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The majority of Jews today in both Israel and America are at best Sadducean in outlook and beliefs. Only 17% keep kosher in America and 19% don’t even believe in God.

Look at their fundamental beliefs - Sadducean all the way.

You really do get it - I’m encouraged.

Of course it’s not the color of the skin or the genetics.

It’s the culture. And if that culture doesn’t move into the mainstream, there will be more and more deadly clashes.

I can only imagine the grief that “mainstreamed” blacks take from those who refuse to integrate into American society. I just hope they have the patience and courage necessary to get their point across.

Here's what you make of it; you recognize that there are those who are heavily invested in reinforcing and justifying their resentment and truly believe that blacks are genetically predisposed to violence. They will continue to ignore any cogent analysis of the problem, because to them it's a moot point - you're all a bunch of hopeless, backwards thugs in the end and there's no sense in even wasting any resources trying to train you. That's the conclusion they're aiming for, and the solution is, at the least, to go back to the days of forced segregation.

Oh, it’s pretty weird alright, for anyone to put a lime on a firearm...

It might be “refreshing”, but I’d rather have my lime in a Sonic cherry limeaid.

Don’t know where you’d find one. I don’t think they make one for the civilian market.

And I don’t think it’ weird for a girl to lime such things. I think the word that comes to mind is: refreshing.

There aren’t a lot of articles about this story since it is being ignored by the Mainstream Media. If you see one, post it on FR or send me the link.

My district has a very large Asian population. There used to be brawls in the hallways of the high school because white kids were upset that the Asians were getting all the good grades, scholarships, prizes, etc. Eventually, it all calmed down and now the high school is supposed to be one of the best in the country. The Asian kids were the ones who raised the bar — not the teachers or the administrators.

Some people have to customize them (Glocks) to get the right feel. The 1911 is a really nice gun, but the price point was beyond me. The Glock was my first gun purchase, so I wasn’t likely to slip the purchase of a 1911 beyond the wife without a lot of controversy. Heck, buying the Glock caused enough controversy and I talked to her about buying it, plus I thought I had her o.k. beforehand.

Imagine if I had spent another 400-600 dollars (which is what it would’ve taken to get me into the territory of a 1911A1).

“Spending my teen years in the ghetto caused me to grow eyeballs in the back of my head, and to develop a level of heightened awareness that was almost animal-like”

The time you spent there is to your advantage. Now you have the “street smarts” to survive if confronted with violent criminals.

“I also started making sure that I had a firearm within easy reach nearly all the time. Don’t know how many times I almost used it.”

I have drawn my gun twice in 30 years, and not used it. It is amazing how looking down the barrel of a gun takes the spunk out of would-be muggers ;-)

FReegards,

SJB

I’m sad to hear that, but also unsurprised.

Grace in Greek comes from the word χαίρω (chaíro) , meaning joy. Charism, or grace, is that which bestowes joy, kidness, etc. that which 'tames' our animalistic fallen nature.

+Gregory Palamas explains all of this best:

http://frgregory.blogspot.com/2009/03/st-gregory-palamas-on-divine-energies.html

This is distinctly Orthodox theology and is one of the most important points of difference between the West and Orthodoxy.

"his mission as 'restorer'/Savior for mankind & baptism"

OK, but don't faith and works go hand in hand. I only practice what I believe

That belief is based on what will benefit you, not necessarily a belief in the divine. That's a faith (trust) that if you do what is right or expected you won't get in trouble. And you may even get a reward.

Atheism doesn't even enter the picture here. In Jesus' time frame, everyone believed in some kind of a god. What Matthew 25 teaches is that faith is not enough; in fact, implicitly, it makes no difference what you believe in. Even the devil believes in God. What Matthew 25 is saying is that matters is doing what Jesus would have done, with the right intention. This is exactly opposite to Paul's teaching that one is saved by faith alone and not the works.

The uncreated energies of God are then what? Tools? To have the grace of God is to have his uncreated energies. How do the manifest themselves in the persons life?

They portray him as the Jewish meshiyah, a mortal anointed by God to be the warrior-king who will reestablish Israel as God's chosen kingdom on earth, not as a lessor God. O focus he ahs all sorts of powers, givne to him by God, so he can convince others that he is truly the meshiayh, not that he is God.

