I’ve been doing this “Christian atheism” thing for the past year. Struggle with certain beliefs (resurrection, God, etc), but praying, going to church, and following his teachings (sans loving God with all my heart and soul, selling my possessions, etc) are helpful. I’m expressing gratitude. Not worrying about my life. So on.
@@technozombie789 To each his or her own. Long story made short, I’ve been fascinated by textual criticism and theology since I left seminary over 20 years ago. I had a breakdown, of sorts, at work a couple of years ago. Blah blah. Months of testing. I was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. After learning all that I can, my wife and I figured Christianity is just an interest of mine. She figured it would be good for my mental health to return to it, albeit as an atheist. I found a progressive church that welcomes doubters and religious skeptics. So, I go. Nice people. I can’t get that from within myself.
I fully agree; connecting with others who share a spiritual inclination, who seek to live up to a higher standard, can help us to find a meaningful way to live. There’s no need to rub others’ nose in the nonexistence of supernatural beings, what matters is how we live & treat others.
I love that this channel has brought in Dr Levine's perspective. I am Christian and how she describes the concepts spoken about by Jesus - and how we as human beings are supposed to live - is how I interpret my religion, but is rarely preached in churches. My non-Christian son says these ways of living are indigenous - that civilization has pushed away how to live in favour of religion and other means of control.
That’s a great perspective. I like thinking about “What Would Jesus Do?” in many life situations, but not ‘what would the church do,’ as I’m convinced the Pauline doctrines of all the major branches of Christianity don’t accurately reflect what Jesus himself taught. Of course, I don’t know for certain what Jesus of Nazareth taught, but I _believe_ he was a good very wise and kind man. I also think that most of us know what’s right or wrong in our hearts (except morally void people like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin), we just have to have the courage to act on that certainty. Too many people, even churchgoers, are tempted into destructive behavior and spend much of their lives justifying their actions (extramarital affairs, theft, lying, abusive behavior, etc) to themselves. I have attended churches where the pastor seemed to have the same beliefs, and I did enjoy those experiences, as well as the social interaction between the parishioners (us, lol). I have also attended churches where the letter of the law, so to speak, found in *scripture* was definitely presented as the only correct way to live, even when scripture was at odds with itself or didn’t seem to address situations encountered in modern life - which is to be expected from 2000 year old writings, after all. Have a wonderful Christmas! 🌟
Just in your first paragraph you acknowledge having no idea what Jesus taught because almost nothing is written about this person. We only have s few paragraphs of what is supposedly what he said and years wise we have almost no tellings of anything. How can you possibly claim to know what he would have taught or was like when we don't know anything? @@dukeon
The problem is, we don't know what Jesus's real philosophy actually was, we only know what Paul said it was, and we know Paul saw things differently from the original disciples. So, chances are Paul and Jesus would have been at odds if they had ever actually met each other.
I would say that since Paul had nothing to do with the writing of the Gospels, and it's even possible he had never read them, we can pretty much know jesus's philosophy based on what was written there. And it is almost a certainty that had they somehow met that they would have had huge disagreements
@AldousHuxleysCat He would not have read them since they were compiled after he was dead, but they are based essentially on the interpretation of Jesus's teachings that was propagated by Paul. The compilations were done later by his followers in various early Christian centers. This resulted in an essentially Hellenistic perspective on what Jesus actually taught. As a result modern Christianity is basically a Greek religion since it incorporates many of the theological concepts prominent in Hellenist culture. There were other Christian groups around, often with very different interpretations, but none of those philosophies were included in the bible, only those from the Pauline ideology were included. Probably because the ones doing the compiling were all of the Pauline school of thought,
@@Tugela60 let me rephrase that, we don't know if Paul read anything about Jesus or if he was simply going on word of mouth. His version of salvation definitely contradicts Jesus. They were not only sects with very different concepts than those we have today, there were sects promoting others, that while similar to Jesus were not Jesus. Depending on the criteria you want to use there's somewhere between 10 and 30 different historical or mythical figures with a story very similar. Apollonius is probably the one that got me in the most trouble when I went to church school.
@AldousHuxleysCat Well, he stayed with James for a period, and James presumably was very familiar with what Jesus stood for, so he must have known. But he took a different path regardless. The position James took was probably a lot closer to what Jesus thought. Although I doubt Jesus claimed to be the son of god (that would have been an instant death sentence) but rather a son of god, a subtle but significant distinction. I suspect the direction Paul took the movement in would have horrified Jesus in person, had he known.
That is the first time I heard about “Red Shirts” on this channel. For those that don’t know “Star Trek” lore, the “ensigns” that Dr. Levine mentions as the first to die in those episodes all wore Red Uniform shirts, to which the meme “Red Shirts” as disposable NPC’s comes from.
Dr. Levine says she thinks Jesus was really a smart guy. Does she think that when he says, "I come not to bring peace, but a sword" and "I come to set family members against each other"?
And remember the wise words in Matthew 15:2 17, Mark 7:2-3 19, and Luke 11:38: Why do your disciples… not wash their hands when they eat? “…Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on?”
Preach all you like because you're on YT or a podcast, and that's why we're here 😊 Having a Jewish person explain texts performed and written by Jews in a Jewish cultural setting makes total sense. 🎉
I suppose I see understanding Jesus’ teachings as being just as important as learning about any sort of philosophy or world view. It’s useful to think about these issues in different ways, and it’s important to understand other perspectives, especially when those perspectives are so influential across the world.
@@alexreid1173 Yes they sure. However, thousands of people have been killed, because of these differing views, about the subject of God! The ONLY way to find the Truth about this subject, is when you are dead and gone. Consequently, because of these differing views, we continue to kill each other because we don’t believe the same way! Is this the best mankind can do? Live your life as a “good person”, not as a “true believer” in someone’s idea of god and if he exists! Life is too short, to not enjoy it, and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. I do not have to believe in religion, to understand the true meaning of that observation.
I wish I was as optimistic as the guest. But I have seen too many people push lies and despite having the facts presented to them, they refuse to consider those facts.
I wish Bart also had some balance in his narratives. I think he tries too hard to make something inconclusive and more meaning than its warranted. It would help laypersons a lot more to exhibit more balanced and rational thinking. He seems to be another misguided narrator who repeats a same story without enough evidence to corrobate it. It's just sad.
Yes, think the Jefferson Bible and I'd add the Gospel of Thomas are excellent sources for finding the Good News. The goal of Jesus preaching. Mark 1:14. Which is the reason why Jesus came. Mark 1:38.
I have delighted in Bart and his scholarship for years now. Dr. Levine is a treasure. I do think they both over play their hands at times and, like all of us, become victims of their own inability to see outside their own world views or hear outside their own echo chambers. All in all though, as a committed Christian who follows Jesus as my Rabbi, I am delighted by both these scholars. Keep it up!
21:16 The Bible teaches that "free healthcare is a miracle." Well said! I hope that Paul Simon is right and "these are the days of miracles and wonders."
I dunno, is this necessarily a text that's worth "wrestling with", any more than other texts? There's a lot of stuff in there that's just wrong, or problematic, or downright vile. "Wrestling with" it or "engaging with" it suggests to me something like "figuring out how we can interpret it as correct somehow" (maybe I've just been listening to too many apologists). But when she says something like "well, here's a way to think of it so that slavery is actually freeing, because if God is your master no one else can be", I just roll my eyes. No, slavery is NOT actually freedom, whoever the master is. Being a slave to "God" is a bad idea, because then if someone can convince someone that they speak for God, they can justify slavery. Etc, etc. Sure, some of the sayings and doings of Jesus were good sayings and doings, but others weren't. The fact that Jesus said some thing doesn't tell us anything about whether it's good or bad. We don't need to "struggle with" how Jesus called a woman a bitch, and decide that it's a good story in the end because the woman persevered; we can find stories of perseverance that don't involve a supposedly Divine person being racist / classist / misogynist. What do we learn about care for children, from stories about Jesus healing children? Nothing whatever as far as I can tell. We know it's good to care for children, and we didn't learn that from some story about Jesus. We don't need to "find it in the text" unless we're already somehow convinced that "the text" is really important. And I'm not at all convinced; it's a mixed bag of ancient stories that tend to reflect regressive and unenlightened world views, and we imho take it FAR too seriously.
