AboutJohn of AllFaith Expertise To varying degrees I have worked and studied with many different groups including:
The Noahides, Gaudiya Vaisnavism, Swami Muktinanda's Sidha Yoga Foundation, the Yoga Society (of Sri Ramamurti Mishra), Sikhism, various Pagan and neo-Pagan groups, Sunni Islam (Wahabi), Taoism, various Buddhist sects (including the Dharmad Hatu of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche), various diverse Hindu sects, numerous Christian denominations and movements, and have been involved with numerous other groups and movements too numerous to mention. I refer to my personal beliefs as AllFaith.
See my questions and answers at allfaith.com/questions
A Statement to Students about Plagiarism any why I answer questions:
Plagiarism is a crime.
Plagiarism can end careers, lead to expulsion from school, the loss of financial aid, and can even result in fines and imprisonment in some cases. Its not worth it!
Despite this a small percentage of those who ask questions at AllExperts, Yahoo Answers etc. copy and paste our answers as their own, often without giving credit. This is plagiarism. Its not worth it!
We all know that one can google a homework question and in many cases find an easy response, but so can your teachers! Many teachers are aware that some students do this and catch their cheating students.
To read more about this go to the following link. Its a conversation between one such teacher from a respectable institution of learning and me: where she writes: ...I have had over 20 students copy your work in the past 3 months...
Understand that if you plagiarize you are cheating your instructors, your answerer, your fellow students, everyone who respects you... and ultimately yourself. Its just not worth it!
Please use our answers to help in your research, not to replace it.
Learn, don't cheat.
Experience Experience: A lifetime spent Reaching for the One.
I hold an MA in Religious Studies from JFKU. I hold three Christian ordinations. I hold a counseling ordination from the Interfaith Seminaries of Santa Cruz. I am an initiated Vaishnava bramana (Gopinath Gaudiya matha and ISKCON), have practical experience with many other branches Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Paganism, Wicca (Welsh Traditionalist mainly), Judaism and other traditions. I own and manage AllFaith.com
Question Can you show me a verse where Jesus complimented ANY RELIGION, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, CRAFTED TEMPLES or SATAN?
Answer Hi Caleb,
There is clearly more to your question than you are saying.
John 4:22: 22 Ye [Samaritans] worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
He directly states here that salvation is "of the Jews" i.e. Judaism.
Of course he also disagreed with various aspects of their religion (mainly on issues surrounding the Oral Torah which he considered to be commentary only) but until the day he died his life and ministry was focused on reforming Judaism:
Matt 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matt 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Matt 23:16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
Clearly he considered the Temple to be Holy, the Bet HaMikdash: The Holy House of God
Mark 12:12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
He honored the Fourth Commandment and considered the Sabbath holy (as did his disciples after his resurrection), although again he sought to reform the Jewish observance of it.
Matt 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
This man was a religious Jew. Jesus praised his religious faith and practice.
John 3
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
John 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
At John 3 Jesus teaches the Pharisee Nicodemus about the Way (his reforms) and Nicodemus becomes an early disciple. Jesus praises his faith and even allows him to take part in his burial arraignments.
Obviously Jesus never complimented Satan! He did on several occasions speak to and about him however:
Matt 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Jesus (or Y'shua) was a very devout and observant Jew as the Bible makes clear. He honored his religion, the Written Torah, the Temple, the Prophets and so on.
