No, you don’t, and neither did the Crusaders. If you look at just the words attributed directly to JC you see none of this behavior. One doesn’t have to have any belief in him as a god to appreciate the simplicity of the message.
How much of it is original material, though? Of the Christian principles related directly to the words of Jesus, which ones didn’t exist before in some form or another?
Yes, but if you look at just the words attributed directly to the lawgiver in Judaism, it’s likewise the mere simplicity of Thou Shalt Not Steal and Thou Shalt Not Murder and Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness and so on.
“I come not to bring peace, but a sword.” - Jesus.
As has been pointed out, they are not exclusive to Christianity.
I think you’re taking the concept of the United States based on Chrisitian principles too literally. It certainly wasn’t derived as an extension of Christ since Christianity isn’t a political system. It’s based on people whose backgrounds were mostly Christian of one denomination or another as well as the social structure of the progenitor nation. We’re the product of “God Fearin Brittish subjects” who wanted to lose the monarchy in favor of a democratic republic.
It’s an acknowledgment that we muddled through that period in history when other political/social systems missed the mark. Of course, we measure that by our own standards so we’re always going to rate high on our own scale. If you think our ancestors did OK in comparison to other countries then props should be given to the political/social structure that created it.
The principles thatChristians make claim to were used 500BC by the Buddah, the Golden rule was his and if he borrowed it from someone else I do not know. I know atheists who live by the Christians principle more than a lot of Christians.
I think I’m beginning to see your point, but why would mandating {if it can truly be called that} be a principle? And in what context would Buddha not be a religious figure?
Selected Christian principles - with quotes and citations.
- Worship only God
- Respect all people
- Be humble
- Be honest
- Live a moral life
- Be generous with time and money
- Practice what you preach; don’t be a hypocrite
- Don’t be self-righteous
- Don’t hold a grudge
- Forgive others
In theory, a Christian would follow these principles. In practice I don’t see a lot of evidence of this.
You are not incorrect.
A principle is a result of a reasonably based decision making process that results in a code of behavior that is accepted in a society.
Christian religion is based on irrefutable axioms. It has no principles, it only has rules.
By the way, I made the mistake to watch that dreadful show for a minute just in case it provided some humor.
Those degenerates are truly what conservatism is all about, and they truly represent the core of the Republican politics.
I’m glad they’re showing their true self, but I’m sad humans can become the trash that these women are.
He also invented the sammich.
More seriously, Jesus was only late by a decade or two. I always figured that the Jesus As A Lad In Temple scene was actually supposed to be a reference to Hillel, noting where the worthy was supposed to be at the time.
Jesus really comes off as someone who built on Hillel’s ideas and then just went to the logical extremes with them.
Christians have morals until they become Christians interested in politics a then theyre just greed is good my group is more important than your group douchebags.
I am sure that Thomas Jefferson has already put this worthy concept into better english than has been uttered here. I lack the industry to go google it.
Thanks;
I think that’s a fair recap of what many Christians might call Christian principles, rather than just doctrine, although most of them fall under number 5. I don’t see any that are uniquely Christian , as in, not also taught by other religions and even before Jesus.
I think it’s the context of the phrase I object to. It’s usually offered in a way that suggests Christians have dibs on this nation, and some sort of possession.
“It’s ours, we built it” kind of thing. When it comes to principles I agree now that there may indeed be principles that Christians teach and share, but I hesitate to call them Christian principles.
One approach would be to list the American principles and then investigate how the Founding Fathers arrived at each of them. There are broad principles such as individual rights and democracy, and more specific ones like states’ rights, the separation of powers, the bicameral legislature, along with every other provision in the Constitution.
Did each one derive from the Christian tradition? Or were they inspired by the Greeks or Romans or the Age of Enlightenment or direct reasoning?
You’re right.
What we now call morality or ethics, usually codes of behavior for not harming other people for personal gain, that most of the enumerated principles above are examples of, were well developed and described as a philosophical basis of social moral living even with ancient Greeks.
A definitive Christian principle would be the eternal damnation to the Christian hell for whoever does not believe in the Christian god(s).
Or the one that blessed slavery for 1,500 years by giving divine permission and purpose to Europeans to consider the natives of other lands as objects to be abused and exploited for monetary gain.
If more Christians lived by what they call Christian Principles, we would not need so many jails,policemen, etc. too many spend their time like the Pharisees. using their version of the law, and looking for the speck in their neighbor’s eye, instead of living the spirit that Jesus is said to use. it seems to me, that Jesus told people to spread the Good News, not try to convert others. He didn’t try to convert anyone.
My general assessment of what Jesus taught was just his insight and view of the reality of the world. That men, all men are connected and we need to change our thinking to see reality in that way and work to live it, and hopefully help others understand it.
He taught that aside from religious dogma and tradition, and the superficial, the true person resided in the heart and mind of the individual and was ultimately reflected in their relationship with others and how they treated their fellow humans.
IOW, the principles we live by.
Is this the Christian principle that inspired the Second Amendment?
Buddhism is in the gray area between “religion” and “philosophy.” Quite a few practicing Buddhists on these boards have prefaced their description of it as “not a religion.” A quick Google search turns up lots of “not a religion, but it can be practiced as one” citations. I’m certainly not calling it lesser or inferior to western religions, but if religions are apples, Buddhism is…not an orange, but more like a pear or a quince.
At any rate, I’ll have to take Rabbi Hillel as the answer. He slipped my mind because (a) I thought he lived much later, (b) I’d always heard the “Stand on one foot” challenge attributed to medieval German Christians taunting him to convert, and © I always confuse him with Maimonides.