Jesus Christ is the Revolution

The core proclamation of Jesus of Nazareth has everything to do with a revolution of the human spirit that can ignite social change and human liberation.

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000 1 amv best clip dance erotic fmp gregorian him klip love music pixar rock sex simpsons tokio hotel авто анимация аниме без тебя бог боль видео видеоклип видеоклипы война выступление гадание галустян группы девушки дети дискотека 80-х друзья единоборства животные здоровье зло искусство история квн кино клип клипы концерт кошки лесби лето любовь максим музыка мульт мультик мультфильм мультфильмы наруто небо нло олимпийский оригами отдых пародия песни песня попугай прикол приколы природа путин разное реклама рок ролик семья смех собаки спорт стас михайлов стриптиз супер танец танцы тату творчество успех фильм ххх чечня шансон эротика я яой
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000 1 amv best clip dance erotic fmp gregorian him klip love music pixar rock sex simpsons tokio hotel авто анимация аниме без тебя бог боль видео видеоклип видеоклипы война выступление гадание галустян группы девушки дети дискотека 80-х друзья единоборства животные здоровье зло искусство история квн кино клип клипы концерт кошки лесби лето любовь максим музыка мульт мультик мультфильм мультфильмы наруто небо нло олимпийский оригами отдых пародия песни песня попугай прикол приколы природа путин разное реклама рок ролик семья смех собаки спорт стас михайлов стриптиз супер танец танцы тату творчество успех фильм ххх чечня шансон эротика я яой
Adriana Lima
Alec Baldwin
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David Hernandez
Haley Scarnato
Jessica Sierra
Jordin Sparks
Katherine McPhee
Kelly Clarkson
Sanjaya Malakar
Season 7
Shyamali Malakar
Taylor Hicks
Анальный секс
Боди-массаж
Госпожа
Групповой секс
Доминация
Золотой дождь
Игрушки
Классический секс
Кунилингус
Легкая доминация
Лесбийский секс
Лесбис шоу
Массаж Аква
Массаж классический
Массаж урологический
Массаж эротический
Оральный секс
Пип-шоу
Рабыня
Ролевые игры
Секс мужчинам
Семейным парам
Страпон
Стриптиз
Фетиш
Экстрим
Эскорт



000 1 amv best clip dance erotic fmp gregorian him klip love music pixar rock sex simpsons tokio hotel авто анимация аниме без тебя бог боль видео видеоклип видеоклипы война выступление гадание галустян группы девушки дети дискотека 80-х друзья единоборства животные здоровье зло искусство история квн кино клип клипы концерт кошки лесби лето любовь максим музыка мульт мультик мультфильм мультфильмы наруто небо нло олимпийский оригами отдых пародия песни песня попугай прикол приколы природа путин разное реклама рок ролик семья смех собаки спорт стас михайлов стриптиз супер танец танцы тату творчество успех фильм ххх чечня шансон эротика я яой
Adriana Lima
Alec Baldwin
Alessandra Ambrosio
Alicia Silverstone
Alyssa Milano
Anna Faris
Anna Kournikova
Anna Nicole Smith
Ashlee Simpson
Ashley Tisdale
Ashton Kutcher
Aubrey O'Day
Audrina Patridge
Autumn Reeser
Beyonce
Brangelina
Britney Spears
Brooke Hogan
Caitlin Upton
Cameron Diaz
Carmen Electra
Cate Blanchett
Charlize Theron
Christina Aguilera
Christina Milian
Coco
Danielle Lloyd
David and Victoria Beckham
Denise Richards
Dita Von Teese
Drew Barrymore
Eddie Murphy
Elisha Cuthbert
Elizabeth Hurley
Elle McPherson
Eminem
Eva Longoria
Eva Mendes
Fergie
Gemma Atkinson
George Clooney
Gisele Bundchen
Gwen Stefani
Halle Berry
Harry Potter
Hayden Panettiere
Haylie Duff
Heather Mills
Heidi Klum
Heidi Montag
Hilary Duff
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Ian Ziering
Jackie Chan
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jamie Lynn Spears
Jamie Pressly
Janet Jackson
Jenna Jameson
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jessica Alba
Jessica Biel
Jessica Simpson
Joanna Krupa
Justin Timberlake
Kate Beckinsale
Kate Hudson
Katherine Heigl
Katie Jordan Price
Keanu Reeves
Kim Kardashian
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Kristen Bell
Kristin Cavallari
Lance Bass
Lauren Conrad
Lindsay Lohan
Lucy Pinder
Madonna
Mandy Moore
Mariah Carey
Marisa Miller
Megan Fox
Melanie Brown
Mena Suvari
Michael Jackson
Michelle Rodriguez
Mila Kunis
Miley Cyrus
Molly Sims
Naomi Watts
Natalie Portman
Nelly Furtado
Nick Lachey
Nicky Hilton
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Richie
Nicollette Sheridan
OJ Simpson
Owen Wilson
Pamela Anderson
Paris Hilton
Petra Nemcova
Pink
Ray Liotta
Reese Witherspoon
Rihanna
Rosario Dawson
Rose McGowan
Rosie O'Donnell
Ryan Reynolds
Salma Hayek
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Scarlett Johansson
Sean "Diddy" Combs
Shanna Moakler
Sylvester Stallone
Tara Conner
Tara Reid
Tila Tequila
TomKat
Uma Thurman
Usher
Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Minnillo
Victoria Beckham
Vida Guerra
Will Ferrell
Will Smith
Zac Efron
Alaina Alexander
Amy Davis
Antonella Barba
Blake Lewis
Carrie Underwood
Chris Sligh
Clay Aiken
David Archuleta
David Hernandez
Haley Scarnato
Jessica Sierra
Jordin Sparks
Katherine McPhee
Kelly Clarkson
Sanjaya Malakar
Season 7
Shyamali Malakar
Taylor Hicks
Анальный секс
Боди-массаж
Госпожа
Групповой секс
Доминация
Золотой дождь
Игрушки
Классический секс
Кунилингус
Легкая доминация
Лесбийский секс
Лесбис шоу
Массаж Аква
Массаж классический
Массаж урологический
Массаж эротический
Оральный секс
Пип-шоу
Рабыня
Ролевые игры
Секс мужчинам
Семейным парам
Страпон
Стриптиз
Фетиш
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Эскорт