Lesser God is not a Christian concept. Arians believed he was a "lesser" God. In fact, all Christian Apologetics portray him as a lesser God (subrodiantiopnalist theology). At that time (late 2nd and early 3rd century) the major "enemy" was Gnosticism, not Arianism. Everyone was, more or less, Arian.

He was human, but maybe not in the way we are human.

Then he is not fully human. If he was without sin, he was the best human, not necessarily a different human. he would have been subject to all the passions we are subject to.

He never sinned and in a Jewish household that would include respecting his parents, which the story in the temple seems to contradict.

Depends how you interpret it. :)

We are throwing out "doctrine" and trying to get to the essence as captured in the Scriptures, no?

What would that be?

Doctrine gives some clues, but it is political and subject to the unclean hands of men

And what isn't subject to unclean hands of man?

So that his godhood was suppressed until some future date/act?

I don;t think there ever was anything he did that would qualify as his "Godhood". Jesus represents perfect harmony between human nature and God's nature. He never makes a decision that is contrary to his divine nature. Total obedience. Remember that Judaism emphasizes obedience to God, works. In that sens he 'fulfilled" the law perfectly.

That story is perfect, except for one fleeting moment in the Gethsemane when he asks the Father to take his cup away, but then immediately corrects himself.

What other conclusion can you come up with from a plain reading of the text

I can see how the Bible is the source for all sorts of dogmas.

Must we be constrained by monotheism or polytheism as our only choices?

Doesn't monotheism and polytheism cover all possibilities? What else can there be except one or many gods?

If there is a divine hierarchy, yet Jesus achieves theosis thus equaling Heavenly Father - of whom he says they are one - is it common polytheism as practiced in pagan histories?

What divine hierarchy? Jesus did not "become" divine. Where are you pulling this stuff from? LOL!

The three "Persons" of the Godehead is how God is believed by Chirstians to have revealed himself in the economy of our salvation. This does not mean that this is how God really is in his essence. Just how he revealed dhismelf to man. There is no polytheism.

“And what is Christ’s spirit as separate from His Godhood; how do you explain that?”

Strange as this may sound coming from me, try the Summa, Third Part Art. 5. +Thomas Aquinas does a nice job with that one.

Take your pick. But given that Gospels do not teach divine Jesus, I would say the author's intent was the last two.

Why mention his growing at all if he's fully God? No growth required. What is the purpose of the agony in the Garden?

Why mention him as a baby? As far as the Church is concerned, Christology aims to marry the two incompatible concepts of a human Jesus and a divine Word of God (Logos) in one person. The result of Incarnation is Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human. That means his humanity, save for sin, is no different than yours or mine.

Rabbnical Judaism of today is a survor of Pharisaical Judaism. They believe in the resurrection of the dead and thew Age to Come.

“What is the “grace of God”?”

The uncreated energies of God.

Because he believed he was the messiah. Of course, the Christians will disagree. But John the Baptist actually has a religious following who trace their roots back tot he first century. John is portrayed in the Gospels as recognizing Jesus as the "One" but his followers do not agree with that. Their memories are different! :)

The fact that he was baptizing people is what made him a bad Sadducee. He didn't make it as a High priest because the Sadducee were not apocalypticists and he was, or that's how he is portrayed. I would say more akin to Maritn Luther of Judaism!

A Jewish friend of mine thinks that the reason Moses was denied entrance to the Promised Land is because he'd been asked to share the "Gospel" with the Gentiles and refused.

What kind of a Jew is he to say that? One of those "Jews for Christ"? The book of Numbers explains the wandeirng. Of course it was a punishment, one for each day the Hebrew spies spent in Canaan. God was offended by their lack of belief that God will protect them.

Where is the Spirit? Why is it that western Christians never speak of the spirit as one of the three co-equal hypostates but only of Father and Son?

Anyway, there is only one God in the OT and his spirit is his powerful breath. There is no son, except for Adam. The "sons of God" in the OT are angels, and those who are anointed by God (Israeli kings).

