Comments on The Atheist Missionary: Alan Watts describes Jesus as a "freak"

Big Watts fan. However, Commander, Catholics do be...

2010-08-31T11:07:27.112-04:00

Big Watts fan. However, Commander, Catholics do believe that we are all children of God. As for why Christians don't believe in pagan gods, well, Christian and Hindu share a similar cosmogony. Brahman or the Christian God, "creator of heaven and earth," are without attribute, eternal, and transpersonal. The pantheon of Gods or Angels would be born of this God. Both are more transpolytheisitic than what is popularly held to be monotheistic. In our time, C. S. Lewis said that monotheism should be regarded not as the opposite but as the maturity of polytheism. This holds true for an evolutionary trend that can be observed in Indian, Mesopotamian, Greek and Egyptian religions. Christians who are plagued with guilt are not following Christ's example, but, are rather, subject to the "Great Suck of Self," said Walker Percy. Self-awareness and humility require that we take full responsibility for our sinfulness. Christ, being born sinless, satisfied Divine Justice, through his kenotic love, that is suffering for man's deliverance. A complete exposition of these ideas, such as divine justice, as well as a disposition toward connatural good and concupiscience, are outlined in the Summa Theologica. Due to concupiscience we are not liable for what we do not know to be sin. Additionally, we are not to be hung up on sin. Christ, being the paragon of holiness, certainly wasn't, nor we're any of the saints or mystics from any religion. They were almost spiritually, and materially ambitionless. However, the goal of every religious person is either enlightenment or "Beatific Vision" in Western Christianity. Beatific vision is VERY ATTAINABLE. It is fundamentally possible. It is the aligning of your will, by your choice, with that of God's. Thomas Aquinas defined the beatific vision as the ultimate end of human existence after physical death.[3] Aquinas's formulation of beholding God in Heaven parallels Plato's description of one beholding the Good in the world of knowledge. In Eastern belief and in Orthodox Catholicism, people can become like God, before the afterlife. So, slightly, the ontology is less developed. So, in essence, what I am denying you, and Watts, I suppose, is that Christ as coeternal with God, or born fully god and man, is somehow tragic, or a stumbling block for Christians. Although, I believe that the religion has lost some of it's original emphasis, the case is certainly not hopeless. If this were so there wouldn't be any saints. Also, the bible is not the end all be all by any means, the Church, holds that they are guided by the 'Holy Spirit' which means that there is some sort of intuitive, gnostic movement wherein the Church's theology evolves, even after the bible. Have you read the sci-fi series by C.S. Lewis? I suppose that you all just have some mythology, philosophy, and theology to catch up on...

Good job on this blog. A very interesting read.

2010-07-21T03:27:07.127-04:00

Good job on this blog. A very interesting read.

You are correct, sir. Jesus was a freak. And so am...

2010-04-21T23:13:44.582-04:00

You are correct, sir. Jesus was a freak. And so am I. http://slimspickin.blogspot.com I love alan watts.

I've listened to this and many other Lectures from...

2009-05-29T04:16:05.371-04:00

I've listened to this and many other Lectures from Watts, and I have to say that the excerpt from the one presented here is the most subtlely overlooked yet profoundly obvious teaching of Jesus. It seems to contradict all that is taught to the West through the Christian churches. Therefore, it is obviously discarded by those who revert to the argument that Jesus led a sinless life (which is false) and that he was the son of God, not a son of God. The mistake here is that Christians tend to think that Jesus was conscious of himself before his birth, that he departed from God in order to be mortal (yet somehow remained "holy") and thus gave his life as an example for all to follow. If that is so, then why is it not also believed that we are all children of God, since Jesus (if he were one with God, and therefore ominscient) would not ask something of us that were fundamentally impossible? I highly doubt that Jesus is attempting to instill guilt in his followers, though sadly, this is how modern Christianity has interpreted it.

Nice blog. Keep it up.

peace to you again i hope i am not being a pain.Bu...

2009-04-15T16:18:00.000-04:00

peace to you again i hope i am not being a pain.But to answer your quetsion as to why i firmly believe in God it is because i ahve his spirit. You cannot debate with me if i have his spirit or not because you cannot see God nor can anyone prove him with. science. It is not enough just to read the bible. you have to seek God's spirt.Being a christian doesnot garrantee you anything. nowhere in the scriptures does it state that you must bein a christian will get you into heaven. It is God's spirit. Spiritual things cannot be together with carnal things because it just doesn't.Again thank you for allowing me to to post to you. God bless you Alan Watts

Peace and grace to you again quesion iknow you are...

