| HN Mirror

> But does the process of institutionalizing those teachings not go against those exact teachings themselves?

Not so long as we keep our moral compass as we are taught, in that we are to love God with all our being and then love our neighbors as ourself. That Great(est) Command(ment) could and should be carried by all the members (or at least a majority) of any group to guide their ideals, attitudes, and behaviors, if they are trying or claiming to act on behalf of God's Will. It's just that so very few human beings are willing to put aside their personal selfish desires to "be the servant of all".

> At least for Christianity?

That Great(est) Command(ment) is for all human beings since Adam, which includes Islam whose adherents should be using it as their guiding principle as well, because the Quran says that the Gospels were sent by the same Authority that sent it. That command is the real "Sharia Law" that we all live under, however religious we are or not: that we will reap what we sow, so we better use our free will to sow loving service to others' happiness with our life's energy.

The pack mentality of our baseline mammalian body and brain exists in all human groups, religious or not. Jesus was specifically referring to out-groups of any and every kind when he said, "That which you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, that you have done unto me." That, of course, encompasses other ethnicities, forms of religion (including atheists), sexual preference, and gender identity. We must love them, but also not let innocents be harmed. It's a tightrope, for sure.

Put another way, the most important way we should share the Word is in how we manifest our ideals, attitudes, and behaviors in alignment with God's teachings of love. Without such a true commitment to living the truth, our speaking the words of a holy book mean little. That's why Rumi says, "You have no idea how little we care about what a person says."

It's also why the Quran says that "You will know those who believe in the entire Quran because they return bad treatment with love." One can pick any verse from any book to justify any kind of ill treatment. If one is truly guided by God's Love, we will apply stern rebuke and/or kind mercy at the proper moment for the proper reason and will create a cascade of positive societal effect, without any measure whatsoever of either selfishness, pride, oppression, hatred, or cruelty. The glory does not come from us nor go to us; it goes to the Father.

> the idea that Jesus was exactly the type of individual that the church would have been willing to purge during that time

Surely, though I'd guess "willing and determined" would be more accurate.

Nothing is more powerful on Earth than a religious organization, no matter how crooked and misguided, so long as they can convince their members that their dominance of others is based upon an inherent superiority, as the CC have long since cultivated, irrespective of Jesus' beneficient teachings of love and selfless, patient service to all humanity. (It is also evident here in America, though they be cruel hypocrites, the entire lot of them.)

This is because the primary purpose of ALL power structures is to maintain their power. Acting on behalf of God's Love, we must give all the glory back to Its grace in humble gratitude and act merely as footsoldiers, not as ruling kings. No, we are to lift others up, not further downpress them.

And Jesus is crystal clear about those who harm children.

Peace be with you, my friend.