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Are Christian Values Really Christ's Values

By Houston Vetter

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 08Apr2011 Word count: 724 Viewed: 332 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

This is part of the discussion on a particular news group that deals with the different tricks our minds can play on us and how to manage it better. Someone was complaining about politics and that Christian values did not line up with Christ's values.

Me: Here is a trick our mind plays on us...To get a closer understanding of what Christ's values actually were, one would have to be able to understand the nuances of the Aramaic language and read what he wrote from the Aramaic or a translation of Aramaic. Here is the real kicker. To really understand the difference between Christian values and Christ's values, it would take more than understanding Aramaic.

A member of the board responded: I'm afraid I couldn't understand what you were saying in this paragraph, as I haven't been joined to you at the hip since infancy.

Response: And that is my point about Christ as well, you haven't been joined at the hip with him since birth either. You, unless you are, have no clue what his values are and even if you did, you would only know for yourself, not anyone else.

Here is a sample: Let's use the poor Aramaic translation that we have been taught since childhood.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

First each person's definition of love is totally different than yours. Even though we talk as if everyone understands what is meant, you can hardly ever get a definite definition out of anyone when it comes to the word love.

Secondly, how you display your version of love to yourself will be totally different than how another does to themselves.

Third, which 'neighbor' is really being referred to? Was he speaking locally of the one next door or globally of man in general? It depends on your own personal filters which way you interpret it.

Forth, which 'you' was he referring to, the one you think you are that you see in the mirror externally or the internal, non-physical you that is the essence and bigger part of you?

And according to most people's idea of love, very few people love themselves to a very useful level so people ARE following the above dictum.

A more accurate translation of the intent of the Aramaic Is, "You are love; recognize that and you will see everything is love."

Unless you speak English and hang out with me it would be hard for you to actually know what my values are.

What another person claims are my values, are their filtered interpretation of what they really are. In 99% of the case, they probably project their values claiming they are mine.

Now take someone who only speaks Japanese as their native language, they learn English as a second language. Then they translate some of what I've said into Japanese. What are the chances of them really getting the meaning of my values from a translation of what I said?

I mean think about it. On this list we miss half the jokes and most of the meaning of those we are writing too (really writing at) because we think they just don't get, etc.

Jesus Christ spoke in Aramaic which is not the same as Greek. And trying to extrapolate what Christ values are out of a translation of a translation of what so-in-so said is about as useful as the Knight at the bridge in Monte Python's Holy Grail with no arms and no legs screaming, "Come back and fight like a man you cowardly dog".

Unless one is truly having a daily internal experience of (what some Christians talk about, but seldom participate in,) an indwelling Lord (Christian terminology-I use other words such as aligning with 'who you really are') no one has a real clue what Christ's values really are. And on top of that how Christ's values come out of each person is totally different. That is why the idea of Christian values is more a political thing than a spiritual one.

It ain't a group thing, it's a one-on-one thing. It's organic, it's not organized.

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