What Did Jesus Really Say – How Christianity Went Astray What To Say To A Born Again Christian Fundamentalist But Never Had The Information
No dogma please. And hold the mustard. For something to be called Christianity, it should be based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Jesus never said he needed to die for our sins so we could be "saved." Only Paul and John make this claim. Christianity has therefore become a form of Paulism and Johnism that emphasize the Savior aspect of Jesus.
But Paul had never met or heard Jesus teach, and John tells a story that's so different from the other disciples that we must seriously question him as a source.
Did you also know there are two different biblical stories about how Judas dies?
And Mary Magdalene wasn't a prostitute until the Pope made her one in the sixth century.
Pope Urban II even made killing non-Christians acceptable in the eleventh century.
Born Again Christian, President George W. Bush, also believes in the "Rapture" and the "End of Times." See why this should be alarming.
Other subjects include ancient Buddhist records about Jesus traveling to India and studying Buddhism. Jesus may even have studied and practiced Kabbalah.
Subsequently, What Did Jesus Really Say is an easy to read introduction that also reflects on God, Karma, Buddhism, Kabbalah, Reincarnation, Politics, and even Astrophysics.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars I'm a Christian, and I really like this book.
I'm a Christian, but not in the traditional sense of the word. I'm sort of like Bono (of the music band U2). A Christian, but a non-traditional and non-conformist kind of Christian. I really do consider myself a Christian without all the church dogma and church morality that comes with being a Christian. In other words, I follow Jesus. Not the church. Especially not Christian Fundamentalist doctrine.
That's why I really like this book. Don't let the title of this book mislead you. Cayce is a follower of Jesus. But not in a traditional church-going sense. Cayce respects Jesus. He likes Jesus. He even looks at Jesus with a certain awe, deference, and perhaps even devotion. But Cayce simply doesn't care for Christian Fundamentalism and their distorted view of Jesus. He therefore points out the flaws of Christian Fundamentalism. Not to criticize, but to set Jesus' record straight. All the problems that have been caused by Christianity over the centuries (from the Inquisition to burning witches at the stake to gay-bashing) all come from Paul. Not directly of course, but in how people have interpreted Paul's teachings / New Testament writings over the centuries.
Quite simply, Born Again Christians follow the "Gospel of Paul" along with the teachings of Jesus. That's really the problem. Wherein the teachings of Jesus remain more or less intact (although certainly incomplete), Paul fills in the "blanks" with his New Testament writings. Unfortunately, Paul leans heavily towards morality. It is this morality that comes through with Christian Fundamentalism. It is also this morality that pushes many people away from Jesus.
Once again, these are not the teachings of Jesus. They are the teachings of Paul.
Great book. Great read. Definitely worth reading.
4 Stars Excellent. I couldn't put this book down.
Once started, I could not put this book down. Just finished it and had to write a review. Basically written for people who are not specialists in theology, this book introduces readers to the Gospels (with an interesting and unique perspective). Not the church's Gospels, but Jesus' Gospels. This book is well written and not at all "heavy" with interesting points that are documented well.
Basically, Jesus was deeply compassionate and fought for justice. As a "mystic", Jesus was in line with other Jewish prophets. He announced God's justice. He told subversive stories. He provided controversial statements that reflected wisdom. Jesus also ate and associated himself with the social outcasts of his day. He fought and called for people to leave the dark way of life (sin) and to journey on another path. An enlightened path. He also challenged the Roman empire through nonviolent resistance and was then put to death because he protested against the regime.
This is a wonderful book, but, dependent on where you are in your religious beliefs, you may find the book a bit upsetting. If you hold fast to the tenets of the Christian Church, you will find that the hard rigid dogma of the Christian Church is missing. In contrast, the message in this book is based on Jesus' words. The red ink so to speak.
Lastly, this book is clear and concise. The chapter layout is well done, and Cayce supports his position well. This is basically a wonderful book that will make you think deeper about Jesus in a very positive light.
4 Stars Very interesting.
Many Christian Fundamentalists will tell you that every word in the Bible is inspired by God. The problem is that we no longer have access to the original texts since the original New Testament was lost 2,000 years ago. People who claim the Bible is infallible also claim that the King James Version is the true inspired word of God. Not only that, nearly all Christian Fundamentalists believe that God inspired the King James translators. So the Christian Fundamentalist argument is that Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and especially Paul, often misunderstood the Holy Spirit and got God's teaching wrong. So to correct this, God then waited for the King James Version writers to finally get it right 1,600 years later. That sounds a bit far fetched. Doesn't it? Well, I guess if Christian Fundamentalists can believe that dinosaurs lived 5,000 years ago, since they believe the world is only 5,000 years old (according to biblical chronology from Adam & Eve to modern times), then I guess Christian Fundamentalists can believe just about anything.
Cayce does a great job at pointing out the problems with Christian Fundamentalism while treating Jesus with respect. I really liked this book very much.
5 Stars Very good book.
I dig Jesus Christ, but I don't like Christians. Does that sound strange? Again, I like Jesus, but I don't like the morality that comes with Christianity. Christians are often very judgemental. This is due primarily to the Apostle Paul. Not from Jesus. And although Born Again Christians don't want to admit it, they are really preaching the word of Paul. Not Jesus. Paul was also a bit of a homophobic fanatic who thought Jesus was coming back in his lifetime. Well, Paul was wrong about a lot of things, and the concepts that turn many away from Christianity are the words of Paul (which Born Again Christians frequently quote).
Again, I have no problem with Jesus. Just with Christians (and Paul).
4 Stars A very intersting book.
I really liked this book. A friend of mine recommended it and I'm glad she did. I started reading it and when finished, I liked it so much that I read it again. Many interesting things that I had not known. Definitely worth the read. Jesus comes through with a fresh perspective. I especially liked the final Addendum chapter of "How Everything In the Universe Really Works." An interesting mingling of science, philosophy, and religion.
Related posts:
- What Did Jesus Really Say – How Christianity Went Astray – What To Say To A Born Again Christian Fundamentalist But Never Had The Information
- Born Fundamentalist – Born Again Catholic
- Born Fundamentalist Born Again Catholic
- Lord Jesus Christ – Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity
- Growing Up Fundamentalist – Journeys in Legalism and Grace
- Born Divine – The Births of Jesus and Other Sons of God
- Stories of a Recovering Fundamentalist – Understanding and Responding to Christian Absolutism
- Christian No More | On Leaving Christianity – Debunking Christianity and Embracing Atheism and Freethinking
- Christian Fundamentalist News Roundup
- The Politics of Jesus – Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted
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