RE: Leaving Christianity to Follow the Teachings of Jesus
You’re right, Jesus never mentioned the word karma, he just taught the concept in simple terms. “Whatsoever a man reaps, so shall he sow.” That is the summation of karma in biblical terms. The following teachings of Jesus all illustrate the concept:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged, for in whatever manner you judge, so too will you be judged.” “Whosoever lives by the sword shall die by the sword.”
If you think this is all nonsense, then take it up with the Master who taught it. If you think anything else I speak of is nonsense, feel free to quote the teachings of Jesus to refute my claims. Otherwise my assertion stands, that the church doesn’t follow the teachings of Jesus, rather religious beliefs about him and doctrines built around various interpretations of the Bible.
As for being rewarded in heaven and punished in hell, not once does Jesus talk about being punished in hell. The word “hell” is not even found in the original texts, it is a mistranslation. Even if it were found in the Bible, it wouldn’t negate the inherent injustice of punishing someone with eternal torment for a non-eternal ‘crime’. As to heaven, in the sermon on the Mount he says to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Is your heart off in the sky somewhere, or in a realm that exists seperate from yourself outside of your body, or is it within you, exactly where Jesus said the kingdom of heaven resides?
You say “The Kingdom of Heaven isn’t a higher form of consciousness,” so then what is it in your opinion? It can’t be a place we go when we die, because Jesus taught it was among people as he walked the earth, and he also said it is “within you.”
As to your claim and judgement that I am a false teacher, it does nothing but goes to show the spirit of judgement and pride so pervasive throughout Christianity, and why so many people reject that religion as I have done, in favor of the love and mercy taught by Jesus.