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Elias Fernandez:

Jesus's teachings represented a dangerous situation for the Roman Empire, and to all its client power elites in Judea. So, Pontious Pilatus got rid of him. Paul represented the same danger, so Nero got rid of him.

The words in Gal 3:27-28 calls for the unity of the New Way to face the oppression of the Romans, to not pay heed to the power symnbols of Rome (the pagan gods).

Yes, Jesus and Paul were revolutionaries, full of dynamite political messages so much so the had to be eliminated by the power elites.

Please, refer to Horsley & Silverman's "The Message and The Kingdom" -How Jesus & Paul ignited a revolution and transformed teh ancient World-.

m376k

Freevoice:

Veils of Maya:

I don’t want to burst your bubble but I have evidence that your sources have an agenda.

The following is an excerpt of University of Amsterdam study coming from Cambridge University press “Group differences in mean intelligence for the Dutch and third world Immigrants.”

Since IQ tests provide the bet prediction of success in school and organizations, it could be that the immigrants’ lower mean IQ is an important factor in their low status on the Dutch labour market.” Intelligence as measured by standardized IQ test is the most important predictor of economic success in Western society (Schmidt & Hunter).

-----------------------------------------

As a woman/single mother they forcibly (through the might of the government) marginalized and kept me isolated from society and tried very hard to convince me that my economic deprivation was due to my low IQ. It cost me years of my life but I did my homework and dismantled the myth. In the Netherlands my life had to be governed by the state because women in my position had no right to freedom of choice. I am still a woman/mother but in the United States I make my own choices and I have no low IQ….I run the show. I am living proof that Socialism is slavery under a new formula and Multiculturalism the new Apartheid.

In 2002 the New York Times became the platform for the Dutch status quo to convince the American public that Pim Fortuyn was an extreme right-wing danger to minorities/Muslims….Pim Fortuyn was killed but at the same time this paper of record became the vehicle to prop-up Hirsi Ali the fraud and opportunist as a god and savior of the West.

The non-religious society you regard as healthy rewards fraud, deception and corruption, sexual perversion and exploitation. Radical feminist who advocate the sexual exploitation of girls and young woman by older women are holier than thou while woman with children are lower than dogs.

If you want to live a self-destructive life you get all the help you need but if your goal is becoming a productive member of society you automatically become persona non grata. How healthy is that?


Acrapist:

Free Voice =/= Free Thought

Freevoice:

Veils of Maya:

"In addition, this firm only invests in companies that are green (concerned with or supporting protection of the environment) Sounds like a free market to me."

They protect the environment while they destroy the lives of innocent human beings. Animals get better treatment.....did you hear about the Eco-Nostra supported by the government?