2009-04-15T15:58:00.000-04:00

Peace and grace to you again quesion iknow you are an atheists but do you think that if jesus
were to come back to this earth as he did before do you think that people would try to kill him again just something for you to think baout. the life he lived made the jewish authorites made to the point that they put him to death write back to me if you so desire

Thank you. AND THERE ARE WAYS OF COMMUNICATING WIT...

2009-04-15T15:47:00.000-04:00

Thank you. AND THERE ARE WAYS OF COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE WHETHER TALKING ABPOT gOD OR ANYTHING IN THAT NATURE AND NOT BE EVNVYOUES OR ANY THING. i do belive that the bible thumpers go to fAR AND THAT IS WHY I DON'T TAKE SIDES. yES I AM A FIRM BELIVER IN JESUS CHRIST AND HIS WORD HOWEVER I AM NOT GOING TTO BASH SOME ONE FOR NOT BELIEVIN THAT WOULD GO AGAINST WHAT THE LORD HAS TAUGHT ME.Also how many bibles have you read fiend. Yes theere are many knids of bibles but there is only one true bible which i beleive is the king james.Over the years there were many people have made claims and tried to make duplicates of something.There were false prophets yet there was only one TRUE PROPHET OF GOD AT ATIME.GOD USES ONE MAN ATA TIME NOT FOUR OR FIVE. GOD USES A MAN THAT USES MEN. BUT GOING BACK JUST LIKE THERE IS THE FALSE THERE IS THE TRUE. IF YOU HAVE READ JESUS CHRIST SAID THAT MANY WILL COME IN MY NAME SAYING THAT I AM THE CHRIST . THESE WERE FALSE MESSIAHS .AND JUST LIKE THEY USE FALSE MESSIAHS REST ASSURED THEY WILL TRY TO CHANGE AND DUPILACTE THE BIBLE.MOST OF WHICH ARE SO-CALLED CHRISTIANS IN THE FAITH. BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY WOLVES IN SHEEP CLOTHING BECAUSE THE BIBLE IS GOD'S WORD WHICH MEN TRY TO CHANGE.I do however agree also that christians like tto follow. they would rather listen to the preacher and assume he is right rather than read God's HOLY WORDTHERE SELVES.AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH REASONING I AGREE WITH YOU. Because it took reason for Jesus to save man from sin. in which he did.Jesus came to save all men which he did. HOW EVER PEOPLE CHISE WHETHER TO STAY SAVED OR NOT. IT IS LIKE BEING IN A HOUSE AND THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE AND THE FIREMAN COMES TO SAVE. HE TELLS YOU NOT TO GO BACK IN BUT THERE IS ALWAYS THAT DUMB ONE WHO WILL GO BACK. THAT IS JUST LIKE WITH GOD. SOME SO CALLED CHRISITANS OF THE FAITH GO RIGHT BACK DOING THE SAME DOGGONE THIGN AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN SAVED. LIKE I SAID I DONOT TAKE SIDES . I KNOW JESUS AND BELLIEVE IN GOD HOWEVER I RESPECT THOSE WHO DON'T. YES I BELIEVE ON CHRISTIANITY BUT THAT IS NOT THE WAY TO CHRISTJESUS IT IS HAVING HIS SPIRIT.SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO POST AND TALK WITH YOU. I AM JUST A 16 YEAR OLD BOY WHO LIKES TO REASON

jordan, thank-you for not being offended at...

2009-04-15T07:31:00.000-04:00

jordan, thank-you for not being offended at my little sarcastic dig. You are welcome to post your comments following any article on this tite which you find of interest.

I see that you quite fairly admit in one of your earlier posts that the existence of God cannot be proven. Of course, this begs the question of why you so fervently believe in him/her/it. I can't prove the existence of fairies or angels in my backyard which is why I don't believe in them. I am assuming that you are an atheist when it comes to Thor, Zeus and the thousands of other gods created by the human imagination over the past 100,000 years. I just go one god further than you in my disbelief.

Based on your posts, I take it that you place considerable reliance on the Bible. If every Bible on the face of the earth disappeared today and we could erase everyone's memory and start afresh (my "clean slate" analogy), would you live your life any differently? If so, why? if not, why should anyone care about the Bible?