And when she says that she "imagines" that when Jesus tells the Parable of the Evil Farmers, he's inwardly thinking about how too much killing and war is bad, and about how when you think about a servant suffering you should think about what if that was your child, when there is *nothing whatever* in the text that suggests he was thinking either of those things, it makes me think, once again, that she is approaching this "text" with the idea that "this has to be a good and useful story somehow, so how can I read stuff into it that isn't there, that makes it make good modern moral sense?". And why would you do that? Why not instead read a text that really *does* talk about war being bad, and not having slaves, rather than reading a text that glorifies war and endorses slavery, and trying to rationalize why that's okay?
@@davidchess1985It's ironic as she's doing the thing Christians have been doing for millenia. Choosing how to interpret the Bible and applying it to their time's morality. That's why there's 1000s of denominations.
I’ve been following this show since the beginning. I still think you’re the G.O.A.T Bart, but this episode might now be my favorite one. Dr. Levine floored me with her insights.
I’ve gong through various stages of atheism, but this approach is where I’ve landed. Through his context I’m free to decipher any religion’s mythology for philosophical consideration.
16:32 We interact with the Bible not because it is inerrant but because it gives a radically different perspective that can shed light on modern questions.
Interesting thoughts While hard to assess: if folk look at how folk behave regardless of whether they assert they are Buddhist, Christian, Methodist, Indifferent, Atheist, whatever. Well fertility rates are similar, incomes, tastes in art, charity, consumer behaviour, political ideology, sexual relationships, taking out insurance, health outcomes, mortality rates, etc, etc. It does not seem that belief or not makes much difference as to how we live thrive and survive
I’m struggling to understand why I want to wrestle with the text. Assuming the text is divine, sure there is an argument to wrestle with it. If the text is not divine, I’m not sure why I want to spend my time wrestling with the musings of the levant. Totally for understanding the context and intended meaning of the text as it was written, the idea that I can get a thousand opinions and hundreds of interpretations to pick one that best suits me seems like an utter nonsensical expedition.
Yeah. There are interesting perspectives in this video, and Jesus as an ethical-philosopher-insurrectionist is fun to engage with, but it's hard to justify "wrestling with" the things he almost certainly didn't say just because its in the New Testament.
Wrestle with the text = If you torture the data long enough it will confess to anything. Take a part of the bible and just keep making it try to say what you want, if you don't give up, if you do not let facts get in your way, eventually you will get that text to align with what you already believed. I just saved you 40:57
@@byrondickens >Wow. What a breathtakingly shallow and ignorant comment. it could be worse, my comment could have endorsed genocide, rape, slavery, murder, torture, bigotry, homophobia, slavery, patriarchy, and fascism. Like a certain religious text does, repeatedly. Love that you people call it the GOOD book 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
As a scientist, I can tell you that the "meaning" of factual data is also wrestled with and argued over. Science is not a world full of only absolutes either. Simple facts are plain, but most of life involves a whole series of complex varariables. It's often portrayed as having absolutes when that is a gross oversimplification, so much so as to be wrong. So there you have it, variability of interpretation in science just as in religion.
@@byrondickens so why not educate me? Go ahead and explain how the genocide endorsed by god in GOOD book was really just a fictional story whose lesson is "always try your best"
Sorry no offensive but whatever the speaker said is genelization of ideas rather than ideas of bible or jesus particularly for all people...at one time she said jesus insults non Jewish woman and woman persistence was the one which gets reward so it was that woman for all rather than jesus
Jesus' entourage had several women including Mary Magdalene. My understanding is that Jesus was a feminist, but Dr. Levine says he was not a feminist. I"m confused.
Sadly, no historical documentation exists from the early Jewish Christian period. All we know is from Gospels written 50+ years after the Jewish Holy Man Yeshua lived and from letters by Paul 20+ years later which established doctrines that represent Paul’s interpretation of Yeshua’s ministry meant ONLY for Jewish residents of Judea and Galilee who lived in a corrupted theocracy. Christianity arose over the next 300 years and had universal appeal as a way of life.
Gospel of james, gospel of nazoreans, gospel of the ebionites all in extracts in early church fathers. The theology is pretty clear by playing compare and contrast with the book of james, q, red letters and the very early thomas. Pseudoclementines. The paralells with the great tradition of social justice (not the woke one) found in judaism. Rip out paul's crap. There you go. Jesus centred hermeneutic. Paul did not know jesus. He is scum.
@@pigemperorjudging by what isn't written nobody who wrote of Jesus knew about him either. We have how many paragraphs attributed to what Jesus may have said or done compared to the rest of the scriptures. It's almost nothing. We have stories about what Jesus did in private conversation but nothing about the first 30 years of his life or time in Egypt. Not even the Egyptians have anything written about Jesus.
I guess I don't read the comments that much, but it seems that this podcast attracted an inordinate number of haters. WTF? Why are they even following this channel? It's almost like, rather than coming here to learn, they came here looking for an argument. Take what you want, and leave the rest.
@@DerikReed social media is the forum for discussion: folk put their views forward to add to debate and developing knowledge. What would be the point of a cheer squad ... That is what a sermon is for - no listening to Parishioners
@@russellmiles2861 "social media is the forum for discussion: folk put their views forward to add to debate and developing knowledge." I wish. It does like this interview has brought out a higher level of virulence than normal, though indeed most of the comments properly appreciate Dr Levine.
What a fantastic message. I can't wait to read this book. Also, I'm always astounded at Megan's interviewing skills. Such thoughtful questions that evoke such insightful responses. Best podcast ever, A+ no notes
@@GameTimeWhy A: That's not what I said. B: What does literal even mean in the first place? C: Why should that be troubling? Unless, of course, it challenges your cherished dogmas....
@@byrondickens my comment isn't showing up so I don't remember exactly what i said but look up what the old meaning of literal means. I also have no idea if you are arguing in favour of Christianity or not now because your comments are pretty unclear and unhinged.
...I'm put in mind of India's Pacifist Icon Mohandas "Mahatma" Ghandi's response to his thoughts on Xtianity: "I Do like your Christ -- but I Do Not like your Xtians...they are So UNLIKE your Christ."
I read the Bible and I found the noise to signal ratio so bad I determined it to be useless. Buddhism, Taoism, and other Eastern philosophies, on the other hand, are quite useful. If somebody is non-religious thinking of engaging with the Bible for the first time then I highly recommend skipping that and going for western books written with the same thesis about Eastern religions. Eastern religions have practices like meditation, visualization, chanting, and exercise not found in the Bible. The Bible is trash.
AJ Levine lost me at "An enslavement metaphor may be quite helpful." I make no apology for saying that such a metaphor is not appropriate under any circumstances.
Jesus was always for non-Christians. We know this because christianity didn’t exist in Jesus’ time. Then the Christians came along and made it all about them. It was never about them. 🤔
Aaron went to Oral Roberts seminary college to become a minister for his dads Christian church and he studied the original biblical texts in hebrew, greek, Aramaic. Christianity has become a religion of spiritual bypassing. He teaches the real Jesus of love: ua-cam.com/video/vcJwreNpyLo/v-deo.html&si=tZejNHZ-doNdNWhH
I've read the Bible but i don't like how they paint God as a horrible vengeful person. Killing many people , babies etc That's not the God i believe in. Mine is a loving caring God.
