Daniel June: Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount

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Here is a paraphrased adaptation of the first chapter of the sermon on the mount from the gospel of Matthew. I tried to round it about and play with the style. There has been thousands of English translations of this book and no new one is needed at all, but I am doing it as a stylistic exercise and to gain intimacy with the text. You can tell me what you think.

Daniel Christopher June

Sermon on the Mount

            Jesus taught many people throughout Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, and beyond. Seeing the multitude he would go into a mountain, sit down, gather his disciples at his feet, and open his mouth, saying,

Happy the poor, for they own the kingdom.

Happy the depressed, for they find comfort.

Happy the subtle, for they gain the world.

Happy the empty of righteousness, for they will be filled.

Happy the merciful, for their mercy will return to them.

Happy the pure in heart, for their heart sees God.

Happy the peacemakers, for they are God’s children.

Happy the persecuted for righteousness sake, for they own the kingdom.

Happy the reviled, persecuted, insulted, and gossiped for truth’s sake

            Rejoice and be glad, for great your treasure, just as the prophets were persecuted.

You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt grows saltless, what results? It’s useless: cast it out, stamp it down.

You are the light of the world: a city upon a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and smother it under a bowl, but put it upon a candlestick, and it gives life to the whole house. Let your light shine before men, to see your goodness, and glorify your divine source.

Think not that I come to destroy the laws and prophets – I come not to destroy, but fulfill. Till heaven and earth pass away, neither a jot nor hyphen will by any means be destroyed, till all is fulfilled. Whoever breaks the least of the commands, and teaches others to do so, will be least in the kingdom, but whosoever practices and teaches them will be great in the kingdom. For unless your righteousness outshines the pastors and preachers, you shall not even enter the kingdom.

You have heard the ancients said Thou Shalt Not Kill, and he who does, let him be condemned; but I say if you are even angry with your brother you will be condemned, and if you say to him “you are ignorant,” a flogging is fit, but if you say “you fool!” hell is better. Therefore, if you are about to give to charity or tithe to your church, and remember your brother has a grudge against you, drop your gift and leave: first be reconciled, and then you’ll be fit to give. Settle disputes speedily, rather then letting them escalating into legal disputes, and you will be judged and you will be condemned, till you pay your debt.

You have heard the ancients said Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery, but I say to you that whosever looks with lust upon a woman has committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye offends you, castrate it; better to lose only that then your whole body in hell. And if your right hand offends you, cut it off, better to lose only that then your whole body in hell.

You have heard the ancients said Whosever Would Divorce, Do It Legally, but I say to you that you commit adultery to leave your spouse, and whoever marries her also commits adultery.

Again you have heard the ancients said You Shall Perform What you Promised, but I say, swear not at all, neither by heaven nor earth, since you don’t own them, nor even by your life, since you can hardly control that. Simply make your yes, yes, and no no – anything else is presumptuous.

You have heard that the ancients said An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for Tooth, but I say to you, Resist Not Evil, but if a man would strike your cheek, turn to him the other, and if a man would sue you, give him the money, and if a man makes you walk a mile, walk an extra mile. Give to whomsoever asks, and if another would borrow from you, do not withhold.

You have heard that it was said, Love your Brother and hate your Enemy, but I say to you Benefit your enemies, compliment those who insult you, wish well for those who hurt you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he warms the good and bad with the same sun, and cools the just and unjust with the same rain. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Everybody does that. If you salute your brothers only, what more is this than anybody? Therefore, be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.

~~

Perfection

Is

Easy

www.msu.edu/~junedan

~~

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UK Christian Minister arrested for anti-gay speech in mall

The Edge:  Boston  -  UK Street Preacher arrested for anti-gay preaching 

• In US,  Ministers tried but could not get arrested for anti-gay preaching 

Dale Mcalpine claims he was only conversing about Biblical Norms 
 Under a law meant to prosecute violent soccer fans for hooliganism,  a United Kingdom Christian street preacher has been arrested for his anti-gay remarks to passers-by.  Law enforcement reported that  Dale Mcalpine was making ant-gay statements in a loud voice to passing shoppers in a shopping center.
Mcalpine stated he was  handing out leaflets and engaging onlookers in conversation.

Fear that Christians are being persecuted for voicing Biblical truths 
The British paper "The UK Daily Mail"  reported on May 1 that Mcalpine has set up a stepladder near stores for the purposes of preaching, and had engaged a woman in a conversation regarding Biblical definitions of sin.
 Homosexual behavior, he said,  was merely included within that conversation about Biblical norms.

Mcalpine said it was not long before he notice two law enforcement officers watching him.

The policeman was Sam Adams, a GLBT community liaison officer who is gay himself, reported the Mail. Adams told Mcalpine that people had complained about the street preacher, and warned him against hate speech. "I told him I was not homophobic but sometimes I did say that the Bible says homosexuality is a crime against the Creator, but it was not against the law to say this," recounted Mcalpine, going on to say that Adams "then told me he was gay and he was the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender liaison officer for the police. I said, ’It is still a sin,’ and our conversation ended," said Mcalpine. "It wasn’t a loud or aggressive conversation."