"Someone already did the math: These were statistics from the Cambridge University, Journal of Religion and Society and The New York Times."

Very good sources but it comes from somebody in a comfortable position behind a desk long distance who I am sure has a political agenda….making sure the United States become the Netherlands. I don’t have my information second hand I talk about everyday reality.

"it's clear that non-religious societies do not always result in fundamentalist states that have "...failed [their citizens] miserably.", as you claimed."

The Netherlands is for some a supposedly healthy non-religious society but I know that socialism (religious fundamentalism without God that gives aid and comfort to Islamo-fascism is the norm) disguised as tolerant multiculturalism. Killing people who dare to challenge the status quo…..I am still alive by the grace of God but others were not as fortunate.

The Netherlands has the same social ills as the United States…..the only thing is that the media is reporting everything and people get to know about it….in the Netherlands information is being suppressed, most news outlets are in cahoots with the government and it gives the rest of the world a false impression of reality.

Instead of relying on second/third hand information to shape your out-look and influence your thinking you should find a more resourceful way before you jump to a conclusion. I escaped the authoritarian rule of the Netherlands and can tell difference between there and here. If the United States appears to be an unhealthy society people have nobody to blame but themselves because freedom comes with responsibility. When you live an irresponsible life you need to suffer the consequences as simple as that. The government is not a baby-sitter!

Pushing the United States to become a socialist state will be the end of freedom and liberty for all…..mark my words. Take the freedoms you now have for granted go ahead and be my guest….but don’t start whining about oppression when you lose it.


Veils of Maya:

Freevoice: wrote: "Gender equality is a farce.....gender feminist rule and women/mothers are vilified and kept on the sideline of society as slaves of the state."

The Bible isn't exactly a major proponent for women's rights. Sounds like you're towing the party line.

Freevoice: wrote: "Educational attainment for some with the government as the biggest employer......not the freemarket where people can make their own choices. They forgot to mention the many highly educated who are unemployed but get government funds to run programs that supposedly help minorities."

One of the companies I worked for received a significant investment from a venture capital company in the Netherlands. The founder of said VC firm acquired a telecom business, turned it around with a innovative management strategy and sold it for a huge profit. In addition, this firm only invests in companies that are green (concerned with or supporting protection of the environment) Sounds like a free market to me.

Freevoice: wrote: "The Netherlands has 16 Million people and the United States almost 300 Million...you do the math."

Someone already did the math: These were statistics from the Cambridge University, Journal of Religion and Society and The New York Times.

Again, while no country is perfect, it's clear that non-religious societies do not always result in fundamentalist states that have "...failed [their citizens] miserably.", as you claimed.

Freevoice: wrote: "You should leave the United States and go where the grass is greener....and utopia on earth...so that the United States can maintain its uniqueness."

Being a unique society and being a healthy society are two different things. Sounds you think maintaining status quo is more important than results.

Freevoice:

"The Netherlands, Denmark and the UK that are the least religious, yet are the healthiest as indicated by life expectancy, literacy, per capita income, educational attainment, gender equality, homicide rate and infant mortality."

Believe what you want....but saying that people in the Netherlands are the healthiest because they are the least religious is so much propaganda and all laughable.

Gender equality is a farce.....gender feminist rule and women/mothers are vilified and kept on the sideline of society as slaves of the state.

Educational attainment for some with
the government as the biggest employer......not the freemarket where people can make their own choices. They forgot to mention the many highly educated who are unemployed but get government funds to run programs that supposedly help minorities.

The Netherlands has 16 Million people and the United States almost 300 Million...you do the math.

You should leave the United States and go where the grass is greener....and utopia on earth...so that the United States can maintain its uniqueness.

Veils of Maya:

FREEVOICE wrote: "80% of Americans and many more around the world....from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South and Latin America and the Caribbean this imaginary friend most be making a difference in peoples lives, where marxism and atheisism have failed them miserably."

It is estimated that 46-85% of the population of Sweden does not believe in God. An estimated 5% of the population attend church. Sweden is among other countries such as Norway, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, The Netherlands, Denmark and the UK that are the least religious, yet are the healthiest as indicated by life expectancy, literacy, per capita income, educational attainment, gender equality, homicide rate and infant mortality.

The United States is unique in that it of the most wealthy democracies that is strongly religious, yet has high rates of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy, sexual transmitted disease and infant mortality.

Veils of Maya:

STOFF wrote: "It seems that your brand of free thinking can be very useful for figuring out how THINGS work, and horrific at explaining how we SHOULD live with one another."

