Destino Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/12/25/RichJesus/index.html Each Christmas, Christians tell stories about the poor baby Jesus born in a lowly manger because there was no room in the inn.But the Rev. C. Thomas Anderson, senior pastor of the Living Word Bible Church in Mesa, Arizona, preaches a version of the Christmas story that says baby Jesus wasn't so poor after all. Anderson says Jesus couldn't have been poor because he received lucrative gifts -- gold, frankincense and myrrh -- at birth. Jesus had to be wealthy because the Roman soldiers who crucified him gambled for his expensive undergarments. Even Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph, lived and traveled in style, he says. Here is my favorite part: "Anderson says Jesus never would have had disciples or a large following if he was poor. He would not have been able to command their respect" Got to love the prosperity gospel. If you don't have money then well, God doesn't like you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Here is my favorite part:"Anderson says Jesus never would have had disciples or a large following if he was poor. He would not have been able to command their respect" Got to love the prosperity gospel. If you don't have money then well, God doesn't like you. I would observe that your "favorite part" says absolutely nothing about whether God likes you. It's an observation about the kinds of things that people respect. (Although I suspect that I share your opinion on this "prosperity gospel". I'm not disagreeing with your opinion. Just pointing out that your post doesn't support it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 First of all, Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem because his father had to travel from his perfectly good home in Nazareth for a government census issue by Augustus. (Supresses every urge to rant about stupid governmental ideas that seemed good at the time). Next, Jesus' father Joseph was a carpenter. While I doubt this made them rich, they certainly wouldn't have been destitute, and Jesus did grow up learning his father's trade to use later in life. Finally, Jesus had at least 12 followers at all times, and that doesn't even include people who would join him for a while before heading out on their own. When you have 13 people doing everything together, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to pool any money you might have/make and have 1 person in charge of it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Name it and Claim it brother....Daddy needs a new Benz. Whatever floats his boat....or I guess yacht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boobiemiles Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Of course Jesus had money. His father was a carpenter for Christ sake. We are talking about a time when you had to be born into a profession. If Jesus was making the same hourly wage as some carpenters, he was paid. Plus the only violent act Jesus committed was turning over the money trays in the Temple of David during pass over. Jesus was well read as well. And when he died, they didn't leave him on the cross to get pecked at by crows and vultures, instead they put him in a tomb. Tombs were for weathly people. I say it now, and I say it again, Christanity has it all wrong. Jesus would speak out against the religion in his honor. Jesus was a nostic. Christanity does not emphasize the ideas of nostism. How many people dies in the name of Christ, without the smallest idea of who he really was. And he was black. He looked just like Osama Bin Laden, long wooly beard and all. He just loved instead of destroying things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Nazareth is thought to have been a back-water or ghetto town. It wasn't exactly a metropolis. There is even mention of it by Nathanael (one of the disciples) with the comment "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Christanity does not emphasize the ideas of nostism. How many people dies in the name of Christ, without the smallest idea of who he really was. And he was black. He looked just like Osama Bin Laden, long wooly beard and all. So Osama Bin Laden is black? :whoknows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellis Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Not only is Osama black, he's also 5 ft tall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Of course Jesus had money. His father was a carpenter for Christ sake. We are talking about a time when you had to be born into a profession. So in a time of virtually no middle class... you think carpenters were in the upper or lower class? This idea of well paid skilled labor is relatively new. For most of human history there were those with land and wealth... and those that worked for them for breadcrumbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Jesus definitely wasn't poor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Nazareth is thought to have been a back-water or ghetto town. It wasn't exactly a metropolis.There is even mention of it by Nathanael (one of the disciples) with the comment "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" So your saying Nazareth was the Dallas of its day???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Judges Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 ok ignorant atheist question here: You guys know for a fact this dude was the son of God and you have hundreds of direct quotes from him but you don't know if he was rich or poor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titaw Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Jesus had the following he did because he could perform miracles. Turning water into wine, taking a single loaf of bread and feeding an entire town, ridding diseased individuals of their afflictions, etc. Jesus was also brought these extravagant gifts from the three wise men or kings, whichever translation you choose, because these cats knew he was he son of god, so they had to give him the most valuable things they had on the day he was born. As far as Jesus being black, highly unlikely. Just as unlikely that he was white. The fact of the matter is simple he was middle eastern. Neither black nor white. The only way that he could have bee white is if Mary and Joseph were of Roman descent, but that was unlikely as him being black. Oh, and why does this