If the buddha is for everyone why not Jesus and they are two people who never cared if u r a Christian a jew a muslim a Hindu nor They did care if u knew them ? They cared if u did the will of God of helping ur neighbour and realised that there is a dharma of a human towards another human. We need to tend to human suffering. They are healers of the heart. More than christianity which I believe has anti christ horns the teachings of Jesus are radical are perhaps the most revolutionary in terms of their ethics. Surely I place Jesus on par with the Buddha and the best ideals produced by west and the east. Thinking as Jesus , this zeal for radical sacrifice for redemption of everyone or the way of the boddhisattava to be reborn till the redemption of every single sentient being, it's an oath we all need to take : that we are gonna save our fellow souls and that we have responsibility towards them. I am a Hindu atheist and i wish to someday build a memorial for all of these great men who revolutionised the world. I will call it the temple of human divinity. Jesus, Confucius, Buddha, Zoroaster, Aristotle, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Ibn Arabi, Spinoza, etc.
@isiahs9312 I think that he was not afraid of speaking up when so called religious do make their piousness as a cloth of pride and be drained it acting like others are non existent when they are devoid of God or the essence of goodness. I mean I don't particularly want to debate whether Jesus got this teaching from someone else, he was obviously part of a wider group named essenes and the deal sea scroll community so he might have had these ideas of community welfare etc from being a part of it. But what I say is he perhaps is the figure that came to represent such things. And I am not someone who believes to live in the world there is one way that's why I mention buddha Aristotle Spinoza etc coz each of them was radical in their own way in how they went on to influence the world and many others and losing track of Jesus means losing track of this great tradition which Jesus has come to represent. So all of them are in fact may not even be compatible with each other but all of their ideas should somehow influence and be compatible with us
@@ashishmantri3684 > I think that he was not afraid of speaking up when so called religious do make their piousness as a cloth of pride and be drained it acting like others are non existent when they are devoid of God or the essence of goodness. Jeremiah and my namesake Isaiah. It isnt radical when other people are doing the exact same thing for literally centuries prior. For him to call out people for pretending to be good when they are not good is about as radical as me using a fork and knife. >and the deal sea scroll community prove it >why I mention buddha Aristotle Spinoza etc coz each of them was radical in their own way in how they we Comparing a skyscrapper to a shack. There is nothing new about what he said. It was just copies of copies. You got nothing, just like your boy.
@@ashishmantri3684 >I think that he was not afraid of speaking up when so called religious do make their piousness as a cloth of pride and be drained it acting like others are non existent when they are devoid of God or the essence of goodness. you mean the exact way Jeremiah and my namesake did 6 centuries prior? TIL that doing the exact same thing that everyone else is doing for 6 centuries is radical.
@isiahs9312 well they evn made some kill every thing that lives stuff as well. They were still possessed by some evil bruh. I mean i respect jesus as a human not as he was God or something. Jeremiah etc all of them etc would have all thought oh u left those men alive , kill everything that lives, they are like muhammad in that way. Occasionally good only for the Israelis but not for everyone. Jesus expanded the concept of neighbour to everyone even the enemy. And the way he talks about love , and his father is very distinct from what orthodox Judaism taught. Even rabbi I forgot his name famous person in UA-cam said Jesus changed torahs teaching and that's why he is not our messiah.
AJLavine seems to thinks the Bible is Gods word when it is clearly historical fiction as stated by Bart. If the Bible is just ancient writings by poorly educated people, then why are we putting it up as worthy of quoting and following.
You make a lot of sweeping statements and have made assumptions that may be questionable. Uneducated? You need to listen more closely to Bart. The word of God is no simple concept either
Hello Bart, I was wondering if you had time. If you could listen to my 20 min bible study. I believe I See the True Image of God and the Spiritual Foundation Creation and All things are Based upon and in. I have been kicked out of my religion for this view and family and friends try and get me to come back to the church made of stone. I cannot, I see Christ in all Scripture, and I explain how we have been interpreting scripture wrong. Our foundation is flawed. The Doctrine I've been given is in the Image of Jesus Christ. My Doctrine is the gospel of Jesus Christ and you can interpret scripture in this Image. The Image of God was Never the Man Jesus Christ, but the LIFE within that man. Religions foundation is based on a failure God and their doctrine is carnal at best. I was Hoping your input because I believe the doctrine I was given to see in scripture is the Doctrine the Original church was founded on. Religion is not going to like this!
Slavery was a punishment for war crimes in old times so there was a legitimate excuse behind it that’s why it wasn’t condemned just like today captives are imprisoned for life as a punishment for war crimes and no one is bothered! The law in Torah was if you make someone slave as a punishment or buy one from market, you can use their services for six years then you will have to release him,
@@mfvohra101 this applies only for men Jews slaves, women slaves we’re not let free after six years. When the slave was done being a slave for six years and the master gave him a slave wife, the slave will leave but not the the wife or children. The slaves that were bought that were not Jews were slave for life and passed to their heirs. They were slaves for life and were not a war captured slave, they were bought and sell as an item. When someone says that the slave was released in 6 years, they are talking about men Jew slaves and not women or non Jews slaves. And remember that you can beat your slave as long as he or she didn’t die in three days, thin includes Jews slaves. I recommend the book: Did the old testament endorse slavery by Dr. Joshua Bowen. You can see in it how horrifying and immoral this practice was. Specially for women that were never considered in this inhumane practice of this religion.
why do people lie about this? It says in the text that their children are your property and tells you exactly how to trick them into staying. This doesnt include the captives of war.
@@isiahs9312 Those laws were made by Jewish lawmakers, not God. They were fiqhi laws. I stated the main law. You can't make sub-laws that alter the main law. It was a bad interpretation. The wisdom of the main law was to free slaves. I am not denying people created corruption in God's laws through bad interpretations!
@@mfvohra101 What you describe as the "main law" was the law for enslaving fellow Israelites - generally for debt. Non Israelites in the same text can be kept indefinitely as property. And while I'd say all those laws were made by Jewish lawmakers (and often patterned after laws in other countries of the time), there's nothing in the text that suggests that your "main law" was from God and the other laws were bad interpretations.
*Based on The Data and Facts written in The Christian New Testament Bible , Jesus is God's Servant or The Father's Servant ( Matthew 12 : 15 , Acts 3 : 13 , etc. ) ...* *Servant = Messenger ...* *Servant of God = Messenger of God ...* *Jesus task as God's Servant is to Receive and Convey Divine Revelation or The Words of The Father ( John 17 : 8 , etc. ) ...* *The Recipient and Transmitter of Divine Revelation is called a Prophet ...*
Dr. Levine's Judaism faith doesn't come through in her lectures, indicating she is highly educated. She brings up good points that I will research more. However, I'm curious how she understands the New Testament. Jesus is never mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the word Immanuel is mentioned only once in the New Testament, almost as a throw-in comment. As this video indicates, Judaism seems far different than Christianity. Islam is more similar to Christianity than Judaism. Islam's Quran mentions Jesus more than the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus is mentioned more in the Quran than Islam's prominent prophet, Mohammed. Yet Christians associate themselves more with Judaism. For example, the United States pays for all the bombs that Israel uses to kill 44,000 innocent Palestinian women and Children. When the world turns on Israel's evil, Netanyahu will say, "The US told us so." Our Congress and Presidents (Trump and Biden) support Israel without regard to the US non-Christian (32%) and some of the Christian populations (27% of our total population). The CPAC (Israeli's PAC) is the largest contributor funding US politician campaigns. It's like our politicians never read the Bible's New Testament. Do no evil.
