Our Greatest Teacher
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Many people in modern society are in very great error in assuming Jesus is the founder of Christianity or belongs in a category called “religion”. Rather than in history, behavioral science, human rights, political science, ethics, education theory, environmental science and various other categories that more fairly reflect his words and deeds.
Any educated human being should have a huge quarrel with this, because it is completely historically irrational and plainly, very harmful and very wrong to teach our children that Jesus should be isolated under a “religion” category or that he even rationally belongs in a “religion” category. It is inarguable that Jesus has had more influence in human history than any other single individual and, to not include his words and deeds within the main instruction of our children, is to ensure they are not remotely educated at all.
As a few examples:
a) Whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them. This is the proper and correct foundation for human and civil rights and, there is no greater proper ethical or human motivational idea in all of human history.
b) You will know the truth and the truth will make you free. This provides both the proper goal of education, to know what is true and the proper reason for being educated, so we can be free. Education not based on the proper goal, to know what is true and/or, the proper reason for knowing what is true, so we can be free, is not worthy of the term ‘education’.
c) Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as well as a common grass or weed flower. This is by far the greatest environmental statement known in human history, given at a time and place where such an issue wasn’t even on the public radar.
d) Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Consider how brave it was for Jesus to say this while a group of Roman soldiers were waiting to take him away to be crucified, the sword being the symbol of the might of the Roman Empire. And consider that to this day, no one has come up with a better solution for ending war and other violence.
e) Jesus says, “this is my command, that you love one another”. For this reason, we will not kill, we will not steal, we will not bear false witness, we will not enslave our fellow human beings, we will not mass pollute the fragile home of our future offspring, we will have deep reverence and respect for all of God’s creation and, if there be any action worthy for the pursuit of life, liberty, fulfillment, security, happiness and peace on earth for both human beings and every other living thing on it, it is summed up in this, that we love our neighbor as our self.
Jesus is a profound influence on key European, American and other authors and artists from DaVinci, Michelangelo and Shakespeare on up through the present, on every scientist, philosopher and other thinker of the so-called “Enlightenment”, on every American and French revolutionist and on the whole modern notion of human and civil rights. And yet, Jesus is rarely mentioned in American classrooms, other than in speeches and texts quoting him, invariably without crediting the source.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the foundation of modern socialism is “to each according to need”. What the Britannica doesn’t say in its article “Socialism”, is the same thing that modern educators fail to mention in American classrooms. Which is, that every member of the so-called “enlightenment” and every American founder attended schools where the Bible was required study. And thus, it naturally follows that what is found in the New Testament book of “Acts”, where they “distributed to each according to need”, would find its way into modern human rights, political and social theory.
This is clearly why American citizens remain poorly educated, vote for the wrong people, often ignore those living in their midst without homes, jobs and health care and, why many conservatives and liberals assume conservative Christianity represents Jesus, when in fact it represents the opposite of virtually everything Jesus ever said or did. Based on what according to the New Testament Jesus actually said and did, he is far closer to a mixture of Samuel Clemens, Rosa Parks and Gandhi and, far closer to the socialist Helen Keller and social and environmental activist Pete Seeger, than to any brand of modern Christianity.
Apparently even militant atheist Richard Dawkins understands the superiority of the teachings of Jesus, as a photo of Mr. Dawkins wearing a t-shirt with the words, “atheists for Jesus” in large letters on the front, was at one time posted on his own website. According to historian Will Durant in his epic volume, “Caesar and Christ”, the teachings of Jesus as found in the four New Testament narratives, represent a singular highly advanced mind, far greater than any other known mind in human history.
And as the writings of Durant clearly imply, to not study the Bible and the history and cultures surrounding the Bible, is to have no understanding of ancient history, Western history, European history, American history, human rights, civil rights and essentially, no understanding or education at all.
How is it a reproductive or any other “advantage” to our children for American education to ignore the greatest mind in human history? Why did Jesus insist there is a God and claim that his father in heaven told him what to teach us, if there is no God? Why did we crucify our greatest teacher?
Greatest Book Ever Written
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201&version=NKJV
Contact author: www.FreedomTracks.com
