denying the power thereof

If the devil cannot move Christians to an unbelief in Jesus, he will then attack Jesus' power as no longer for today. Jesus says somewhere? your lips are close but your hearts are far from me? Meanwhile what about all those 'first shall be last' and 'last shall be first' references?

a sign of weakness

If one is insulted then that is ipso facto a sign of weakness which is also by itself evidence there is a control of your self-being out of your control and with someone or something outside yourself. This weakness often resides in the belief the group is the supreme standard over the individual. An singular individual by himself is not subject to peer pressure. A group duplicated individual however would be.

the Pope and pagan Christians

Recently the Pope referred to some people who call themselves Christians as really pagan Christians. Pagan as term is a rather older historical reference to non-Christians more closely associated with the Christian beginnings. Another present day definition might be more up to date, Christian atheists. Atheists or humanists are in the ascendency, dominating all religions in their cultural square among academic intellectuals. There were in fact more than ten years ago about half of seminary professors who were polled, openly admitting atheism which makes you wonder how many of the rest are closet atheists.
Present day there are many attending churches who do not believe in everything Christian. Their code phrase is no longer for today. This viewpoint is like the evolvers who want to change the Constitution. They in like kind also want to change the Bible to accommodate their non Christian views. Anyone talking about God who does not believe something long held about God is an atheist on that point. Still, they believe in Jesus as Christ, they just do not believe everything. They are with Christ on some points and with atheists on certain other points.
There are many Christians who just cannot believe everything about Christianity. They lack complete belief and that is atheist as well, albeit involuntary. One cannot believe by whim. Agreement is not belief, going along is not belief, it has to be deep within the spirit of a person by reflection without considerations. As Paul suggested, there are those who believe Jesus Christ but not the power thereof.

seeing is believing unless you think about it

The primary message of Jesus was that there is a spiritually unseen life more important than the short transitory physical life presented before our eyes. Many people only believe what they see, which can be misleading just in itself. However, today there are obviously many intelligent folks who do not have an adequate respect for their ignorance. A smart man knows he is ignorant. A dull man thinks because he knows so much that is already known, he knows all there is known which dominates the unknown. Unfortunately, unless he specifically dwells upon it, all that impressive jazz he knows is a minute sliver of what there is to be known.


Therefore some decide on the very slim information they think they know, that a decision can be certain based on incomplete facts, when it actually just the faith of others they deride. God is a term often used for the unseen God only knows. But we have no time to figure out all the answers even if that too was possible, so we are thrown back on our faith and the faith of others. How it all works out is one thing, but God is the spiritual personification of existence whether you are comfortable with it or not. All is theory and must include their often missing correspondent definitions.

why Jesus teachings could not be socialist

If you believe in group salvation, as a prominent speaker has many times emphasized in commencement speeches to students graduating, then yes, Jesus, for you, is a socialist. Speaking of people as if they were groups is not supported in interpretations of the Christian experience. The parable of the talents should take precedence here. We are all dealt a deck of talents and we should multiple it or it will be taken from us. Thereupon we are treated to a concise description of the free capitalist experience. Very difficult to escape from this, but even more difficult to assume the group mantle rather than individual responsibility taking the lead is Matt 20:15 where private property is assumed . There are others where only grace can justify you rather than any groups. In any case we all believe what suits our preconceived perspectives and desires from the root within ourselves. And that too is the spirit of the matter.

theme of Jesus missed by many

The spirit of a matter is the source of the letter of a matter. The main message of the most ancient writers, not highlighted by many today, is that God is the spirit of existence. And not similiar to an idol, merely a supreme being. Many people miss the main message of Jesus also, who are unaware of the existence of the abstracted world of the spirit, that of the existence of the abstract "unseen" like the wind, full of forces like gravity or magnetics. Instead, the majority of voices raised up against God are really focused singularly against churches, not God.

They are repelled by the history of all churches which if one were to devote their attention to just the christian churches alone their clerical story of violent disagreement and hair splitting is shocking in the extreme. On these reflections the basis for atheism rests. On this well it might if that were the proper definition of God on which they very often substitute the concept of supreme being.

It's all about us for our own benefit

Like John 3:16 everything Jesus said to do was for our own benefit. You forgive someone for your benefit, not theirs. God can forgive sins not us, so it remains only for us to do it for our own benefit. That is the purpose of everything we do and believe. Anything a person thinks or believes based on what someone else says is that person's responsibility not someone elses. This is true because it is for the spirit within a man and whatever other spirit or spirits he deals with that convicts his heart. The Holy Spirit convicts, not Billy Graham for example. Billy Graham is a slave of Jesus just doing what he is told. If you follow Jesus you are dead in Christ and the dead are in no position to say God changes his mind, is not for today, or restrict or limit His promises in any way. J'es my view. Davin Paralee