The Subatomic God is a theoretical entity that exists at a scale smaller than quarks, the building blocks of protons and neutrons. This deity operates within the quantum realm, influencing the fundamental particles and forces that constitute the universe. Unlike traditional conceptions of gods, which often operate on a macroscopic scale, the Subatomic God is an omnipresent force at the most minute levels of reality. It embodies the principles of self-consistency and unknowability, reflecting the inherent uncertainties and complexities of quantum mechanics. This deity’s influence is subtle yet profound, guiding the interactions and transformations of particles in ways that shape the very structure of existence. Random but I think it's reliable no?
@@sidighiles9522 While I understand your point, I find great pleasure and fulfillment in contemplating these abstract ideas. For me, exploring the complexities of quantum mechanics and the concept of a ‘subatomic God’ enriches my understanding of the universe. Everyone has their own way of making sense of things, and this is mine. Let’s appreciate the diversity of thought and the different ways we all find meaning.
So if you cherry pick a verse , squint at the right angle and twist what you'd like to see, you can get wisdom from some 2000 year old myth. Ehh, skip!
John 13:34 proves Christianity to Jews Muslims atheists and to everyone. Yahweh said only Leviticus 19:18 & Deuteronomy 6:5 but never said anything like 'Love one another as I the Lord your God love you' in a SINGLE commandment in the Tanakh. Covenant equation John 13:34 = Leviticus 19:18 + Deuteronomy 6:5 - PROVES EVERYTHING. These 3 verses are the absolute core of the Old & New Testaments and so can't be 'corrupted' as Muslims say. The new commandment John 13:34 sums up and proves Christianity, fulfills Jews & honest atheists and defeats Muslims & anti-theists. John 13:34 fulfills both Muslim requirements of 'I am God' & 'worship me.' No one loves better than God does. Worshipping Jesus is to aim to love as Jesus did. Worshipping Mohammed means fighting or marrying as Mohammed did. Lol. What's the difference between 'Love one another as Yeshua loves you' & 'Love one another as Yahweh loves you' ?
We are all sinners. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. When we are converted by being born again of the spirit of God, then we are FOR Jesus. If we remain in our sins, then we are not for Jesus but Satan is our father.
It was a good interview, but Megan was too nervous, and Dr Levine was so generalised on what she was saying that her approach could be applied to almost any book ever written … very American … a lot of misdirected energy …
No, Jesus wasn’t concerned about healthcare. If you can heal the sick and you only did so sparingly and to demonstrate your supernatural powers, you are very much in favor of suffering, not health. What am I missing?
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No, we have our own Daities; we do not need a mythical Jesus who did not know where he was for 18 years!
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@@jttj742 I am fully aware of the two most intolerant cults, and understand where I stand- free to think, not dictated by intolerant books written by primitive Men. By the way, I listen to Mythvision podcasts, which areexcellent.
Even Bart Ehrman, an agnostic, believes Jesus was not mythical, and has written a book to prove it. "Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth." What one believes ABOUT Jesus is a completely different question.
@@John.Flower.Productions ever noticed Jesus never quotes a part of the scriptures that was not already translated into Greek? Bit odd for an aramiac speaking man to do.
Wrong. Jesus can't inspire anybody except jews who were the only worthy of following him in his own opinion. He was a jew teaching jews. The secular "world" has nothing to benefit from a 2000 years old wisdom meant for jews. He never cared for non jews per se, so why would the liberal marxist world, force Jesus to enhance their goals and make him serve their purposes? Using Jesus out of context is pure dishonesty. His message was not universal but meant for his own people at that time and there is no 'Jesus for everybody". If the Torah is meant only for jews, so was that rabbi called Yeshua. Marxist pseudo jews like this lady love to use the Bible to justify their commie ideology taking it completely out of context and make it fit their socialist worldview.
@@teachedteach Well, the division of the world into Jews and "liberal Marxists" looks a bit idiosyncratic, especially since quite a lot of us are opposed to Marxism precisely because its practical consequences are so illiberal.
Dr. Levine would be the perfect person to spend an afternoon with at a coffee shop.
I’ve been doing this “Christian atheism” thing for the past year. Struggle with certain beliefs (resurrection, God, etc), but praying, going to church, and following his teachings (sans loving God with all my heart and soul, selling my possessions, etc) are helpful. I’m expressing gratitude. Not worrying about my life. So on.
When you realize that anything God can give you was invented by humans, then you realize that you can find all those things within yourself.
@@technozombie789
To each his or her own. Long story made short, I’ve been fascinated by textual criticism and theology since I left seminary over 20 years ago. I had a breakdown, of sorts, at work a couple of years ago. Blah blah. Months of testing. I was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. After learning all that I can, my wife and I figured Christianity is just an interest of mine. She figured it would be good for my mental health to return to it, albeit as an atheist. I found a progressive church that welcomes doubters and religious skeptics. So, I go.
Nice people. I can’t get that from within myself.
@@technozombie789 excellent point
@@Pee-Pad This, is your life’s journey. Enjoy!
I fully agree; connecting with others who share a spiritual inclination, who seek to live up to a higher standard, can help us to find a meaningful way to live. There’s no need to rub others’ nose in the nonexistence of supernatural beings, what matters is how we live & treat others.
Dr. Levine keeps apologizing for preaching, but I absolutely would attend a church where she was preaching.
@@PinebrookPictures agreed!
You clearly are not a christian if that is the case. Since the bible says a women is not to preach.
I love that this channel has brought in Dr Levine's perspective. I am Christian and how she describes the concepts spoken about by Jesus - and how we as human beings are supposed to live - is how I interpret my religion, but is rarely preached in churches. My non-Christian son says these ways of living are indigenous - that civilization has pushed away how to live in favour of religion and other means of control.
That’s a great perspective. I like thinking about “What Would Jesus Do?” in many life situations, but not ‘what would the church do,’ as I’m convinced the Pauline doctrines of all the major branches of Christianity don’t accurately reflect what Jesus himself taught. Of course, I don’t know for certain what Jesus of Nazareth taught, but I _believe_ he was a good very wise and kind man.
I also think that most of us know what’s right or wrong in our hearts (except morally void people like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin), we just have to have the courage to act on that certainty. Too many people, even churchgoers, are tempted into destructive behavior and spend much of their lives justifying their actions (extramarital affairs, theft, lying, abusive behavior, etc) to themselves.
I have attended churches where the pastor seemed to have the same beliefs, and I did enjoy those experiences, as well as the social interaction between the parishioners (us, lol). I have also attended churches where the letter of the law, so to speak, found in *scripture* was definitely presented as the only correct way to live, even when scripture was at odds with itself or didn’t seem to address situations encountered in modern life - which is to be expected from 2000 year old writings, after all.
Have a wonderful Christmas! 🌟
Just in your first paragraph you acknowledge having no idea what Jesus taught because almost nothing is written about this person. We only have s few paragraphs of what is supposedly what he said and years wise we have almost no tellings of anything. How can you possibly claim to know what he would have taught or was like when we don't know anything? @@dukeon
@@GameTimeWhy You can do the same with any character: What would Gandalf do? Existence is not a requisite. I see how it can be a useful tool.
@@juanausensi499 sure but who is claiming Gandalf is a real person we *have* to base our entire worldview and life around or be punished for eternity?
@@GameTimeWhy Silly people. You don't need to listen to them.
I know, it's easier in some countries.
The problem is, we don't know what Jesus's real philosophy actually was, we only know what Paul said it was, and we know Paul saw things differently from the original disciples. So, chances are Paul and Jesus would have been at odds if they had ever actually met each other.