Source: edgeboston.com

Public Order Act of 1986 "does not apply"  
Adams left the scene but was apprehended shortly by several additional officers and placed under arrest under the 1986 Public Order Act.  He was held for 7 hours.

The law was originally designed so that soccer fans could not cause public mayhem.

Mcalpine says he does not believe the law pertains to his actions, and that the incident left him "shocked and humiliated".  He asserted that he was only preaching the Gospel, which a free society would allow.  He stated that there was no hate or slurring of homosexuals in his speech.

The incident is being broadly condemned by Christians.

The Christian Institute’s Mike Judge said that Mcalpine is "an ordinary, everyday Christian with traditional views about sexual ethics. Some people will agree with him, others will disagree. But it’s not for the police to arrest someone just because others may disagree with what is said." The Christian Institute is supporting Mcalpine’s legal needs, the article said.

Source: edgeboston.com

Rob Logan, assistant manager at the cell phone store outside of which Mcalpine was preaching, told the press that Mcalpine has long handed out leaflets in front of the store.   "He is not aggressive or threatening. He is gentle."

In recent years other UK residents have been detained, questioned,  and/or arrested for voicing Christian beliefs or handing out flyers at Gay Pride events.  A 67 year old woman wrote a letter expressing her displeasure with local gay Pride events, and had law enforcement officials visit her home, where she was questioned at length.

Daniel June : Musings on Afterlife

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One birth is sufficient for all men, one life, sufficient for man, woman, child, and even the unfortunate stillborn. Outside of time we chose our stage, and in this stage we set ourselves up to carve our divinity. One life, and in the next we are the beauty we committed in this life. Upon death, each man faces the promise of what his religious taught him, for he enters a dream. The Buddhist imagines countless samsaras, the Christian imagines judgment, and heaven or hell, the pagan imagines valhalla or elusian fields of apotheosis, the atheist imagines dissolving into pure universal matter, and yet in each of these dreams, consciousness remains, changed, but ever present, for the mind is made of matter, and matter is eternal. What you by faith and fury imagine the afterlife to be your mind will make for you, and those who feel the same way, and believe the same way, share your fate with you.

Us allists do not stop in any one heaven or hell for long, but walk across all of them, cause a little mischief, we break all borders, we will be masters of all heavens and all hells. But in the very end, we each long to be a Motherverse and a God in ourselves. We seek to draw near the ones we have loved, or the parts of the ones we have loved that they permit to part with, they give us parts of their soul, or if we have earned such an honor, we may fuse souls in utter intimacy with a lover. We are able to turn inwards and become Everything. A rare honor. For those who believe otherwise, they will never achieve it, and the will of freedom will become forever cut from the center of necessity. This is their place and purchase. This is their way and place. We do not argue with them nor tempt them, but we let each man choose his ultimate fate, as he set himself up to choose such things before he was born, where he stood outside of time in his own private universe, as an ulimtate undifferentiated freedomnecessity individual. Pity no man, envy no man, under any circumstances, but if you wish intimacy, then you must love him in compassion and be willing to share his joys, suffer his sorrows, and give kindness, which is the art of improving each other, not merely the art of giving.

All religions and beliefs are true in the imagination, and after we leave the senses, we are immersed in the imagination, an imaginary we may share with those we love. None can come to us but through shared affinity. In this life, enemies approach, but in the next life, only lovers may draw close. Therefore, we will be our own reward. That which we choose to become in this life will be able to draw close to us in the next life.

Ultimately, no man can be disappointed with eternity, yet some must work out their salvation through the hells they have created. This life and this life alone defines how much of a god we may be. This life and this life alone determines how much soul we will have. There is no other time to become divine, but every little choice, every joy, and every pain, you experience in this life, build for you “treasures in heaven” which is your very heart you are building, and the kingdom of heaven is none other than the loving community you are able to earn through creative power and intimate love. A god is powerful and loving, yet most people in the next life will be worshippers of gods, and forever so, though scarcely gods themselves, for they cannot shine like the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, they compromised too much in this life. They will be happy yes, but they will be less happy and less great in their happiness than those who made themselves great in this life. Mortality is the ultimate playing field, for here we make our choices. There is less risk in the afterlife, but without the risk there is no chance of gaining such great rewards. Because we are less vulnerable in heaven, we have less to gain.

Seek with me to be utterly divine, and do not make excuses for any imperfection. Ultimately, you are your own reward, and if you would be loved, you must be lovely, if you would be honored, you must be honorable, if you would be friends of God you must be a God. There is no short cut nor any free gift that can save you from this. You must be utterly true to your own infinite potential if you are to become infinite. And this you can do, starting now, whoever you are.