Science does not dictate morality. All non-theists do not subscribe to some kind of "atheistic" morality. This assumption is an artifact of your belief that God gave Man morality. I'm free to base my moral system on practical concepts that have historical proven results. You're stuck with 2,000 year old rules that can never change.

And if science is so great at figuring out how things work, then why does religion involve itself in matters of science, such as evolution? Why does religion make scientific claims when it clearly has no grounds or evidence to back up these claims? Even stranger still, why does religion only choose to involve itself in specific scientific theories that conflict with the myths of the Bible, yet ignore the rest?

Freevoice:

"The God revealed in the Bible is a God who intends that his human creatures redress that unjust situation. That is the message of Liberation Theology, not Weigel's caricature."

Indeed human creatures need to redress that unjust situation. The message of Liberation Theology in most cases is being discussed by the privileged and the Church but it never seems to trickle down to those that need to hear it. Institutionalized religion is plain old politics…..people, power and privilege….it has nothing to do with spirituality. Jesus in his time challenged this same hypocrisy. I am glad to say that today others are following in his footsteps. The churches run empty while those that tell the truth in Jesus name are thriving, shining their light and inspiring others who seek the truth and soul salvation.

“I live in Houston, Texas, & I have seen the growth of Mega-Churches in this city, & I can honestly tell you that blind faith leads to robbery. Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church won a major battle in court about two weeks ago. He is not to reveal his profits from his mega-Church to the public anymore. Why is he hiding his surplus (since I am sure in his heart he believes God has blessed him w/ such magnificent materialistic gift of millions & millions of dollars)??? If Rebel Jesus was alive, he would not only speak out against the falsehood of ALL religions, but he would also point out the corruption of the corporate world in churches (like Lakewood Church) preying on the ignorance of the masses. “

This is typical character assassination Joel Osteen does not force people to do anything against their will; he is not telling them that if you don’t give you will burn in hell. He is thriving because he is telling the truth that others before him failed to do.

In this I say there is still hope….the people of faith will lead America away from the darkness and downward spiral of self-destruction.

God bless Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria keep shining your light and continue to be a blessing to others. Faith delivers your soul from death and destruction and that’s a good thing

Spirito Santos

acrapist:

Liberation Theology is an Oxymoron.

Acrapist:

Praise be to the human mind that breaks free from religion, from absolute social structures (communism & capitalism) and from its own cherished ego.

Gaby:

I understand, Jozevz. Not all of it but most.

Freevoice:

"Most Liberation Theologians emphasize "structural injustice" as the tool for understanding poverty--that is, that poverty is the result of sin built into the structure of society (e.g., in the case of slavery where the law endorsed what was clearly a sinful state of affairs)."

These same people are today advocating another form of slavery and exploiting the suffering of people....see the illegal immigration lobby and other social welfare programs.


"Marx, too, understood injustice as a structural feature of modern capitalist political economy."

Yeah right Marx understood that in his own mind.....but the result of experimenting with his theories in the developing nations (countries that were colonized) brought more death and destruction to the masses because Marxism in itself is serfdom "slavery" under a new formula. We see the same results in the West. Those fighting to destroy capitalism are creating an even bigger problem for society at large and depriving the innocent among us of the freedom to develop their human potential. The war on poverty created MORE poor people not less and that is a bloody shame. This tells me that capitalism is not the problem but the greed, arrogance and indifference of human beings.

Money (that comes from the economic engine called capitalism) may not buy you happiness but the talk about poverty and social wellfare programs doesn't get you anywhere.

Anonymous:

Weigel.

THe Luke 17:21 verse has alot more meaning then to "Realign your priorities" as you so indicate.

I'm really suprised these babbling wolves can hold an audience without laughing.


Luke 17:21 was saying the Kingdom of God was and is JESUS CHRIST.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are most desperate of men.

Luke 17:21

"Within" is translated from entos, used only twice in the New Testament. Its primary meaning is "inside," as it is rendered in Matthew 23:26: "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also." However, when used in conjunction with a plural noun, entos means "among" or "in the midst of." In Luke 17:21, entos is used with "you," and from the context, we can see that Jesus was speaking to a crowd of Pharisees, who had come to question Him about the Kingdom of God (verse 20). "You," then, is plural. "The kingdom of God is among you" is best.

Most modern translations have recognized this grammatical error and translate entos as "among" or "in the midst of." Some texts, like the New King James and the New International versions, persist in using "within," though they note in the margin that "among" is an alternative.

