Amen Robert! While not a christian, I've read many of the major scriptures of the world. While reading the Robertson thread, I was thinking how badly we needed to hear the "Who would Jesus hate? Who would Jesus kill?" message.
Your message is so on target. The most important teaching we receive, not just from Jesus, but from almost all prophets is "Deeds are greater than words. Love the least, as you love the great. Power demands responsibility." If we are to follow their teachings, we must not tend the church, we must tend our hearts and minds, and the whole world. All it takes to distinguish the truly good from the hypocrite, is to attend to their actions more than their words. How sad that so many of us are deceived by the transparent and self-serving lies of our political, spiritual, and commercial masters. We are slaves, the truth will set us free. Thank you, Taryn ornae.com On Aug 26, 2005, at 11:13 AM, robert luis rabello wrote: > BT wrote: >> Greetings fellow revolutionary alchemists! >> >> The question I have is, How do we help separate the good-hearted >> followers from their devious leaders? > > I've found the best thing to do is go back to the scriptures from > whence Christians are supposed to derive standards for their behavior. > This is especially true when the argument of "you shouldn't judge > anyone" comes to fore. Now, Jesus himself said this, in the second > part of Luke 12: 48: > > "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and > from one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." > > Leaders, who ought to know better, are far more accountable than the > average person. When Jesus confronted the leaders of his day, he > seldom had pleasant words for them for this very reason. Here is an > example: > > "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and > its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. > (There's a biofuel angle in there!) You brood of vipers! How can you > who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart > the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good > stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil > stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account > on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For > by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be > condemned." (Matthew 12: 33 - 37) > > So, no higher authority than Jesus Christ himself condemns reckless > rhetoric, and we who call ourselves Christians should not soft pedal > this kind of behavior either. A man like Pat Robertson, who CLAIMS to > be a Christian, should have read statements of this nature and taken > them to heart long ago. When I complain about this kind of problem, I > do so because it degrades the standing of the Christian faith in the > eyes of nonbelievers who are watching. If I, a nobody, get upset when > the name of God is blasphemed in this manner, shouldn't genuine > Christian leaders roundly condemn the same behavior? After all, this > is what the scriptures admonish: > > "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you > of wrongdoing, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day > he visits us." (1 Peter 2: 12) > > And elsewhere: > > "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there > WILL BE FALSE TEACHERS AMONG YOU. (Emphasis is mine.) They will > secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign > Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many > will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into > disrepute. In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with > stories they have made up . . ." (2 Peter 2: 1 - 3) > > The fact that Pat Robertson calls himself a Christian disgusts me for > this very reason. He's not following the example of Jesus Christ, so > by his actions, he denies Christ. If he's impulsive and can't control > himself, he has no power from God. A person who calls himself a > Christian is one who should know God very well. Therefore: > > "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The > man who says, 'I know him', but does not do what he commands is a liar > and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love > is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: > Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." (1 John 2: 3 - > 6) > > So then, if we examine what Jesus did, we will find a man who never > sought harm for anyone else. He was a man who lived by high principle > and spoke very carefully. He did not advocate violence, he did not > stir up a mob to overthrow the Romans, he did not seek political power > or financial gain. Therefore, if you see someone who claims to be a > Christian doing these things, you can KNOW that he's a liar. Further > on, you can read this: > > "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no > murderer has eternal life in him." (1 John 3: 15) > > Now, I know that these faux Christians will say "Those verses only > apply to your Christian brother," because that's what they're > programmed to say by the false teachers they follow. But the > principles that Christians should follow transcend this worldly > attitude. Once again, here's what Jesus actually taught: > > "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your > enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who > persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He > causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the > righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what > reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And > if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? > Do not even the pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your > heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5: 43 - 48) > > The principle outlined above is one of social justice. Anyone who > calls himself a Christian can be characterized as one by considering > how he treats his enemies and others who do not love him. Pat > Robertson seeks political power. Pat Robertson called for a team of > "specialists" to take out Chavez. Pat Robertson does not behave in > harmony with the principle outlined in the above passage. I dare say > that had there been no hue and cry over the reckless call for killing, > Pat Robertson would NOT have apologized for his remarks. > > > > robert luis rabello > ... _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
