He came to bring a sword between family members.
No one is saying quarelling with others is a sign of righteousness. Only that following a path that is against the norm will likely bring you in conflict with others.
I will defend Jesus treatment of his Mother (and Father) as I have done before.
Most parents in most cultures feel that they have a right to direct the lives of their children. While this is obviously largely true while the child is a minor, it becomes a problem once the child reaches...
I think there is a fundamental difference you are missing. The church (from I know) tells its own members to stay away from, shun or otherwise distrust apostates. The apostates can have no fight against this as they have no natural or legal right to the association of anyone, including JWs.
So...
I've just realised that you have began a new topic.
Jesus at times displays a dogmatic ego by making people's happiness and salvation dependent on how they treat him or whether or not they listen to or follow him.
But if looked at with a spiritual eye, there maybe something else other than ego...
As specified in another post, I assume we are talking about adults, including adult children. I don't know of a country that requires any adults (including parents) to associate with other adults. If it is the case then that country clearly does not respect the right to freedom of association...
No one has any right to the association of another. If you walk a different path from mine in terms of fundamental beliefs there is nothing wrong with me choosing not to associate with you. In fact it may be in the best interest of yours and mine's mental welfare to rather keep our distance...
I mistated the quote - If you love someone you let them do what makes them happy. You have no obligation to do anything for them.
NOTE: I'm assuming we are talking about an adult child.
Yes - if one does not read anything spiritual into it, then this is clearly a huge expression of ego.
From a spiritual perspective Jesus appears to be advocating for principle above subjective emotions and connections. Truth over all (Remember he says "I am the way the truth and the life") . So...
I have often heard it being said that if you care about someone you do what makes them happy - not what you think should make them happy. So a case can be made that those who are trying to disturb the happiness of others (be it a delusion or not) are not acting out of care but out of some sort...
Because when using a figure of speech, it is understood that one is comparing aspect of the two objects rather than saying that the one is the other. This is especially true of simile. In fact in the quoted passage the specific similarities the author sees are specifically mentioned to show that...
Except Jesus was the one who said: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
And when Peter tried to move him from his purpose he said to him "Get thee behind me, Satan...
1) "They say apostates lie":
Isn't this just a battle of ideas and beliefs? Atheists think Christians are lying; many Christians think Mormons are lying; Leftists think Right-wingers are liars and vice versa?; how is that slander in a way that is criminally actionable?
2) "they associate...
There is not much to add really. I think you have pretty right.
In the end we all dream of the same heaven. God himself has promised one heaven to the believers. So there is a sense that the inequities we see here on earth are, to a large an extent, a distortion of the true order of heaven...
I would like to hear more on your thoughts around his relations with his family. My interpretation is that Jesus was very careful, from an early age to do what psychologists call "setting boundaries and expectations". The narrative of the gospels is that Jesus came to do his father's will or...
You have cleverly inserted wealth into a discussion about having enough worldly possessions to live comfortably. As I mentioned in another post to Vouthon , wealth and the worldly possessions required to live and comfortably raise a family are two very different things. For example Jesus...