God of the OT meets with his hosts ton find things out. In Job, he asks Satan "where did you come from?" The ancient Hebrew deity is by all accounts not all-seieng and all-knowing. There are parts of the OT where God has to come down to "see" for himself so he may "know!" he tests people so he may know that they will be loyal to him (i.e. Abraham and a slew of others). He regrets making man (Gen 6:6-7), etc. Orin the Garden he is "looking" for Adam saying "where are you?" and so on.

So, the ancient Hebrews did not see their God as "condescending" (humbling) himself to meet with others. He is a micromanager and is in everyone's business, confusing or misleading those he didn't like and helping those he does.

In his mood and manner of going about business he is very human, just immensely more powerful (another pagan characteristic). His meetings are corporate in nature, used to plan strategy and to delegate task (most of the gory stuff is done by angels, by every now and then he uses his breath, some "bad" breath it is!), not merciful condescension.

Christ original mission is to the Jews. Why? They had the Law, they had Tradition, and Rabbis, then what was missing? Why did they need Christ?

You have to read more about Jewish apocalypticism, which becomes part of Pharisiancal mindset following the Maccabean revolt against the hellenistic Syrian ruler. Up until the time of this revolt (circa 160 BC), the Jews believed that bad things happened to God's people for a simple reason: as basically punishment for disobedience.

The Jews of the 2nd century BC have returned to their faith and observed the Sabbath, and the sudden occupation of Syrians made the theology based deserved punishment inconsistent with reality. All of a sudden, bad things happened to God's people when God's people obeyed God!

Specifically, the hellenistic Syrian king was hellbent on making everyone have one religion in the area—Greek! He began persecuting the Jews for their Judaic observances, specifically for circumcision (which the Greeks thought was silly), killing not only those who perfomred it, but the circumcized babies but mothers of circumcised babies as well. This led to a revot otherwise known as the Maccabean revolt.

To explain this sudden misfortune the new religious party, the Pharisees, began to believe that just observing God's laws was not enough. Israel needed a warrior-king who will defeat Gentile enemies and establish the Kingdom of God (euphemism for Israel) on earth, and through whom the God of Israel will be known to everyone (obviously not as a their God, but as someone they should respect out of fear).

This warrior king would be anointed by God (i.e. meshiyah or messiah) and, as all kings of Israel he would be God's favorite son of Israel, i.e. the "son of God."

This is night and day compared to what the Christians made of the whole thing. They don't teach this stuff in Sunday schools!

Anyway, this belief led to further belief that there will be a "final solution" biblical style, with the the resurrection of the dead, etc. besides Pharisees, Essenes were also apocalyptic, and by all indications form the Gospels, Jesus was an apocalyptic Jews as well.

The Sadducees, who were the priests in control of the Temple, of course, did not agree with the apocalypticists and rejected all but the Torah (and I mean Mosaic books) of the Jewish scripture. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead either; ancient Judaism never speaks of any resurrection, but only of a shady life in the underworld (Sheol, or hades in Greek), with varying degrees of comfort or discomfort.

So, that's why Jesus came only for the lost tribes of Israel (i.e. lost to hellenization) and that's why neither he no his disciples had any business going to the gentiles or the hated Samaritans (whom Jesus likens to dogs, which is one of the worst insults in the Middle East!).

No, I said "monotheistic but pagan in practice." Even Egyptian religion at some point became monotheistic, and is precisely where monotheism began; yet I am sure everyone would consider ancient Egyptian religion pagan.

OT Judaism involved sacrifices just like all other pagan religions. It is essentially barbaric and to a large extent superstitious (that an animal's or man's blood somehow atones for your sins).

The only reason Judaism doesn't practice ritualistic animal sacrifice is because the Temple was destroyed (which was the only place where this could be done); synagogues are simply for prayers.

But the "other Jews," the Samaritans (all 800 of them!), still practice the OT Judaism, with animal sacrifices, and priesthood, since their Temple was not destroyed and is not in Jerusalem (and that was the reason they were not treated as Jews by mainline Judaism until the 19th century). In fact when Jesus chastises Samaritans he mentions that they need to recognize Jerusalem as the place where God is.