Even without this technical knowledge of Greek, we could have easily understood that "within" is a poor and misleading translation. Christ was answering a question posed by the Pharisees, and He replied directly to them: "He answered them and said, . . . 'For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.'" But how could the Kingdom of God be within His most bitter enemies? How many times did He reveal them to be hyprocritical and misleading the people? Theologically, it is quite impossible to think that His Kingdom would be in the Pharisees.

It is only after He had made this remark that He turned to His disciples (verse 22) and explained what He meant. The subject of the entire section (verses 20-37) is stated most explicitly in verse 30: "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed." All along, He had been explaining His second coming! When He returns, He will set up His Kingdom on earth (Zechariah 14:9).

If the Kingdom is still future, how could He say that "the kingdom of God is among you"? To answer this, we must return to the four common traits of a kingdom: a king, who rules by law over a number of subjects who live within a certain territory. The primary trait is that a kingdom must be ruled by a king; otherwise, the country has some other form of government. A king of any nation is the chief representative of that nation. And the King of the Kingdom of God is none other than the living Jesus Christ!

Pilate specifically asked Jesus, "'Are You a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth'" (John 18:37). So as the King of God's Kingdom, He could truly tell the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God was among them.


Richard T. Ritenbaugh

candide:

Weigel is an apologist for every evil in the Catholic Church. He is an integrist, which in church terms means a Fascist.

Anonymous:

The drunken Moses Story's is as sobering as the Drunken Noah story's!?

Munguza:

Mr. Weigel:

As you blithely (and inaccurately) dismiss Liberation Theology as, "not quite indigenous" and, "brought back to Latin America by recently-minted academics," let me remind you that Roman Catholicism isn't what we native Latin Americans consider "an indigenous phenomenon" either...

There was a time when the Church used exorcism to treat seizures that are now understood and easily treated with medication. When Ben Franklin invented the lightning rod, he was denounced by Christian leaders because they believed lightning was an act of God not to be challenged by mere mortals. Indeed, at the time it was legally prohibited to douse a house fire started by lightning (though you could in an adjoining house if it spread there).

Liberation Theologists were no different from Ben Franklin telling Church elites that lightning was caused by electricity and stoppable with a metal rod, not a divine act to blindly accept because "that's what we've always done."

In their case, Liberation Theologists were primarily concerned with *Social Justice* and reforming the Church's primitive over-emphasis on submission to authority, passivity, and concern for the afterlife at the expense of present suffering.

After generations of grinding poverty, most Latin American peasants came to accept their harsh subsistence living as God's will, a fact of life they could not change and should not question. If they got a tooth infection or lost an infant from disease, it was because God wanted it so. Many of the countries functioned as de-facto Slave States.

Liberation Theology said the opposite, that God did not make you an impoverished peasant, men did. God does not want you to suffer needlessly or lose a child to an easily curable disease, it is the indifference of your fellow man who does, by consuming public money on his private ranch instead of vaccines and health clinics. God wants you to actively re-build society to reflect His wish to first take care of the least among us.

For liberation theologists, it was an *unacceptable moral outrage* that the infant children of peasants were dying slow, painful easily-preventable deaths from diarrhea and infections while wealthy elites pilfered their money to spend on lavish mansions, spas and party ranches.

Apparently to Pope Benedict, it was not as outrageous as Theological Correctness since he fought harder against the latter than the former.

Anonymous:

I used have a "Palamino" Horse named "B E C K"!

After Becks Beer that is.

When Jesus was around, besides the three wise Zoroastrians who went to Philistine to see Jesus in his crib, that it was the "PAGAN ARABS" [Abrahamic Islam never existed even though the "KABA" in Mecca was the center of Paganism] WAS mostly PAGAN WORSHIPERS at that TIME.

Note: MOSES Father-in-Law "JETHRO" was a high priest of the Pagan Temples 3,500 Years ago!

WAKE-UP!

Please, Broithers & Sisters, IT was the "PAGAN ARABS" (via their "Arabian Nights" & Lawrence of Arabia days of Lore mentality's & sleeping with nine year olds) that were the MERCHANTS (of death) in JERUSALEM at the time of "Yawah" JESUS [Arabs if combined will be richest people on Earth, not Muslum] who paid and got Jesus killed because of his fliping their wears [they rolled dice on his fate] Business Mans Tables at the Market place!