Obviously, it is difficult for me to engage you in a debate without knowing your particular brand of religion. But regardless of your religion of choice, why is your brand right and the others wrong? I trust you appreciate that they can't all be right but they can certainly all be wrong. Think about that ... but then again many Bible thumpers believe that thinking about these things (i.e. applying reason) is the work of Satan. The don't like to think, they like to follow and that's why they refer to themselves as a flock.

God bless you. But i do not have to. I;m not sayin...

2009-04-15T07:17:00.000-04:00

God bless you. But i do not have to. I;m not saying anything slanderous or anything. so why should I take medicine because i voice my opinon. But that is wat people do when they are faced wuth God's word. They will either say it is not real or that God is fake or something. I'm not going to debate with any one
if God is real. You either belive in him or you don't. But to beleive in him and understand him you must first have his spirit.
Again peace and grace. If you donot want me writing to you again feel free to let me know. God bless you

jordan, please go take your medication.

2009-04-14T20:14:00.000-04:00

jordan, please go take your medication.

Well guess wat the church is the body of christ. ...

2009-04-14T19:14:00.000-04:00

Well guess wat the church is the body of christ. The churhc is God's true body.only those who have the holy ghost and fire are apart of the church.These other souls are there
to try to destroy the church. these are the ones who who misinterpet the bible. God's church is already fixed. These are the one's who will regin with God in the beauty of holiness.

and they that worship him must worship him in spir...

2009-04-14T19:09:00.000-04:00

and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in the truth. God is a spirit and you can not see a spirit. Nor can someone point to you and say oh this was an act of God or something because God works in ways we cannot comprehend. Also to belive in God you
must first believe that he is. You must have faith.It is impossble to please God with out faith.The problem with most christians is that they. lack the faith. They want the blesssing with out the faith.To be a christian and it's not enough to just be christian because the devil knows and believs God. You must have the HolyGHOST AND FIRE TO GET TO HEAVEN. WITH OUT HOLINESS NO MAN SHALL SEE GOD.YOU CAN BE A CHRISTIAN AND STILL GO TO HELL BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE HIS SPIRIT IN YOU. THAT'S WHY AN ATHEIST WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND GOD. YES THEY PROBABLY HAVE READ THE BIBILE BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE GOD'S SPIRIT IN THEM WHY BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE THE HOLY GHOST.THE HOLY GHOST IS A TEACHER AND A GUIDE.AND IT IS UP TO U TO LISTEN TO HIM.ALSO THE GOSPEL OF JESUS IS NOT A BIOGRAPHY OF HIS LIFE BUT IT IS HIS LIFE.BECAUSE HELIVED HIS LIFE RIGHT. THAT IS PREACHIN THE GOSPEL. IT IS NOT NECESSARILY TALKING VERBALY. BECAUSE THE DEVIL CAN PREACH WITH HIS TOUNGE TO. BUT IT IS WHEN YOU OBEY THE LORDS COMMANDMENTS THAT YOU ARE PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

Since he is god he can't sin and there for he is t...

2009-04-14T18:51:00.000-04:00

Since he is god he can't sin and there for he is the son of God. second of all alot of christians go about trying to convinece atheists to believe in God. I am not against it because Jesus Christ my savior said that we must save souls. However few realize that the existance of God cannot be proven.Acoording to John4:23,24.Which states that God is a spirit

PEACE AND GRACE TO YOU . FIRST OFF LET ME TELL YOU...

2009-04-14T18:43:00.000-04:00

PEACE AND GRACE TO YOU . FIRST OFF LET ME TELL YOU THAT JESUS DID GRANT US THE OPIRTUNITY TO
BE THE SONS OF GOD HOWEVER JESUS HIMSELF SHARES
A MORE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER.JESUS CHRIST LIVED A SINLESS. LIFE WE DIDN'T. AND THE BIBLE STATES THAT ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE MY LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS
CHRIST BECAUSE HE IS ETERNAL. HE LIVED WITH GOD AND HE WAS WITH GOD FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

Title of this blog entry is a total nonsense and s...

2009-03-05T16:53:00.000-05:00

Title of this blog entry is a total nonsense and slander. You don't seam to understand the text you presented. What Watts says is that the church has misinterpreted the teachings and made a freak out of Jesus. Quite a leap to "Alan Watts describes Jesus as a "freak"".