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More theological mumblings
Dec. 11th, 2005 11:22 pmThrough ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
metaquotes, I stumbled upon a Chick Tract addressing the ways one gets into heaven. I'm leaving aside the fact that bad people can apparently get into heaven if they accept Jesus as their lord and saviour (and good people can burn in hell because they worship something else), and that you shall not be judged by your works but by how well you can bend the knee (and fill the collection plate, I assume). Not that those things don't irritate the piss out of me -- it's just that there's something else that struck me as particularly interesting. They quote John 14:6; "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.'"
But then there's Matthew 4:8 and a bit, which goes on about "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.'"
So Jesus gets offered all the kingdoms of the world (and the glory of them) if he will worship Satan. And the world at large is offered a glorious heaven if they'll worship Jesus. Is anyone else seeing any parallels? Faith's not supposed to be about temptation. You shouldn't be picking and choosing a belief system for what you get out of it. It all just seems to me to be the wrong way around. I do the pantheistic equal opportunity theism shtick because, frankly, I believe it's a lot more important to be a good person than to believe that Jesus is going to give you a "Get Out Of Hell Free" card no matter what sin you commit.
metaquotes, I stumbled upon a Chick Tract addressing the ways one gets into heaven. I'm leaving aside the fact that bad people can apparently get into heaven if they accept Jesus as their lord and saviour (and good people can burn in hell because they worship something else), and that you shall not be judged by your works but by how well you can bend the knee (and fill the collection plate, I assume). Not that those things don't irritate the piss out of me -- it's just that there's something else that struck me as particularly interesting. They quote John 14:6; "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.'"But then there's Matthew 4:8 and a bit, which goes on about "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.'"
So Jesus gets offered all the kingdoms of the world (and the glory of them) if he will worship Satan. And the world at large is offered a glorious heaven if they'll worship Jesus. Is anyone else seeing any parallels? Faith's not supposed to be about temptation. You shouldn't be picking and choosing a belief system for what you get out of it. It all just seems to me to be the wrong way around. I do the pantheistic equal opportunity theism shtick because, frankly, I believe it's a lot more important to be a good person than to believe that Jesus is going to give you a "Get Out Of Hell Free" card no matter what sin you commit.