I would say that since Paul had nothing to do with the writing of the Gospels, and it's even possible he had never read them, we can pretty much know jesus's philosophy based on what was written there. And it is almost a certainty that had they somehow met that they would have had huge disagreements
@AldousHuxleysCat He would not have read them since they were compiled after he was dead, but they are based essentially on the interpretation of Jesus's teachings that was propagated by Paul. The compilations were done later by his followers in various early Christian centers. This resulted in an essentially Hellenistic perspective on what Jesus actually taught. As a result modern Christianity is basically a Greek religion since it incorporates many of the theological concepts prominent in Hellenist culture.
There were other Christian groups around, often with very different interpretations, but none of those philosophies were included in the bible, only those from the Pauline ideology were included. Probably because the ones doing the compiling were all of the Pauline school of thought,
@@Tugela60 let me rephrase that, we don't know if Paul read anything about Jesus or if he was simply going on word of mouth. His version of salvation definitely contradicts Jesus. They were not only sects with very different concepts than those we have today, there were sects promoting others, that while similar to Jesus were not Jesus. Depending on the criteria you want to use there's somewhere between 10 and 30 different historical or mythical figures with a story very similar. Apollonius is probably the one that got me in the most trouble when I went to church school.
@AldousHuxleysCat Well, he stayed with James for a period, and James presumably was very familiar with what Jesus stood for, so he must have known. But he took a different path regardless.
The position James took was probably a lot closer to what Jesus thought. Although I doubt Jesus claimed to be the son of god (that would have been an instant death sentence) but rather a son of god, a subtle but significant distinction. I suspect the direction Paul took the movement in would have horrified Jesus in person, had he known.
@Tugela60 I'm pretty sure Paul made his disrespect for the apostles known
As a lifelong atheist, I can emphatically and succinctly answer the question: Yes.
Jesus said me and you are going to hell. You need someone who threatens you with violence? Cause I do not.
That is the first time I heard about “Red Shirts” on this channel.
For those that don’t know “Star Trek” lore, the “ensigns” that Dr. Levine mentions as the first to die in those episodes all wore Red Uniform shirts, to which the meme “Red Shirts” as disposable NPC’s comes from.
Kirk, Spock, and Ensign Ricky are beaming down to a planet. Guess who is not coming back
@@chocomilkfps1264Ricky: Aw Crap 🙃🙁🫤
Uhura and Scotty often wore red, I always thought they were the exception that proved the rule
Dr. Levine says she thinks Jesus was really a smart guy. Does she think that when he says, "I come not to bring peace, but a sword" and "I come to set family members against each other"?
I think she's sees the nuances, part allegory, part wisdom and then crazies 🤪 like John of Patmos throw in their 2c's 😢
And remember the wise words in Matthew 15:2 17, Mark 7:2-3 19, and Luke 11:38: Why do your disciples… not wash their hands when they eat? “…Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on?”
Preach all you like because you're on YT or a podcast, and that's why we're here 😊 Having a Jewish person explain texts performed and written by Jews in a Jewish cultural setting makes total sense. 🎉
One of the bests conversations on this channel. Dr Levine's lighting "from the side" is a treasure.
I suppose I see understanding Jesus’ teachings as being just as important as learning about any sort of philosophy or world view. It’s useful to think about these issues in different ways, and it’s important to understand other perspectives, especially when those perspectives are so influential across the world.
Since it is a “belief”, not a fact of history, all views are welcome.
@@charliesundblomSwedeWhat’s not a fact of history?
@@alexreid1173 well perhaps... Except Jesus teaching is mostly lifted from Hebrew and Greek mythology...why not go to the source
@@alexreid1173 Yes they sure. However, thousands of people have been killed, because of these differing views, about the subject of God! The ONLY way to find the Truth about this subject, is when you are dead and gone. Consequently, because of these differing views, we continue to kill each other because we don’t believe the same way! Is this the best mankind can do? Live your life as a “good person”, not as a “true believer” in someone’s idea of god and if he exists! Life is too short, to not enjoy it, and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. I do not have to believe in religion, to understand the true meaning of that observation.
@@russellmiles2861 Yes and ALL written by man!
One of my UU friends once said "I'm not a Christian, but I think I may be a Jesusian."
I've often thought that of myself
I wish I was as optimistic as the guest. But I have seen too many people push lies and despite having the facts presented to them, they refuse to consider those facts.
I wish Bart also had some balance in his narratives. I think he tries too hard to make something inconclusive and more meaning than its warranted. It would help laypersons a lot more to exhibit more balanced and rational thinking. He seems to be another misguided narrator who repeats a same story without enough evidence to corrobate it. It's just sad.
@@SangYoonLee-ht1wfSource:Trust me bro
Ansolutely fascinating and uplifting interview. Thanks AJ and Megan. Hannukah Sameach and Merry Christmas!
A TYPICALLY EXCELLENT INTERVIEW. Looking forward to reading TWO of Dr. Levine's books after Christmas! :-)
I'm only a quarter of the way in and I went and bought the ebook. Should go nicely with my copy of the Jefferson Bible.
Yes, think the Jefferson Bible and I'd add the Gospel of Thomas are excellent sources for finding the Good News. The goal of Jesus preaching. Mark 1:14. Which is the reason why Jesus came. Mark 1:38.
I love listening to AJ Levine. Thanks for featuring her!
Love AJ Levine's work!
AJ is a rockstar!!
I would sit and listen to Dr Levine every day. What and amazing perspective!
Thanks, I always enjoy the commentary of Dr. Levine.
Thanks for a very enjoyable chat.
Dr. Levine should have been wearing Megan’s glasses for nice color co-ordination.
So close
Im a follower of Jesus as he teaches in A Course In Miracles. I dont consider myself a Chtistian, but Jesus has my absolute devotion 🙏💜
I have delighted in Bart and his scholarship for years now. Dr. Levine is a treasure. I do think they both over play their hands at times and, like all of us, become victims of their own inability to see outside their own world views or hear outside their own echo chambers. All in all though, as a committed Christian who follows Jesus as my Rabbi, I am delighted by both these scholars. Keep it up!
I get my understanding of morality and ethics from Star Wars instead of Christianity.
Great episode! Thanks for making it 😊
21:16 The Bible teaches that "free healthcare is a miracle." Well said! I hope that Paul Simon is right and "these are the days of miracles and wonders."
I love this so much❤ thank you so much both of you 😊
Fantastic discussion, such an engaging guest! Loved to cat cameo too 😻
What a beautiful episode. Thank you so much.
I dunno, is this necessarily a text that's worth "wrestling with", any more than other texts? There's a lot of stuff in there that's just wrong, or problematic, or downright vile. "Wrestling with" it or "engaging with" it suggests to me something like "figuring out how we can interpret it as correct somehow" (maybe I've just been listening to too many apologists).
But when she says something like "well, here's a way to think of it so that slavery is actually freeing, because if God is your master no one else can be", I just roll my eyes. No, slavery is NOT actually freedom, whoever the master is. Being a slave to "God" is a bad idea, because then if someone can convince someone that they speak for God, they can justify slavery. Etc, etc.
Sure, some of the sayings and doings of Jesus were good sayings and doings, but others weren't. The fact that Jesus said some thing doesn't tell us anything about whether it's good or bad. We don't need to "struggle with" how Jesus called a woman a bitch, and decide that it's a good story in the end because the woman persevered; we can find stories of perseverance that don't involve a supposedly Divine person being racist / classist / misogynist.
What do we learn about care for children, from stories about Jesus healing children? Nothing whatever as far as I can tell. We know it's good to care for children, and we didn't learn that from some story about Jesus. We don't need to "find it in the text" unless we're already somehow convinced that "the text" is really important. And I'm not at all convinced; it's a mixed bag of ancient stories that tend to reflect regressive and unenlightened world views, and we imho take it FAR too seriously.
