though unrelated, I wanted to share this image I found on tumblr recently:

I just thought it was amusing considering how we've been talking recently of the bible as fiction.

I thought it was interesting today when we talked about how the idea of heaven as the Kingdom of God came from a need for a reward for enduring the toils of life as a Jewish peasant thousands of years ago, and how class influenced the ideas of the Kingdom of God to fit the needs of each class. It appeared to me like a spiritual coping mechanism to survive the difficulties of living in that time period. We seem to live much less spiritually now, if we're unhappy with our government, it seems like we'd be much more likely to host physical protests than search spiritually for an answer like Heaven.

Thoughts?

I really like the idea of the gospels in the bibles being works of metaphorical fiction. Personally, I've always thought that the bible should not be literally followed, as many of the original meanings were probably lost in translation, edited out, etc. Then, there were probably words equivalent to slang that would have no equivalent meaning in today's society. Either way, a bible we may read today is probably very different from one that could have been found centuries ago. Do not get me wrong, I think the bible does teach many fantastic moral stories, I just believe it should also be approached without the intention to follow it's teachings without question. 

I think the fact that they are fiction should be made more well-known among Christians, if only because they should have a better idea of what exactly their holy text is. I was raised in a Christian family, and always assumed the gospels were penned by the original disciples of Jesus. I suppose that's my own folly for assuming, but I have heard others say they have made the same mistake, and I guess I just find it strange that we're taught what the bible says on the surface, and not it's entire story. 

Thoughts?

I really liked the ideas we talked about in class earlier this week about how we exert so much effort into trying to achieve earthly goals like pleasure, success, etc., when spirituality is what we truly desire. I really liked how the Gita encouraged us to pursue earthly goals despite this, though, seemingly knowing that we would realize what we truly want in our own time, as spirituality gives much more satisfaction in the long run than anything else.

This really resonated with me. My family has always been very religious, and even though I no longer practice the same religion as them, it still holds a very important place in my life, and brings me a lot of happiness, even though I gain no earthly benefits from worship. It just brings a sense of fulfillment that nothing  else can compare to. I still enjoy earthly things, like good food or a good video game, but I also recognize that religion has a very important place in the long-run.