Maybe this is a bit obscure, but has it ever came to your attention how many sheep metaphors there are in the bible: the Lost Sheep, the Sheep and Goats, the Good Shepherd; Christians are often referred to as 'the flock'. Now as much as it pains me to take advantage of such an easy point, sheep are dumb, lazy animals that blindly follow each other toward what is desirable to them - a place in paradise, for example - without thinking it through.I checked this out on some biblical sites, and they don't dispute it. They even patronise atheists as being 'unable to find the flock again'. Then they go further and praise qualities such as 'lack of direction' and 'defenseless':
"Even the fowls of the air have some type of defensive mechanism. Not so with sheep!"
And on that profound thought I'll finish.
13 comments:
Amen to that. I have been "Sheepishly" (pun intended) following the Jesus of scripture for 6 years now, and each year I realize even more exactly how stupid I am, weak, and hyprocritical.
Of course, with that I realize why I need Jesus. A guy in my condition simply cant walk around according to his own strength, intelligence, and moral power.
Yet, "while we were yet sinners, Christ Died", and this is the balm to my pitiful soul.
Good points.
Another Jesus hater who doesn't understand Jesus. THe analogy of sheep is to give a picture of dependence. As the sheep were dependent on the shepherd so we are dependent on God, whether we realize it or not.
I don't actually hate Jesus, you know...
Mr X. Of course you can't hate Jesus.For to hate Jesus would, of course, also be to hate God (or at least a third of him) and hating God is nonsense for an atheist who does not believe in him. Although Bakunin did say something on the lines that if God existed, we would need to destroy him - on that grounds that He/Her/It made democracy an impossibility.
Cheers
I think steven said it best so I won't reinvent the wheel. I affirm that the whole sheep illustration is for the exact reason that we Christians are stupid and weak, God even calls us that in Scripture (1 Corinthians 1:27) so I don't think any real Christian would have a problem with this post.
I must say that it is somewhat refreshing to hear from someone who knows they completely reject Jesus, instead of those who think they accept Him and don't act like it.
I'm sure you've gotten quite a few "Jesus loves you's" and Christianly unchristian insults so I'll minimize the cliches and such. You are more sincere in your "un-faith" than many are in their faith, but your perception of reality isn't strong enough to change reality.
It is clear that God exists but you suppress that knowledge. If He exists, He is pure. If He is pure, you are not. If you are not, you deserve the entirety of His wrath and fury. Christ absorbed that for those who radically trust in Him and love others.
Sounds stupid right? God firmly agrees (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Doxologica: Thanks for your comment, I appreciate some of the compliments. You seem to be more of an intellectual than me. But can I just confirm whether you destined me for eternal damnation or not?
Thanks,
Mr. X
Mr. X:
I like what other folks have already said, but let's translate that a little bit, if necessary:
Where I am foolish, Christ is wise.
Where I am weak, Christ is strong.
Where I am wise, Christ is my wisdom.
Where I am strong, Christ is my strength.
Thus, I like the sheep metaphor. I do, however, hate that '[some biblical sites] patronise [sic] atheists' That is not Christian behavior. Hopefully, that was a miscommunication and not belittling discourse. In the name of Christ, and as a Christian, I ask your forgiveness for such behavior. (Whether it's a miscommunication on our part or a misunderstanding on your part, Christians ought to do a better job being gentle.)
Note: Doxologica has not the power to destine you for eternal damnation (and did not claim to); that power rests in Christ alone.
Steven,
Did you ever stop to think about how hateful your theology is, how much god messed up in creating us, etc? In effect, you are saying that humans are vile, evil creatures that are stupid, weak, etc. I'd rather take a more pro-human approach than believe that an all loving and perfect god created such hateful beings.
Doxologica,
"I affirm that the whole sheep illustration is for the exact reason that we Christians are stupid and weak, God even calls us that in Scripture (1 Corinthians 1:27) so I don't think any real Christian would have a problem with this post."
Are you glad that the god who supposedly loves you calls you stupid and weak to your face, especially after making you that way?
"It is clear that God exists but you suppress that knowledge."
Evidence pls? Kthx.
"If He exists, He is pure. If He is pure, you are not. If you are not, you deserve the entirety of His wrath and fury."
This is more hateful Xian rhetoric. We deserve hell? Sorry, but no one deserves hell. It is infinitely unjust to punish someone infinitely for finite crimes. god is infinitely unjust if he puts even one soul into hell. Why would a loving god create hell in the first place?
"Christ absorbed that for those who radically trust in Him and love others."
Why does the act of believing absolve one of these alleged crimes more than the act of living a good life? What is it about belief that supposedly makes one worthy of saving? Further, when Jesus said to love one's neighbors, there's strong evidence that he only meant fellow Jews. The Bible is certainly filled with tales of god exhorting his people to NOT love their neighbors and even becoming angry when the aren't vicious or cruel enough.
I didn't quite get that last comment, but I assume I ought to accept your apology on the behalf of Christians for patronising people. Although personally I think the Spanish Inquisition and the Rwanda thing were a bit worse.
Baa! Baa!
I've been spending some time at Ray Comfort's blog, and it's painful reading.
I think it's very cool, that most posters at Comfort's blog are atheists pointing out how dumb he is, and some Christians, and yet here at your place the commenters are mainly Christian.
I don't hate Jesus anymore. I did when the scales first fell from my eyes and I realised that there could be no God.
Now I tend to subscribe to the notion that he may not even have ever existed, abd is in fact an amalgam of many messiah beliefs.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
The goal of these men are obvious--Let us not waste time with foolish arguments and long defenses. This has been going on for nearly 2000 years. Let us continue to build each other up in our most holy faith, keeping our eyes upward and our minds on things above. Those who are drawn to Christ will find him, for He finds all of His lost sheep.
But these men are not open to dialogue, only ridicule and persecution. Indeed, their knowledge puffs them up, and they will only continue to try and put us to shame with their tests, their questions and their fine sounding arguments. Let us be like sheep and remain silent and dumb.
Brothers and sisters, the Son of Man is coming--let no man tell you otherwise--and when He is revealed from the heavens with power and glory, our hope and vindication will be made manifest. Keep your eyes on the shepherd of your souls.
Grace and peace...
Bleat. Baah.
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