And when she says that she "imagines" that when Jesus tells the Parable of the Evil Farmers, he's inwardly thinking about how too much killing and war is bad, and about how when you think about a servant suffering you should think about what if that was your child, when there is *nothing whatever* in the text that suggests he was thinking either of those things, it makes me think, once again, that she is approaching this "text" with the idea that "this has to be a good and useful story somehow, so how can I read stuff into it that isn't there, that makes it make good modern moral sense?".
And why would you do that? Why not instead read a text that really *does* talk about war being bad, and not having slaves, rather than reading a text that glorifies war and endorses slavery, and trying to rationalize why that's okay?
Hard to disagree with you.
@@davidchess1985It's ironic as she's doing the thing Christians have been doing for millenia. Choosing how to interpret the Bible and applying it to their time's morality. That's why there's 1000s of denominations.
29:57 - so was Jesus consciously transgressing Deuteronomy 4:2 in that case?
I’ve been following this show since the beginning. I still think you’re the G.O.A.T Bart, but this episode might now be my favorite one. Dr. Levine floored me with her insights.
I’ve gong through various stages of atheism, but this approach is where I’ve landed. Through his context I’m free to decipher any religion’s mythology for philosophical consideration.
Not preachy but mesmerizing!
16:32 We interact with the Bible not because it is inerrant but because it gives a radically different perspective that can shed light on modern questions.
Interesting thoughts
While hard to assess: if folk look at how folk behave regardless of whether they assert they are Buddhist, Christian, Methodist, Indifferent, Atheist, whatever. Well fertility rates are similar, incomes, tastes in art, charity, consumer behaviour, political ideology, sexual relationships, taking out insurance, health outcomes, mortality rates, etc, etc.
It does not seem that belief or not makes much difference as to how we live thrive and survive
I love the colour coordination 😍
I’m struggling to understand why I want to wrestle with the text. Assuming the text is divine, sure there is an argument to wrestle with it. If the text is not divine, I’m not sure why I want to spend my time wrestling with the musings of the levant. Totally for understanding the context and intended meaning of the text as it was written, the idea that I can get a thousand opinions and hundreds of interpretations to pick one that best suits me seems like an utter nonsensical expedition.
Yeah. There are interesting perspectives in this video, and Jesus as an ethical-philosopher-insurrectionist is fun to engage with, but it's hard to justify "wrestling with" the things he almost certainly didn't say just because its in the New Testament.
Exactly! Everyone must introduce their pets on Zoom calls. It's the law!
Yeah I signed off after the slavery bit
Enjoyed this conversation thank you.
Wrestle with the text = If you torture the data long enough it will confess to anything.
Take a part of the bible and just keep making it try to say what you want, if you don't give up, if you do not let facts get in your way, eventually you will get that text to align with what you already believed.
I just saved you 40:57
Wow. What a breathtakingly shallow and ignorant comment.
@@byrondickens
>Wow. What a breathtakingly shallow and ignorant comment.
it could be worse, my comment could have endorsed genocide, rape, slavery, murder, torture, bigotry, homophobia, slavery, patriarchy, and fascism. Like a certain religious text does, repeatedly.
Love that you people call it the GOOD book 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
As a scientist, I can tell you that the "meaning" of factual data is also wrestled with and argued over. Science is not a world full of only absolutes either. Simple facts are plain, but most of life involves a whole series of complex varariables. It's often portrayed as having absolutes when that is a gross oversimplification, so much so as to be wrong. So there you have it, variability of interpretation in science just as in religion.
@@lrose1766 as a scientist do you do experiments or do you just declare that your view is correct?
@@byrondickens so why not educate me? Go ahead and explain how the genocide endorsed by god in GOOD book was really just a fictional story whose lesson is "always try your best"
If people focused on morality instead of their unfounded claims about the afterlife the world would be a better place.
Megan, I've been reading about Inanna since seeing a copy of it on your bookshelf. It is so unteresting. Thank you. Love your guest.
Sorry no offensive but whatever the speaker said is genelization of ideas rather than ideas of bible or jesus particularly for all people...at one time she said jesus insults non Jewish woman and woman persistence was the one which gets reward so it was that woman for all rather than jesus
Wowwww now this is interesting. I'm gonna have to think about it.
Da heck, where Bart at? Solid choice on glasses though, Jesus would approve.
Jesus' entourage had several women including Mary Magdalene.
My understanding is that Jesus was a feminist, but Dr. Levine says he was not a feminist. I"m confused.
What does "feminist" mean?
Being feminist by the standards of 1st century Roman Judea is very different from being a feminist by modern standards.
DR. Levine is "...all things to all people"
Sadly, no historical documentation exists from the early Jewish Christian period. All we know is from Gospels written 50+ years after the Jewish Holy Man Yeshua lived and from letters by Paul 20+ years later which established doctrines that represent Paul’s interpretation of Yeshua’s ministry meant ONLY for Jewish residents of Judea and Galilee who lived in a corrupted theocracy. Christianity arose over the next 300 years and had universal appeal as a way of life.
Gospel of james, gospel of nazoreans, gospel of the ebionites all in extracts in early church fathers. The theology is pretty clear by playing compare and contrast with the book of james, q, red letters and the very early thomas. Pseudoclementines. The paralells with the great tradition of social justice (not the woke one) found in judaism. Rip out paul's crap. There you go. Jesus centred hermeneutic. Paul did not know jesus. He is scum.
@@pigemperorjudging by what isn't written nobody who wrote of Jesus knew about him either. We have how many paragraphs attributed to what Jesus may have said or done compared to the rest of the scriptures. It's almost nothing. We have stories about what Jesus did in private conversation but nothing about the first 30 years of his life or time in Egypt. Not even the Egyptians have anything written about Jesus.
@@pigemperor None of those texts predate Paul. Even in the scraps we have of them.
I guess I don't read the comments that much, but it seems that this podcast attracted an inordinate number of haters. WTF? Why are they even following this channel? It's almost like, rather than coming here to learn, they came here looking for an argument. Take what you want, and leave the rest.
The comments seem to me mostly appreciative.
@MarcusAurelius13 I hope I just saw a bad sample. Some of what I saw was borderline antisemitic.
@@DerikReed social media is the forum for discussion: folk put their views forward to add to debate and developing knowledge.
What would be the point of a cheer squad ... That is what a sermon is for - no listening to Parishioners
@@russellmiles2861 debate is fine. The ones to which I was referring were somewhat abusive. That's not debate.
@@russellmiles2861 "social media is the forum for discussion: folk put their views forward to add to debate and developing knowledge." I wish. It does like this interview has brought out a higher level of virulence than normal, though indeed most of the comments properly appreciate Dr Levine.
Yes
03:02
She lost me at _"...can get some sense of ethical responsibility from the New Testament."_
But I'll listen to the rest anyway.
{:o:O:}
Nah, I managed 20 minutes and I'm out.
{:o:O:}
Genesis 17:7 Genesis 17:19 Two covenants. Galatians 4:21-26
"Those who aren't for us will be against us." Duh.
See if you can locate Bruce Sheiman, who wrote An Atheist Defends Religion.
Jesus is for everyone. Period
Krishna too.
What a fantastic message. I can't wait to read this book. Also, I'm always astounded at Megan's interviewing skills. Such thoughtful questions that evoke such insightful responses. Best podcast ever, A+ no notes
What part of "call no one teacher" don't people understand? Read Isaiah 9:16 to understand why the world isn't perfect.
agree! 🙏
Sorry but I cut it in the slave argument. Taking the salve argument as metaphorical is absurd, dishonest and immoral.
What is absurd and dishonest is denying the fact that EVERY SINGLE THING in the Bible has been read metaphorically since it was written.
@@byrondickenseverything? Literally nothing in the Bible is to be taken as literal? Seems like a pretty troubling issue if true.
