Jesus forgave everyone of every kind of sin, except the leaders of organized religion. He called them hypocrites, blind guides, whited sepulchres, liars and sons of Satan. He told people not to pray in public, but to pray in private, where no one could see them.
He also said that after he was gone, many would come preaching in his name to deceive us.
There are those who would argue one has to belong to a particular group or denomination in order please God, but Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30) in order to show that it was not the priest, or the Levite, who pleased God, but the merciful Samaritan, whom Jews would have nothing to do with. (John 4:9)
The Good Samaritan was justified by his compassion for another human being, not by his theology. There is nothing wrong with fellowship and community, but when it comes to hierarchical organizations who claim they have the only true interpretation of God's word, wasn't Jesus warning us against them?
2007-12-05
18:14:42
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29 answers
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asked by
Michael S
3
in
Religion & Spirituality