Only Eclatari-on's know who those Arabs were that had Jesus systematically Poof-TIMED! Ya Ya <?: ( '

John Kolar:

Mr. Weigel oversimplifies Liberation Theology to the point of caricature. He says that LT understands "Marxist analysis" as the best tool for understanding the causes of third world poverty. Most Liberation Theologians emphasize "structural injustice" as the tool for understanding poverty--that is, that poverty is the result of sin built into the structure of society (e.g., in the case of slavery where the law endorsed what was clearly a sinful state of affairs). Marx, too, understood injustice as a structural feature of modern capitalist political economy. Marx's prescription for the solution--the deterministic inevitability dawn of "scientific socialism"--is NOT endorsed by any Liberation Theologian. The Catholic Church too, in its official social documents, understands that ameliorating "structural injustice" is a key to creating a society of justice and peace. Thus, the analysis of the Church and Liberation Theologians dovetails in many ways in terms of "social analysis."
Second, Mr. Weigel argues that Liberation Theology views "the Church’s primary task []as political action (including, in some cases, violent political action) as the vanguard of the future egalitarian society." When one reads the writings of Liberation Theologians (as I have done, and I am sure Weigel has done) one is struck by the extent to which they stress the fact that the spiritual and social mission of the Church and of Christians are bound up together, are intertwined. I believe, based on some of his other writings, that Weigel tends to see the spiritual mission of the Church as operating on a "superstructural" plane "above" the Church's commitment to social justice. This "two planes" viewpoint was criticized by Gustavo Gutierrez in his "Theology of Liberation" and is a legacy of an older view in Catholic theology which we moved away from at Vatican II, although some still seek the restoration of that approach. To my mind, the decisive refutation of a view that draws a sharp divide between the spiritual and temporal planes is that God intertwined the two through the Incarnation. The documents of Vatican II mention on a number of occasions that the "Kingdom of God" is on the earth. This is all LIberation Theology has attempted to assert in contending that any Church worthy of the name "Christian" must be dedicated to bringing about social justice in this world, which entails, as its most immediate end, a transformation (Weigel uses the loaded word "revolution") from a situation of "structural injustice" in which a very tiny percentage of people control and enjoy the vast majority of the world's resources and goods to a situation of a relatively equal distribution. Liberation Theology is a "hard saying" for those of us like Pope Benedict XVI, President Bush, Weigel and myself who happen to be in the tiny 1% controlling and benefitting from God's resources, but I am convinced it is not what a loving God intends. The God revealed in the Bible is a God who intends that his human creatures redress that unjust situation. That is the message of Liberation Theology, not Weigel's caricature.

Michael:

that is probably the most superficial and condescending analysis of liberation theology and social movements in Latin America that I have ever read. You have spoken like any wealthy conservative catholic would of a philosophy and world that he could never understand. Just because you might have been to a couple of beach resorts in Latin America doesn´t mean you understand the people, their social movements or their faith. It is unfortunate that continuing conservative catholic church leadership are so much in agreement with you. May your faith lead you to a real compasion and understanding of the big world outside of your own.

Brian F.:

Gee, some people have way too much free time on their hands. I just thought it was a succint and to-the-point perspective on liberation theology vs. the kind of genuine liberation that John Paul II delivered to Poland and Eastern Europe. Weigel's analyis certainly calls to question the need for liberation theology in light of the real change sparked by John Paul The Great.

As for Benedict's visit to Brazil, I don't suspect a man previously known to silence priests for their views on liberation theology will be taken in the same light as John Paul II was taken by his native people in Poland. It's apples and oranges. Perhaps in the future we will see a Pope of Latin American or African ethnicity and he will bring some legitimacy to those countries in the same way that John Paul brought it to Eastern Europe. God allows great servants, but only so often. We'll not see another Pope of John Paul's spirit and caliber in our lifetime.

There was only one John Paul II and he is now gone. Those shoes won't (and probably cannot) be filled by Benedict. We need to aknowledge that and move on. Here in the US and in Europe, the sun is setting on the Catholic Church, it is not rising. We've seen the last of the Greats and should now look to other leaders and institutions to carry us forward into the future. There will certainly be great men and women, but they won't be Pope. They'll be something else and they will make a change.

candide:

Jesus was not a social revolutionary, but he allowed himself to be proclaimed king of Israel by the political revolutionaries and that is why he was executed. He was no Socialist; he was a Jewish nationalist.

In any case he was no saviour of the Gentiles.

Freevoice:

80% of Americans and many more around the world....from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South and Latin America and the Caribbean this imaginary friend most be making a difference in peoples lives, where marxism and atheisism have failed them miserably. Praise be to the God of my fathers who knows that only a fool breaks his own heart

acrapist:

Monty Keeling,

80 percent of Americans believing that their imaginary friend is real means that 80 percent of americans are idiots.

