Yes for the most part I reclon .. ... absolutely .. I believe in the Teachings of Jesus as per SOM. in particular the main teaching though.. the Rule that "Sums up the Law and the Prophets"..
That wording is kind of like alarm bells going of is it not ?
"Sums up the Law and the Prophets" .. perhaps I should pay attention to this rule .. hmmmm .. are you with me so far ? ding ding ding .. no bells going off ... silence .. whats happening .. inquiring minds want to know.
and you know the rule - aka- "The Will of the Father" .. who art in Heaven .. Hallowed be is Sacred Name .. which is a coat of many colors
Not so tough to follow - Jesus gives you one simple rule OK .. Just try to treat others the way you would like to be treated .. Love your neighbor .. as you yourself liked to be loved .. these are my commands .. and I know them so well I can play around a bit...
Jesus restates this rule numerous times .. Judge Not lest you be judged on the standards by which you judge others ..
Jesus sets a really low bar .. Try to be more righteous than the Pharisee's .. and the Lawgivers (Martin ? - wold in sheep clothing perhaps . .need I repost is famous treatise) who Jesus hated
what is so tough about this ? If you want to be perfect .. drop everything and enter the Priesthood .. hopefully Orthodox or Protestant so you can have a wife ...
what is so difficult .. I told you did I not .. was raised Lutheran .. founder of your namesake ideology .. have close relatives (note the (s) been through the Seminary 8 years - learning Latin, Hebrew, Greek .. I didn't just wake up and have this argument yesterday .. but .. I promise that at the end of the day ... Your foundation will have become stronger .. by moving a little down the spectrum from the extremist perspective .. same with the literalism ..
Hope you read the link on "El Shaddia" - and Welcome to El - 101 .. When you go to a proper Seminary .. like the "Missouri Synod" in St. Louis .. you learn this ...modern scholarship is irrefutable in some respects .. we have biblical texts .. and know what they mean .. know what terms like "Sons of God" would have meant to an Israelite/Canaanite .. back in the days when you were named after your God ... Isra-El Samu- El .. and the text gives numeous other examples.
You believed the same thing .. everyone know who "El Shadai" was - you both speak the same language .. have lived amongst each other for hundreds of years .. intermarriage .. shared religious culture .. Everyone knows who "El" is and everyone believes in other Gods .. but each city has their own personal God .. or cities .. a collective .. as would have been the case with Israel .. YHW being their God .. and they were not to worship the others .. but they believed in their existence .. the Divine Pantheon .. everyone believed in this ... and also that there was one Top Dog .. and even if they were giving that top dog different names - it doesn't matter because they are both describing the same God..
And after all .. where did the Canaanites Come from
.. perhaps some of the lineage still survived but they were Semetic people .. livin in the Cradle .. comingled for hundreds of years.
The Canaanite epithets for their Top Dog "El" are the same as those for YHWH .. The Creator .. the Father .. God of the Mountain - the Most High .. and numerous others..
this is a happy thing .. as - from a humanist perspective - want to get as far as possible away from the God YHWH .. who started out as El's son .. "Son of God" .. one of 70 according to the Ugaritic texts
Like Jesus .. the Son eventually became the Father. God is one .. and it matters not what we name the various emanations from the Godhead.
What matters - is the Golden Rule .. Let ye who is without Sin .. Cast the first rock .. Take log out of own eye .. and so on. so many examples he gives...
Ruth was justified by works ...