Yes, though I'm not a Christian, that doesn't mean Jesus didn't say certain things that are true. Among them: Judge the tree by its fruits.
"Israel" was the name granted to Jacob, the third of the patriarchs, upon wrestling with the stranger prior to his final meeting with his brother, Esau. Definition of Israel: He who struggles with G-d. Which is partly of how Judaism and Islam are antithetical in certain manners, as Islam means: "He who submits to G-d."
(Noah came prior to Jacob, btw, not later).
"Jews" refers, generally, to those of the tribe of Judah. After the Assyrians captured the other tribes, there were few left except for the tribe of Judah, Levi, and some of the Benjaminites (and not many of them). Judah was easily the largest of the tribes, though, which is likely where the name came from.
Non Jews can be considering among the righteous if they follow the seven laws of Noah. That includes Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, etc.
Deuteronomy 4 -- passages in the Torah can be read on multiple levels. There's the base meaning, the numerical meaning, the spiritual meaning, etc. Yes, it is a warning of worshipping materialism, but can also be extended to other faiths I described.
And yes, materialistic Jews, Christians, etc who talk the talk but don't walk the walk are not going to get the nicest of judgments in the end. The fourth commandment (third to Christians) "Thou shalt not carry the name of the Lord thy G-d in vain." This doesn't mean not yelling "G-d damn it!" when you stub your toe. But the actual meaning is not to use G-d as a justification for evil. A priest who seduces an altar boy by telling him that G-d would encourage the seduction has violated this commandment. Also, the aftermath of the description of the commandment is that G-d will not hold anyone who violates it blameless. Even if the Christian appeals to Jesus to clean his sin, or if the Jew performs Teshuvah and fasts for it on Yom Kippur, that sin of justifying evil with the name of G-d cannot be erased.
I must admit, it's hard for me to understand the mindset of someone in a religion that rewards the infliction of suffering. I can understand, on some level, that it gives pleasure on Earth at the price of suffering in the hereafter. But to imagine a reward for cruelty being pleasure on Earth with the hopes of pleasure in the hereafter -- having the cake and eating it too -- hard to accept a deity like that. I can't imagine that's one that's good for the cosmos.
I don't care to discuss theology in-depth but if you apply occam's razor and take the epistles at face value, scripture like 'we are the temple of god' obviously completes prophecies about restoring the temple, there are many such examples.
I your god exists then the sacred texts are full of red herrings designed to misdirect and mislead 'narrow is the path' - I think to get into heaven you'd have to be such a suckup and morally-upright person, I'd probably not get in even if I 'repented' and tried my best. for satan the criteria is much easier to meet.
I can't imagine that's one that's good for the cosmos.
Maybe 10,000 years from now we will rebel and overthrow satan, going back to your god. Would be cool and very battlestar galactica of us.
Yes, though I'm not a Christian, that doesn't mean Jesus didn't say certain things that are true. Among them: Judge the tree by its fruits.
"Israel" was the name granted to Jacob, the third of the patriarchs, upon wrestling with the stranger prior to his final meeting with his brother, Esau. Definition of Israel: He who struggles with G-d. Which is partly of how Judaism and Islam are antithetical in certain manners, as Islam means: "He who submits to G-d."
(Noah came prior to Jacob, btw, not later).
"Jews" refers, generally, to those of the tribe of Judah. After the Assyrians captured the other tribes, there were few left except for the tribe of Judah, Levi, and some of the Benjaminites (and not many of them). Judah was easily the largest of the tribes, though, which is likely where the name came from.
Non Jews can be considering among the righteous if they follow the seven laws of Noah. That includes Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, etc.
Deuteronomy 4 -- passages in the Torah can be read on multiple levels. There's the base meaning, the numerical meaning, the spiritual meaning, etc. Yes, it is a warning of worshipping materialism, but can also be extended to other faiths I described.
And yes, materialistic Jews, Christians, etc who talk the talk but don't walk the walk are not going to get the nicest of judgments in the end. The fourth commandment (third to Christians) "Thou shalt not carry the name of the Lord thy G-d in vain." This doesn't mean not yelling "G-d damn it!" when you stub your toe. But the actual meaning is not to use G-d as a justification for evil. A priest who seduces an altar boy by telling him that G-d would encourage the seduction has violated this commandment. Also, the aftermath of the description of the commandment is that G-d will not hold anyone who violates it blameless. Even if the Christian appeals to Jesus to clean his sin, or if the Jew performs Teshuvah and fasts for it on Yom Kippur, that sin of justifying evil with the name of G-d cannot be erased.
I must admit, it's hard for me to understand the mindset of someone in a religion that rewards the infliction of suffering. I can understand, on some level, that it gives pleasure on Earth at the price of suffering in the hereafter. But to imagine a reward for cruelty being pleasure on Earth with the hopes of pleasure in the hereafter -- having the cake and eating it too -- hard to accept a deity like that. I can't imagine that's one that's good for the cosmos.
I don't care to discuss theology in-depth but if you apply occam's razor and take the epistles at face value, scripture like 'we are the temple of god' obviously completes prophecies about restoring the temple, there are many such examples.
I your god exists then the sacred texts are full of red herrings designed to misdirect and mislead 'narrow is the path' - I think to get into heaven you'd have to be such a suckup and morally-upright person, I'd probably not get in even if I 'repented' and tried my best. for satan the criteria is much easier to meet.
Maybe 10,000 years from now we will rebel and overthrow satan, going back to your god. Would be cool and very battlestar galactica of us.