Who said it best?

[Topper]

Having only cursorily glanced through this thread, I will offer only a cursory thought:

Religion, faith, duty, devotion, etc. are pretty heavy terms. Most of the people on this board are smart as hell and have their reasons for believing or disbelieving as they do. Without exception, every person from this place whom I have managed to meet in the real world is smart, funny, and friendly. (even the Great DDD, who arranged a secret tryst in a BigBox store parking lot. Those were the Salad Days, I tell ya).

I get a lot more out of this place when I visit with the mindset of "I have something to learn" rather than " I have something to say."

Solon is one of the good guys, but posters already know that.

It has been too long since Solon was last seen in Vegas.

[Topper]

I leave it to others to debate the virtues of unkindness or sarcasm. But to say those characteristics are un-Christlike, you have to square away the fact that Jesus was often both.

And yes, more answers to WWJD should cite to Matthew 23.

As you said it.

[LA Ute]

Who said it best?

I leave it to others to debate the virtues of unkindness or sarcasm. But to say those characteristics are un-Christlike, you have to square away the fact that Jesus was often both.

And yes, more answers to WWJD should cite to Matthew 23.

I'm going to have to revisit my impressions of this board -- and many others. I had never considered the Christlike motivations underlying most of the posts here.

Edit: I do think your point is strained at best, and borderline ludicrous.

[Topper]

I'm going to have to revisit my impressions of this board -- and many others. I had never considered the Christlike motivations underlying most of the posts here.

Edit: I do think your point is strained at best, and borderline ludicrous.

You don't see sarcasm in Mark? This is considered the most authentic of the Synoptics with the least amount of revisions, unless we could find Q.

[LA Ute]

You don't see sarcasm in Mark? This is considered the most authentic of the Synoptics with the least amount of revisions, unless we could find Q.

I see the use of irony, a rhetorical device, to call the scribes and Pharisees to repentance. I don't see sarcasm. And calling Jesus' behavior in doing that "unkind" is like saying Jehovah was unkind to Sodom and Gomorrah. It destroys the meaning of the word.

But getting to my point, when I watch this I don't think the invitation to "Come unto Christ, and be perfects in him," has much to do with learning to use unkindness and sarcasm:

[Topper]

I see the use of irony, a rhetorical device, to call the scribes and Pharisees to repentance. I don't see sarcasm. And calling Jesus' behavior in doing that "unkind" is like saying Jehovah was unkind to Sodom and Gomorrah. It destroys the meaning of the word.

But getting to my point, when I watch this I don't think the invitation to "Come unto Christ, and be perfects in him," has much to do with learning to use unkindness and sarcasm:

These are all nice presentations, but if one returns to Mark in its most pristine version, to the extent we can do that, we seem to receive a very sanitized version of what it means to be Christlike.

These polished messages move emotions, but I wonder if they are too manipulative, too polished, too slick, too corporatized. Real people in real life don't have Hollywood moments.

One man's irony is another man's sarcasm.

[Harry Tic]

But getting to my point, when I watch this I don't think the invitation to "Come unto Christ, and be perfects in him," has much to do with learning to use unkindness and sarcasm:

Well, I seem to remember Spencer W. Kimball saying that sarcasm was the highest form of humor, so you may want to take that into account.

[CardiacCoug]

I leave it to others to debate the virtues of unkindness or sarcasm. But to say those characteristics are un-Christlike, you have to square away the fact that Jesus was often both.

And yes, more answers to WWJD should cite to Matthew 23.

This is the problem with a literal reading of the scriptures. You can use it to justify all kinds of bad behavior.

I remember being 12 years old and thinking right before I beat the shit out of another sixth grader something along the lines of "well Nephi did have to chop Laban's head off after all. Sometimes you've gotta do violent things in this life."

[All-American]

This is the problem with a literal reading of the scriptures. You can use it to justify all kinds of bad behavior.

I'm not sure I follow. As I said, I'm not out to justify anything-- I'm disputing a characterization of Jesus that is inconsistent with the scriptural accounts of his life. I don't see how reading the scriptures figuratively would change things.

[CardiacCoug]

I'm not sure I follow. As I said, I'm not out to justify anything-- I'm disputing a characterization of Jesus that is inconsistent with the scriptural accounts of his life. I don't see how reading the scriptures figuratively would change things.

I guess I'm just saying that when Jesus acts like an asshole in the scriptures it doesn't make it OK for us to act that way and it sounds like we agree.

[Topper]

I guess I'm just saying that when Jesus acts like an asshole in the scriptures it doesn't make it OK for us to act that way and it sounds like we agree.

Two points.

AA wasn't saying how we should behave even if JC were misbehaving.

Conversely, arguing JC always acted in the made for the movies passive, non-aggressive and always turning the other cheek is contrary to the image created by the mostly hagiographical accounts set forth the Greek New Testament.

[LA Ute]

Who said it best?

I'm not sure I follow. As I said, I'm not out to justify anything-- I'm disputing a characterization of Jesus that is inconsistent with the scriptural accounts of his life. I don't see how reading the scriptures figuratively would change things.

So it sounds like you're saying that according to scriptural accounts Jesus was unkind and sarcastic, at least on occasion. Right? I couldn't disagree with you more, but assuming you're right, do you think that means anything as to how we should each respond in our personal behavior?

[All-American]

Who said it best?

So it sounds like you're saying that according to scriptural accounts Jesus was unkind and sarcastic, at least on occasion. Right? I couldn't disagree with you more, but assuming you're right, do you think that means anything as to how we should each respond in our personal behavior?

What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Jesus used sarcasm several times. Looks like LAU needs to start reading the scriptures.

But the best use of sarcasm in all of scripture is Elijah. Bull roasting smack.

[Northwestcoug]

Interesting back-and-forth. If I have it correctly, sarcasm is the highest form of comedy, and since we seek after all good things, we should aspire to as sarcastic as possible. And since Jesus was sarcastic in the scriptures and he commands us to be like him, who are we to not be sarcastic?

This discussion is soooooooooooo interesting. It's like the BEST EVER!!!!!