True Christianity isn't perfect. But then neither is anything else in life. I know of no other religon, however, that believes in a God who is so loving that as a creator grace (the good things in life and forgiveness without requirements)is offered to everyone. Even those who don't believe God exists! As long as there are questions that we cannot answer there's a good possibility that God exists. Anytime you can get 80 percent of the American people (the percentage of folks who claim to be Christian in this country) to agree on anything. That in itself is pretty good proof that whatever they believe in must have real substance.

Freevoice:

Roger Smith:

"Learn other major fastest growing religion and study Christianity to compare, it is full of contradiction, man made ideas, violence, you will find the truth and it will set you free from prejudice, ambiguity and hatred. Please more question the questions and you will learn."

This is such a tired line and it gets boring.....Christianity is not full of contradictions the PEOPLE are, without human action nothing happens...stop and take a look in the mirror. Blaming everything on Christianity is such a cheapshot for those who can't see beyond their own limitations. If you search your own heart you will see the light.

Fastest growing religion does not make it a better religion...part of human nature...everything needs to be easy....when things go wrong they can always point the blaming finger instead of looking inward.

The bible is a manual that tells you about the wickedness of human nature but it also gives you the roadmap to salvation. Seek and you shall find!

Spirito Santos

David C. Nelson:

Jesus was a Jewish radical who who campaigned to ameliorate the suffering endured by his people during a foreign occupation of his land. He was smart enough not to confront the occupying Roman armies directly, but instead rallied his people to to regain the moral strength they would need to overthrow the quislings who cooperated with the occupiers. Out of this short campaign rose the myth that he was the son of God, but in reality he was history's greatest Liberation Theologians.

acrapist:

Gaby,

I do not begrudge you your feelings and I consider them physically real. Were we part paths is when you assign them to supernatural forces as opposed to natural phenomena. I find no reason to say that the extraordinary feelings that I sometimes have are from anything other than real sensory input and real neurological processes.

DTS,

If every time a skull is opened, a brain is found, then it is reasonable to think that, if the teacher’s skull was opened, that we would find a brain. Additionally, we know that thinking and perception resides in the brain and that if the teacher exhibits behavior that points to thinking and perception, that she has a brain. This is reasonable. This is very different than faith. Faith does not require reason, evidence or proof. I can imagine an invisible buddy, and with faith, assert that this buddy is really there.

STOFF,

Horrific atrocities abound both within and without religion. That is a human thing. I consider truth to be what is experienced and anything written about that to be an interpretation. In that sense alone will the truth set you free. Everything else is a conceptual construct that may or may not have utility. I do not consider holy books to contain any truth and I certainly do not think they will set you free.

Jonesy:

Roy

I think Jesus would say such a Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.

Officeman:

A couple of quick responses to some comments.

First, to those who keep calling religion a fantasy, you have concluded as much because you believe theists can't prove he exists. How odd you are so certain in your own conclusions when you can't prove that God doesn't exist. You should read some of the great religious writers, including former atheists, who came to the conclusion that he does exist. There is far too much intellectual weight behind the belief in God to attribute it to a "tasty carrot and threat of a nasty stick." You do yourselves, and the rest of us, an injustice.

Second, to Jason, conclusory analysis will get you nowhere. Unanalyzed claims about Weigel being a gnostic are unconvincing. I can't even tell if you know what gnosticism is, let alone how you make the connection with Weigel. Your statement that Paul's words concern only the next life is also conclusory. How do you explain the ancient Christian and Biblical recognition that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Mt 3:2. It seems reasonable to conclude that it begins now and carries into the next life. All who belong to it should live in that hope and with that love in how they behave. That was Weigel's point, that, thanks to Jesus Christ, our lives are full of meaning. What's gnostic about that?

stoff:

Acrapist:

"The Truth will set you free."

Obviously one can believe that without believing in the one who said it. But why should I believe the atheists, materialists, and empiricists who gave us the Terror of the Fench Revolution, and the internal combustion engine; the slaughter of the Gulag, and the glow of electric lights; the miracle of penecillin and the nihilism of Auschwitz? It seems that your brand of free thinking can be very useful for figuring out how THINGS work, and horrific at explaining how we SHOULD live with one another.

The question, then, is not whether or not truth sets us free, but rather, what (or Who) is the truth? However you answer THAT question it will never be a matter of proof, but of belief.

Roy:

What do you think Jesus would say about a church that has cardinals in LA and Mexico who protect pedophile priests?

