holy cow! @lisamelton has boosted my post on what the pastor of my church had the audiacity to say about giving others basic and advanced human compassion. i'm glad because it really needs to have reach, signaling that liberal positions in #Christianity are not only allowed, but the norm given how the founder of the religion acted.
"Now the great obstacle to mutual understanding between Christianity and Buddhism lies in the Western tendency to focus not on the Buddhist experience, which is essential, but on the explanation, which is accidental and which indeed Zen often regards as completely trivial and even misleading.
“Buddhist meditation, but above all that of Zen, seeks not to explain but to pay attention, to become aware, to be mindful, in other words to develop a certain kind of consciousness that is above and beyond deception by verbal formulas–or by emotional excitement.”
Merton, Thomas. “A Christian Looks at Zen.” (1967) in Selected Essays. Edited with an introduction by Patrick F. O’Connell. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2013, p. 346.
Demons and :explosions, punching, chair smashing, tank riding and sword swallowing"?
What in the holy hell is going on in the testosterone-addled world of toxic masculine "Christianity" in the US? Could it succeed in making itself look any sillier and any further from anything the Jesus of the gospels was about?
"I was just reading the story about the woman who left 1,000 dollars in tips at a #taco joint because she thought she was gonna be #raptured. [during the eclipse]
When she wasn't, she went back to the taco joint and demanded her money back accusing the servers of stealing it somehow.
And I'm really hard-pressed to think of a better analogy for the state of American #Christianity."
You may know well #Thor, the #Norse god of Thunder—but have you head about Perun?
He is often depicted as a powerful, bearded man wielding a hammer or axe. His domain included the sky, where he controlled the weather and protected the earthly realm from evil forces.
In #Slavic belief, thunder was thought to be the sound of Perun striking his enemies with his thunderbolts. As a deity associated with war, Perun was also considered a guardian of justice and order, punishing evildoers and upholding moral law. His cult was widespread among the early Slavic tribes, and he was one of the most important gods in their pantheon.
Perun's importance declined with the spread of #Christianity in Eastern #Europe, where he was often equated with Saint Elias due to their shared associations with thunder and lightning. Nonetheless, Perun remains a significant figure in Slavic folklore and cultural heritage, symbolizing strength, protection, and the forces of nature.
A new BOOK in my Visions and Voice series! Celebrating Christian FAITH. If you believe in loving yourself and loving your neighbor, then this book is for you! If you are a hateful person that uses Christianity to persecute other people, you won't like this book. It's about love, peace, comfort and Jesus.
Known for his improvised & volatile performances, #Trump is now ending many of his rallies w/ churchlike ritual & casting his prosecutions as persecution.
Taking essential #healthcare away from needy children on #Easter is incredibly fucked up. These #Republicans continue to claim exclusive ownership of #Christianity while behaving in a way that would have infuriated their #messiah. They're literally acting directly contrary to the foundational teachings of the man they claim to revere and follow.
If #Jesus came back today, #JamesComer and #GymJordan would subpoena him, and have him before their Congressional #impeachment committee tomorrow. The notion that they'd accept and embrace him is too absurd to even contemplate. Jesus, as described in their very own official #TrumpBible, is an unquestionable #liberal whose teachings are directly contrary to their professed beliefs. Jesus just doesn't understand #Christianity the way the #Republicans do.
@RememberUsAlways I can imagine the politicians of the era. "Make Palestine Pray Again." Herod the Younger has personally approved this copy of the Septuagint. Yours for only 60 pieces of silver.