@@GameTimeWhy A: That's not what I said.
B: What does literal even mean in the first place?
C: Why should that be troubling? Unless, of course, it challenges your cherished dogmas....
@@byrondickens my comment isn't showing up so I don't remember exactly what i said but look up what the old meaning of literal means. I also have no idea if you are arguing in favour of Christianity or not now because your comments are pretty unclear and unhinged.
From what I understand of the "Gospel", Jesus CAME because there WERE NO Christians. 🤔🤨
Paul is responsible for Christianity . Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion
Great she referenced the cat!
I love Dr. Levine's "preaching" - only TRUE & WISE mothers teach TRUE WISDOM - thank you!
...I'm put in mind of India's Pacifist Icon Mohandas "Mahatma" Ghandi's response to his thoughts on Xtianity:
"I Do like your Christ -- but I Do Not like your Xtians...they are So UNLIKE your Christ."
I read the Bible and I found the noise to signal ratio so bad I determined it to be useless. Buddhism, Taoism, and other Eastern philosophies, on the other hand, are quite useful. If somebody is non-religious thinking of engaging with the Bible for the first time then I highly recommend skipping that and going for western books written with the same thesis about Eastern religions. Eastern religions have practices like meditation, visualization, chanting, and exercise not found in the Bible. The Bible is trash.
Another winning pair of eyeglasses from Megan.
AJ Levine lost me at "An enslavement metaphor may be quite helpful." I make no apology for saying that such a metaphor is not appropriate under any circumstances.
Appropriate and helpful are two different things.
You seem to think you can control other people's thoughts.
@@TrevonFoxxx those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.
Humanity is pretty stupid in a lot of ways.
Eh, could not watch the whole thing
Jesus was always for non-Christians. We know this because christianity didn’t exist in Jesus’ time. Then the Christians came along and made it all about them. It was never about them. 🤔
Aaron went to Oral Roberts seminary college to become a minister for his dads Christian church and he studied the original biblical texts in hebrew, greek, Aramaic.
Christianity has become a religion of spiritual bypassing. He teaches the real Jesus of love:
ua-cam.com/video/vcJwreNpyLo/v-deo.html&si=tZejNHZ-doNdNWhH
I've read the Bible but i don't like how they paint God as a horrible vengeful person. Killing many people , babies etc That's not the God i believe in. Mine is a loving caring God.
If the buddha is for everyone why not Jesus and they are two people who never cared if u r a Christian a jew a muslim a Hindu nor They did care if u knew them ? They cared if u did the will of God of helping ur neighbour and realised that there is a dharma of a human towards another human. We need to tend to human suffering. They are healers of the heart. More than christianity which I believe has anti christ horns the teachings of Jesus are radical are perhaps the most revolutionary in terms of their ethics. Surely I place Jesus on par with the Buddha and the best ideals produced by west and the east. Thinking as Jesus , this zeal for radical sacrifice for redemption of everyone or the way of the boddhisattava to be reborn till the redemption of every single sentient being, it's an oath we all need to take : that we are gonna save our fellow souls and that we have responsibility towards them. I am a Hindu atheist and i wish to someday build a memorial for all of these great men who revolutionised the world.
I will call it the temple of human divinity. Jesus, Confucius, Buddha, Zoroaster, Aristotle, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Ibn Arabi, Spinoza, etc.
>the teachings of Jesus are radical
they are? Which teaching in particular did not already exist and was well known at the time? Just one please.
@isiahs9312 I think that he was not afraid of speaking up when so called religious do make their piousness as a cloth of pride and be drained it acting like others are non existent when they are devoid of God or the essence of goodness. I mean I don't particularly want to debate whether Jesus got this teaching from someone else, he was obviously part of a wider group named essenes and the deal sea scroll community so he might have had these ideas of community welfare etc from being a part of it. But what I say is he perhaps is the figure that came to represent such things. And I am not someone who believes to live in the world there is one way that's why I mention buddha Aristotle Spinoza etc coz each of them was radical in their own way in how they went on to influence the world and many others and losing track of Jesus means losing track of this great tradition which Jesus has come to represent. So all of them are in fact may not even be compatible with each other but all of their ideas should somehow influence and be compatible with us
@@ashishmantri3684
> I think that he was not afraid of speaking up when so called religious do make their piousness as a cloth of pride and be drained it acting like others are non existent when they are devoid of God or the essence of goodness.
Jeremiah and my namesake Isaiah. It isnt radical when other people are doing the exact same thing for literally centuries prior. For him to call out people for pretending to be good when they are not good is about as radical as me using a fork and knife.
>and the deal sea scroll community
prove it
>why I mention buddha Aristotle Spinoza etc coz each of them was radical in their own way in how they we
Comparing a skyscrapper to a shack. There is nothing new about what he said. It was just copies of copies.
You got nothing, just like your boy.
@@ashishmantri3684
>I think that he was not afraid of speaking up when so called religious do make their piousness as a cloth of pride and be drained it acting like others are non existent when they are devoid of God or the essence of goodness.
you mean the exact way Jeremiah and my namesake did 6 centuries prior? TIL that doing the exact same thing that everyone else is doing for 6 centuries is radical.
@isiahs9312 well they evn made some kill every thing that lives stuff as well. They were still possessed by some evil bruh. I mean i respect jesus as a human not as he was God or something. Jeremiah etc all of them etc would have all thought oh u left those men alive , kill everything that lives, they are like muhammad in that way. Occasionally good only for the Israelis but not for everyone. Jesus expanded the concept of neighbour to everyone even the enemy. And the way he talks about love , and his father is very distinct from what orthodox Judaism taught. Even rabbi I forgot his name famous person in UA-cam said Jesus changed torahs teaching and that's why he is not our messiah.
The intellectual dishonesty, perhaps even outright deception, in this conversation is truly outstanding.
AJLavine seems to thinks the Bible is Gods word when it is clearly historical fiction as stated by Bart. If the Bible is just ancient writings by poorly educated people, then why are we putting it up as worthy of quoting and following.
You make a lot of sweeping statements and have made assumptions that may be questionable. Uneducated? You need to listen more closely to Bart. The word of God is no simple concept either
Hello Bart, I was wondering if you had time. If you could listen to my 20 min bible study. I believe I See the True Image of God and the Spiritual Foundation Creation and All things are Based upon and in. I have been kicked out of my religion for this view and family and friends try and get me to come back to the church made of stone. I cannot, I see Christ in all Scripture, and I explain how we have been interpreting scripture wrong. Our foundation is flawed. The Doctrine I've been given is in the Image of Jesus Christ. My Doctrine is the gospel of Jesus Christ and you can interpret scripture in this Image. The Image of God was Never the Man Jesus Christ, but the LIFE within that man. Religions foundation is based on a failure God and their doctrine is carnal at best. I was Hoping your input because I believe the doctrine I was given to see in scripture is the Doctrine the Original church was founded on. Religion is not going to like this!
Amy Jill! Awesome interview with an awesome teacher!
No,Jesus is only for those who will be redeemed.
The new testament teaches the same thing as all "holy" texts: don't trust any holy text and especially not any religious authority
Slavery was a punishment for war crimes in old times so there was a legitimate excuse behind it that’s why it wasn’t condemned just like today captives are imprisoned for life as a punishment for war crimes and no one is bothered!
The law in Torah was if you make someone slave as a punishment or buy one from market, you can use their services for six years then you will have to release him,
@@mfvohra101 this applies only for men Jews slaves, women slaves we’re not let free after six years. When the slave was done being a slave for six years and the master gave him a slave wife, the slave will leave but not the the wife or children.
The slaves that were bought that were not Jews were slave for life and passed to their heirs. They were slaves for life and were not a war captured slave, they were bought and sell as an item.