Concerned The Christian Now Liberated:

It is all about first century CE economics and nothing to do with social revolution or liberation theology- please stop all the "theology speak":

Early Christian economics 101:

The Baptizer drew crowds and charged for the "dunking". The historical Jesus saw a good thing and continued dunking and preaching the good word orally plagiarized from the ancient religions but added "healing" as an added charge to include free room and board. Sure was better than being a poor peasant but he got a bit too zealous and they nailed him to a tree.

Paul picked up the money scent on the road to Damascus. He added some letters for a fee and "Gentilized" the good word to the "big
buck" world. i.e. Paul was the first media evangelist!!!

Along comes Constantine. He saw the growing rich Christian community and recognized a new tax base so he set them "free".

The Holy Roman "Empirers"/Popes/Kings/Queens et al continued the money grab selling access to JC and heaven resulting in some of today's
richest organizations on the globe i.e. the Christian churches (including the Mormon Church) and related aristocracies.

An added note: As per R.B. Stewart in his introduction to the recent book, The Resurrection of Jesus, Crossan and Wright in Dialogue, ( Professors Crossan and Wright are On Faith panelists).

"Reimarus (1774-1778) posits that Jesus became sidetracked by embracing a political position, sought to force God's hand and that he died alone deserted by his disciples. What began as a call for repentance ended up as a misguided attempt to usher in the earthly political kingdom of God. After Jesus' failure and death, his disciples stole his body and declared his resurrection in order to maintain their financial security and ensure themselves some standing."

In conclusion, money is a major foundation of Christianity to include Mormonism. Ditto for Islam.

The martyred apostles ran afoul of Roman political and religious authorities because they preached, healed, and baptized for the conversion (and profit) to a non-Roman way of life. This support of an anti-Roman cult resulted in the typical murder/crucifixion of the cult leaders. The apostles' conversions also caused a dramatic drop in Roman/Jewish temple appearances and contributions and just like Jesus' Jewish temple outburst, it resulted in added punishment to include crucifixion.

dts:

Gaby this one is posted here for you

One day, a 6 year old girl was sitting in a classroom.

The Teacher was explaining evolution to the children.

The Teacher asked a little boy:

TEACHER: Tommy do you see the tree outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

TEACHER: Tommy, do you see the grass outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

TEACHER: Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.

TOMMY: Okay. (He returned a few minutes later) Yes, I saw the sky.

TEACHER: Did you see GOD?

TOMMY: No.

TEACHER: That's my point. We can't see GOD because HE isn't there. HE just doesn't exist.

A little girl spoke up wanting to ask the boy some questions. The Teacher agreed.

LITTLE GIRL: Tommy, do you see the tree outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

LITTLE GIRL: Tommy do you see the grass outside?

TOMMY: Yessssss!

LITTLE GIRL: Did you see the sky?

TOMMY: Yessssss!

LITTLE GIRL; Tommy, do you see the Teacher?

TOMMY: Yes

LITTLE GIRL: Do you see her brain?

TOMMY: No

LITTLE GIRL: Then according to what we were taught today, she doesn't have one...........

II CORINTHIANS 5:7 " FOR WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT "

Gaby:

Acrapist:

"If you really want liberation, stop believing in things that do not exist. Gods, ghosts, spirits, souls, devils and demon, and life after death all share in that there is no physical evidence that they exist. "

But what if you can feel them? I can't see IT, I can't touch IT, I'm not even sure I believe in IT, but I can feel IT.

mannbhupinder:

Was Jesus A Rebel or a Social Revolutionary? Of course: he was all this. He was a man without much, perhaps any, formal education, and he was going around teaching his religious experiences. And he had attracted quite a few women followers, given those times. The establishment did not like that and got rid of him. Don't you think that the parallels between him and many subsequent social rebels, including David K of Waco, TX, are rather uncanny, and disturbing? The US establishment got rid of the last one, just like the Romans got rid of Jesus. And, in between, the Church got rid of William Tyndale--his crime was translating the Bible into English. Just like the human minds create Gods, so can so many faithfuls see so much in a man and events from so long ago. Just a matter of interpretation of the events and actors according to your biased outlook, baby.

Acrapist:

If you really want liberation, stop believing in things that do not exist. Gods, ghosts, spirits, souls, devils and demon, and life after death all share in that there is no physical evidence that they exist. Here are some other things that share this trait: the Aliens that were supposedly hiding behind the comet that “picked up” those people that killed themselves at just the right time to catch a ride, Santa clause, voodoo, rubbing coins on people as a cure for illness, and the list is en