Jesus said, I did not come to bring Peace, but a Sword

And then he said: "I challenge you all to a duel, bitches!"

He might have. If he existed and wasn't misquoted and by said you mean something along those lines, as he certainly didn't speak English if he existed.

Psshh... of course he spoke English, what else would he speak? He was just your average white man with hippy hair. My mom has pictures of him at her house, so I know.

Rachel:

The book of Joel writes

I will pour out my spirit

Some Christians believe this prophecy was fulfilled at

Pentecost

During this sermon all these

foreigners were amazed

language without prior knowledge of the language.

Jesus had taught that after he left, he would bring another

helper

This all sounds reasonable if Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. This sounds

vain

otherwise.

This is indeed interesting if Jesus existed and wasn't misquoted nor misunderstood.

Granted, he did not speak in English, but if he did rise from the dead I would not be surprised if he isn't the author of all language.

I agree that it is interesting if Jesus existed and wasn't misquoted or misunderstood. I think it's interesting even if he was.

However, given the history of Biblical mistranslation, I think it highly likely that you can't really understand the Bible without learning the source languages.

I think given the history of Christianity, it is highly probably that a lot of the religious texts were altered by people with agendas.

I think the selection of what is Bible and what is apocrypha is arbitrary, which is a serious flaw in Judeo-Christian religions.

I think if a good God existed, it wouldn't allow people to learn distorted versions of Its word this way. During the Middle Ages, Europeans had a very different notion of what the Bible said, since they worked off a different translation. Either they or the modern translations must be in error. Why would a good God allow that? We don't have God's word even if God exists and gave Its word. Why is that okay?

If there is a God, and They not only created everything, but also have to keep everything from falling apart, then it would seem that God has more to do than lean over someone's shoulder and say "Um...I didn't say that." Not only that, but God also gave humans "free will"--meaning, that if, somewhere along the way, folks decided to alter the Bible to jive more with their beliefs (or what they felt *should* have been said), well....thats their call now, isn't it? Wouldn't God stepping in and playing editor (even if it IS 'His' book) be sort of taking that whole "free will" bit away? I mean, its not like there was some sort of qualifier..."You get free will--unless you are really stoopid, and then I will take it away from you." It was never presented like it was a privilege that could be given and taken away--it was a right, given to all, to do with as we wish.

I see no reason why humans can't have free will and humans can't also be protected from the evils of other humans. And if living as God wants us to is important, why would It allow so many people to never hear Its word? It just doesn't make any sense to me.

The problem isn't that humans get to twist the word; it's that some humans are only given the twisted word. Why not correct it when the naive humans look at it.

And if god is omnipotent, then it doesn't matter how much there is to do. If god is both omnipotent and omniscient, it takes basically no effort to do so.

In Russian it is: "not Peace I bring to you, but Sword".

What for he "come to" - it's another point ...

It says it in the Bible, so yeah. Now what did he mean?

Actually, that particular line doesn't exist in any of the aramaic texts. It was added at constantine's behest. So, no, Christ didn't say that.

Personally, I think debating Christ's existance is silly, historically, the person we know as Jesus Christ (Yeshua ib Yosef) existed. Debating whether he or any of the other twelve "messiahs" were actually the messiah of the Jewish prophecies are meaningful however.

Matthew,

My interpretation, and many others, is that he was saying that practicing your faith and following him would be a divisive force in your life. Meaning, speaking about God isn't going to make peace in your life. So allowing Jesus into your life in many ways cuts you off, and sets you in opposition to many of the things which may have been normal interactions for you beforehand.

I believe the rest of the passage talks about "I will turn father against son..", etc. etc.

Cobra Baghdad,

wrote, "... if you're reading a single line of the bible for meaning, at least by Jewish Standards, you're missing the point..."

The sword, also known as The Word of God, also known as Jesus, also known as the light, is not used against flesh and blood in the conventional sense of war. It refers to war of a spirtual nature, a war for the eternal condition of one's soul.

As I wrote on another thread, some Christians are taught that Jesus said,

"I did not come to bring peace but a sword".

They are taught that the sword is the Word of God....and that in the beginning was the Word and the Word became flesh....And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Some hated the Word because the Word said, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

« In Russian it is: "not Peace I bring to you, but Sword". »

Wow, I can read Russian and I didn't even know!

Why must we add all the layers Jim. I thought Jesus was pretty clear what he meant by the sword statement.

"Don't expect following me to be easy. Suck it up son."

Robin
Не мир принёс я вам, но меч

Yes ... strange.
Не мир принес я вам, но меч 892 000 results
Не мир пришел я принести, но меч 793 000 results ...

Photo - Hitler kaput! ;-)

Come on guys. "I will pour out my spirit" was clearly a reference to abstention from alcohol.

Nonsense!

Blessed are the bartenders. . .

...for they shall inherit the poon.

sword=word of God

And bring=tell you that, and peace=religion is true, and the=that I was lying about.

If we can redefine words however we want, then any sentence can mean anything! Isn't this fun?

Jesus did not come to bring peace, but FUNK!

Panta, you said, "Jesus did not come to bring peace, but FUNK!"

I think you are confusing him with, James Brown, Tthe Godfather of Soul.

James Brown didn't bring the Funk, he just spread its lessons.

(May he rest in funk.)

Dude, you can't just bring up James Brown, it can offend people. James is a cultural icon, someone many of us have drawn inspiration from. Any comparison to poorly dressed dark skinned individuals claiming to bring in the word of G-d is unacceptible.

There are things you just don't joke about.