When someone says that the slave was released in 6 years, they are talking about men Jew slaves and not women or non Jews slaves.
And remember that you can beat your slave as long as he or she didn’t die in three days, thin includes Jews slaves.
I recommend the book: Did the old testament endorse slavery by Dr. Joshua Bowen. You can see in it how horrifying and immoral this practice was. Specially for women that were never considered in this inhumane practice of this religion.
why do people lie about this? It says in the text that their children are your property and tells you exactly how to trick them into staying. This doesnt include the captives of war.
@@isiahs9312 Those laws were made by Jewish lawmakers, not God. They were fiqhi laws.
I stated the main law. You can't make sub-laws that alter the main law. It was a bad interpretation. The wisdom of the main law was to free slaves.
I am not denying people created corruption in God's laws through bad interpretations!
@@mfvohra101 What you describe as the "main law" was the law for enslaving fellow Israelites - generally for debt.
Non Israelites in the same text can be kept indefinitely as property.
And while I'd say all those laws were made by Jewish lawmakers (and often patterned after laws in other countries of the time), there's nothing in the text that suggests that your "main law" was from God and the other laws were bad interpretations.
Is that a tattoo on Megan's left shoulder?
There's like two sentences of anything like guidance for living in the gospels.
*Based on The Data and Facts written in The Christian New Testament Bible , Jesus is God's Servant or The Father's Servant ( Matthew 12 : 15 , Acts 3 : 13 , etc. ) ...*
*Servant = Messenger ...*
*Servant of God = Messenger of God ...*
*Jesus task as God's Servant is to Receive and Convey Divine Revelation or The Words of The Father ( John 17 : 8 , etc. ) ...*
*The Recipient and Transmitter of Divine Revelation is called a Prophet ...*
Dr. Levine's Judaism faith doesn't come through in her lectures, indicating she is highly educated. She brings up good points that I will research more. However, I'm curious how she understands the New Testament. Jesus is never mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the word Immanuel is mentioned only once in the New Testament, almost as a throw-in comment. As this video indicates, Judaism seems far different than Christianity. Islam is more similar to Christianity than Judaism. Islam's Quran mentions Jesus more than the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus is mentioned more in the Quran than Islam's prominent prophet, Mohammed.
Yet Christians associate themselves more with Judaism. For example, the United States pays for all the bombs that Israel uses to kill 44,000 innocent Palestinian women and Children. When the world turns on Israel's evil, Netanyahu will say, "The US told us so." Our Congress and Presidents (Trump and Biden) support Israel without regard to the US non-Christian (32%) and some of the Christian populations (27% of our total population). The CPAC (Israeli's PAC) is the largest contributor funding US politician campaigns. It's like our politicians never read the Bible's New Testament. Do no evil.
For me, no.
Cat
I didn't really understand this interview.
Is she trying to be some kind of half-hearted apologetic?
You’re not the only one. I found this woman to be completely off base in her analysis.
Only for the lost sheep of Israel 😂
The Subatomic God is a theoretical entity that exists at a scale smaller than quarks, the building blocks of protons and neutrons. This deity operates within the quantum realm, influencing the fundamental particles and forces that constitute the universe. Unlike traditional conceptions of gods, which often operate on a macroscopic scale, the Subatomic God is an omnipresent force at the most minute levels of reality. It embodies the principles of self-consistency and unknowability, reflecting the inherent uncertainties and complexities of quantum mechanics. This deity’s influence is subtle yet profound, guiding the interactions and transformations of particles in ways that shape the very structure of existence.
Random but I think it's reliable no?
No goals or purpose, therefor not god.
Are there ways to test your hypothesis?
@andywomack3414 With the current technologies and tools we have no
You’re presuming way too much. It’s like the farmer telling raspberries how to grow and pruning them when the don’t agree.
@@sidighiles9522 While I understand your point, I find great pleasure and fulfillment in contemplating these abstract ideas. For me, exploring the complexities of quantum mechanics and the concept of a ‘subatomic God’ enriches my understanding of the universe. Everyone has their own way of making sense of things, and this is mine. Let’s appreciate the diversity of thought and the different ways we all find meaning.
God is Small! 😅
So if you cherry pick a verse , squint at the right angle and twist what you'd like to see, you can get wisdom from some 2000 year old myth. Ehh, skip!
John 13:34 proves Christianity to Jews Muslims atheists and to everyone. Yahweh said only Leviticus 19:18 & Deuteronomy 6:5 but never said anything like 'Love one another as I the Lord your God love you' in a SINGLE commandment in the Tanakh.
Covenant equation John 13:34 = Leviticus 19:18 + Deuteronomy 6:5 - PROVES EVERYTHING. These 3 verses are the absolute core of the Old & New Testaments and so can't be 'corrupted' as Muslims say.
The new commandment John 13:34 sums up and proves Christianity, fulfills Jews & honest atheists and defeats Muslims & anti-theists.
John 13:34 fulfills both Muslim requirements of 'I am God' & 'worship me.' No one loves better than God does. Worshipping Jesus is to aim to love as Jesus did. Worshipping Mohammed means fighting or marrying as Mohammed did. Lol.
What's the difference between 'Love one another as Yeshua loves you' & 'Love one another as Yahweh loves you' ?
We are all sinners. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. When we are converted by being born again of the spirit of God, then we are FOR Jesus. If we remain in our sins, then we are not for Jesus but Satan is our father.
Nah, Jesus is lame. Epictetus and Confucius work for me!
It was a good interview, but Megan was too nervous, and Dr Levine was so generalised on what she was saying that her approach could be applied to almost any book ever written … very American … a lot of misdirected energy …
No, Jesus wasn’t concerned about healthcare. If you can heal the sick and you only did so sparingly and to demonstrate your supernatural powers, you are very much in favor of suffering, not health. What am I missing?
No, we have our own Daities; we do not need a mythical Jesus who did not know where he was for 18 years!
@@jttj742 I am fully aware of the two most intolerant cults, and understand where I stand- free to think, not dictated by intolerant books written by primitive Men. By the way, I listen to Mythvision podcasts, which areexcellent.
Even Bart Ehrman, an agnostic, believes Jesus was not mythical, and has written a book to prove it. "Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth." What one believes ABOUT Jesus is a completely different question.
@@kentcooper8452everyone is agnostic. You are either theist or atheist.
*Jesus didn't even know the Tanach well enough to teach anything.*
What is the basis for this absurd claim?
@John.Flower.Productions Who permitted divorce?
@@John.Flower.Productions ever noticed Jesus never quotes a part of the scriptures that was not already translated into Greek? Bit odd for an aramiac speaking man to do.
@@PazPinhasRahamim9220 When?
@John.Flower.Productions Deuteronomy 24 - WHO permitted divorce?
Wrong. Jesus can't inspire anybody except jews who were the only worthy of following him in his own opinion. He was a jew teaching jews. The secular "world" has nothing to benefit from a 2000 years old wisdom meant for jews. He never cared for non jews per se, so why would the liberal marxist world, force Jesus to enhance their goals and make him serve their purposes? Using Jesus out of context is pure dishonesty. His message was not universal but meant for his own people at that time and there is no 'Jesus for everybody". If the Torah is meant only for jews, so was that rabbi called Yeshua. Marxist pseudo jews like this lady love to use the Bible to justify their commie ideology taking it completely out of context and make it fit their socialist worldview.
Maybe your bias is blinding you.
@@TheDanEdwards Since we are all biased in one way or another, could you kindly tell which is the bias that is blinding me? Blinding me to what?
@@teachedteach Well, the division of the world into Jews and "liberal Marxists" looks a bit idiosyncratic, especially since quite a lot of us are opposed to Marxism precisely because its practical consequences are so illiberal.