Ken Camell ll
Hum 6
Nov 1 2020
Prof Sabsevary
Essay #2
How did Jesus (Yeshua Ben Yosef) feel his disciples failed to recognize he was the son of God (Yahweh), the one who was sent to rescue the children of Israel ?
For the most part no one wants to suffer, with the exception of S & M participants so whoever is willing to live or die for the sake of someone else is truly rare. With that being said it is easy to understand why Jesus's 12 disciples (Apostles) were so reluctant to see him as the Messiah as opposed to some nice dude who is so empathetic he may be crazy.
I know what it means to shed blood while attempting to save someone else's suffering. One night in 2002 A.D. a peaceful party went awry when one of my childhood friends got punched and as I moved toward my friend who was on the ground I was grabbed by a couple of people. The people who grabbed were attempting to throw me on the ground ended up ripping my jacket ,scuffing my shoes plus hitting me in the head with a bottle in which split my head resulting in 15 staples (life long scar) and my friend ended up with a busted lip which healed later that week. In no way am I comparing myself to Jesus (even though I am a child of God) crucifixion however I did sacrifice myself to spare someone else's pain.
When I was in the 5th grade my teacher (Ms Schmitz) told my 2 best friends to stop hanging out with me because I was going to lead them down the wrong path. My 2 friends went to excel in high school then they went to college where they separately ended up in jail. I have to spend time in jail or prison although I did receive a misdemeanor for possession of 2 grams of marijuana plus I did get a misdemeanor for a wet & reckless. It's ironic how one of my friends my teacher tried to save from me was the same person I got hit with the bottle for.
When Jesus was on the cross he asked God "Why have thou forsaken me"? is evidence that Jesus's faith in God was wavering which clearly demonstrates Jesus was conflicted. He was conflicted in the sense that even though he knew his destiny was to sacrifice his life for the salvation of humankind yet the suffering had become physically and mentally overwhelming. I guess it's safe to say Jesus's faith was stronger than his doubt. We can conclude that Thomas the Apostle wasn't the only doubter.
20 years ago I felt forsaken by the higher power when I saved 20 of my associates from getting citations for smoking marijuana at Stinson Beach. 2 sheriffs accused myself and my associates of "smoking weed in public "so everyone denied it then the sheriffs left. The sheriffs returned with the same "smoking weed" allegation so one sheriff promised no one will get a citation or a ticket for being honest and I was the only person who admitted to smoking and I was the only person to get a ticket/citation.
After viewing Alain De Botton's presentation on religion and atheism I asked myself is it possible to be a spiritual non believer or religiously secular ? I concluded that Botton's "pick and mix" theory is ideal. I have been choosing different aspects from different religions to combine them to shape a personal moral guide or a custom made wisdom guide. I have been scolded by Christians, Muslims and Atheists for refusing to claim one religion. I've been influenced by Christianity through my grandmother, I was also influenced by Islam through my cousin in Alaska plus Malcom X. I have been influenced by Buddahism through personal spiritual discovery and I've even been influenced by Atheism through one of my neighbors. I am pretty sure all religions have some positive qualities so it is unwise to close your mind into exploring religious traditions that came before and after your religion existed.
According to the pew research center Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with 2.3 billion adherents/followers. The second most popular is Islam with 1.8 billion adherents/ followers and the third most populated religion/non religion is unafiliated with 1.2 billlion adherents/followers.
These statistics are proof of how strong and effective the promotion ( via The Crusades, colonialism and missionaries) of the New Testament was. It is quite interesting how popular The New Testament and the Roman Catholic Church have become despite the harsh treatment Jesus received from the Romans. Sounds like Stockholm Syndrome.
On the other hand Im am certain that the bible's redemption appeal plays a factor in Christianity's popularity. One story in particular was when Jesus entered a brothel/orgy and Jesus told the story of 2 sons. One son demanded his inheritance and decided to leave his father's farm while the other son stayed behind and continued to assist their father on the farm. After the son who went astray money ran out he debated on returning to his father's farm and after being conflicted he ultimately decided to return home. Upon his arrival to his father's farm his father rejoiced and held a celebration for the return of his "lost" son, now while all this is transpiring the son who chose to stay behind gets frustrated since he can not understand why his father is rewarding his brother after he deserted them. The frustrated son confronted his father about celebrating his selfish brother to which his father explained his son left due to immaturity and why he is grateful his "lost" son returned. This story represents "The Heart of The Lord is Mercy" and no matter how far you stray ,you can always return home to the Lord(Yaweh, God).
