Matthew 28: 18-20And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark 16: 15-20And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Both passages were written long after the words were supposedly spoken by Jesus. And the lines from Mark are supposed to have been spoken posthumously by Jesus.
And, considering the explicit words of Jesus in his ‘Sermon on the Mount’, which profess that the enlightened will naturally attract and inspire others by their own perfect example, and that anyone who sincerely asks shall receive, and the warning (Matthew 7: 22-23) that:Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
it should be clear that the posthumous instructions have turned the original teaching on its head.
And it should also be clear that anyone who is eligible to convert the spirit of others must also be able to drink deadly poisons without any harm. And all those who are bent on converting the religion of others should first prove themselves by taking some deadly poison.
If a Christian missionary ever came to my door, intoxicated but unaffected by the poison, and with a venomous serpent (perhaps a cobra) in his hand, I would be interested in his wisdom; but otherwise it would be more in keeping with his own Lord’s personal instruction to make himself into a candle stationed on a hill, so that others (of their own volition) will come to him and ask for instruction.
Matthew 7: 1-8Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 5: 37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Bookmarks