matter? I don't care what color Jesus was, the fact that he lived, and will return, is all that matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 ok ignorant atheist question here: You guys know for a fact this dude was the son of God and you have hundreds of direct quotes from him but you don't know if he was rich or poor? I'll give you a simple answer, since I'm no biblical scholar, and let others with more knowledge go more in-depth later. Jesus being the son of God is the key component of Christianity. It's why there's the focus on his lineage, his teachings, the miracles, etc. If I had to guess, I'd say Jesus' socio-economic status isn't mentioned because it's as important to his message as his skin color is. You assume that Jesus would have looked like your typical palestian Jew of the time, just like you can assume that, as the son of a carpenter, he would've been somewhere above dirt poor but below wealthy. IOW: If Jesus isn't the son of God, especially after claiming so himself, then there's no reason to listen to/follow him. But whether he's rich or poor, things like "Love your neighbor as yourself" and "Forgive your brother" are good life philosophies. Does that help at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Got to love the prosperity gospel. If you don't have money then well, God doesn't like you. That's sort of the way it breaks down in today's world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brave Little Toaster Oven Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 And he was black. He looked just like Osama Bin Laden, long wooly beard and all. :doh: :hysterical: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjinhan Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 ok ignorant atheist question here: You guys know for a fact this dude was the son of God and you have hundreds of direct quotes from him but you don't know if he was rich or poor? well dont generalize the Christians with "you" because of one person share a random opinion... Jesus being rich or poor is not a topic that up for debate for 99.999999% of Christians out there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter44 Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 This reminds me of a story I read about whether Jesus owned the clothes on his back or not. The thinking was that if he did own them then he had wealth and if he had wealth then it was okay for the church to have wealth...I have to remember the source...:read: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Obviously Jesus had wealth. Otherwise, he couldn't have been a Republican. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 How many people dies in the name of Christ, without the smallest idea of who he really was. And he was black. He looked just like Osama Bin Laden, long wooly beard and all. He just loved instead of destroying things. No WONDER we can't find bin Laden !! We be lookin for the wrong dude. We been looking for a guy with a turban, when we shoulda been lookin for a dude with an Afro ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbo Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 well dont generalize the Christians with "you" because of one person share a random opinion... Jesus being rich or poor is not a topic that up for debate for 99.999999% of Christians out there.. I'm sorry amigo..I just can't help this... First you tell dude: dont generalize the Christians ....then you lay down this: Jesus being rich or poor is not a topic that up for debate for 99.999999% of Christians :laugh: That's pretty good stuff. It's also a great set-up for a spin on the "you know how I know you're gay" jokes... "You know how I know you're Christian? Cuz you're mind works like this" kiddingkiddingkiddingkidding, you guys know I'm kidding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnhay Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 First of all, Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem because his father had to travel from his perfectly good home in Nazareth for a government census issue by Augustus. (Supresses every urge to rant about stupid governmental ideas that seemed good at the time).Next, Jesus' father Joseph was a carpenter. While I doubt this made them rich, they certainly wouldn't have been destitute, and Jesus did grow up learning his father's trade to use later in life. According to the History Channel, Joseph was more than likely a day laborer. The word in the Bible that is commonly interpreted as carpenter really means more directly something like "a person who works with their hands." I've never heard anything to insinuate that he was dirt poor, but nothing to say he was particularly well off either. Another interesting tidbit from the show was that the earliest paintings of Jesus didn't give him a beard. Europeans (I think) added that a lot later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 According to the History Channel, Joseph was more than likely a day laborer. The word in the Bible that is commonly interpreted as carpenter really means more directly something like "a person who works with their hands." I've never heard anything to insinuate that he was dirt poor, but nothing to say he was particularly well off either. Nevermind the History Channel - according to the movie "The Passion", Jesus was such an awesome carpenter that as a teenager, he made a really really tall table, to go with really really tall chairs, for a client who was a rich man. If his client was rich, then Jesus must have been rich, too. And not just a Day Laborer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnhay Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Nevermind the History Channel - according to the movie "The Passion", Jesus was such an awesome carpenter that as a teenager, he made a really really tall table, to go with really really tall chairs, for a client who was a rich man. If his client was rich, then Jesus must have been rich, too. And not just a Day Laborer. Wasn't there something in that movie that insinuated that Jesus made the first chair?:hysterical: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Wasn't there something in that movie that insinuated that Jesus made the first chair?:hysterical: well yea, the Son of God needs a throne to sit on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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