The Big J Fan Club

There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best. That it does not behove any of us. To criticize the rest of us!

What's in a name?

The Ideas associated with it. It is my position that the name of Jesus has had so many cranky and sentimental ideas associated with it that it no longed represents the man. I want a name that I associate with his basic character and so I use "J". In the new " Big J Fan Club".

  • "Club" suggests its open to others.
  • "Fan" suggests its about love of a celebrity, and his imitation, his worship even, but not necessarily in an out of this world sense.
  • "Big" because he is,
  • and "J" because its the up to date; youthful way; of addressing someone you respect.

J was an extraordinary man, an idealist who was loyal to his dream. There are many of us with a similar dream who admire his courage and resolution. Tradition has made him a divine object for worship. But he comes closer when remembered as one of us.

The Big J Fan Club

The Big J Fan club was invented for modern folk who might well appreciate our Big J if they knew him but have not been able to see him for all the tradition that has surrounded him since he attracted so much attention 2000 years ago. He called himself the "Son of Man" ( in modern parlance "The man in the street") but tradition called him the Son of God? As a "son of man" Big J was a real person. Much like you and I. He lived, and breathed, ate and drank, just as we do. And much of what he said has come down to us, recorded by his friends. It was Big J that promoted the concept of God as a Father rather than an Authority. But the concept of God only appears in our imagination, as a way to explain the world we see and feel around us. Evolution does not rule out an intelligent God unless you are of the opinion that it all happened by accident and then I feel the mathematical odds are against you.

Personally I value the real Big J; who actually lived out his philosophy of life, as a fact of history, more highly than any abstract concept of the imagination: 'son of man' seems to me a more excellent accreditation than 'son of god'. Not that I do not value the imagination and its ability to make images of scenarios, its just the perspective, that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. As a real person then the intelligence, revealed in his conversations which have been recorded for us, puts his philosophy head and shoulders above his peers. He was what we would call today a genius of a social scientist, and he tried to do his best for the much less intelligent (see note 2) people that he found around him. The fact that they mostly found it hard to understand him is illustrated by some of J's sayings that have been passed down to us for their curiosity value! Sayings like "He who has ears to hear, let him hear", we all have ears but not all seek understanding. And "seek and you will find, Ask and it will be given, Knock and it will be opened" Implying that this sort of intelligence has to be worked for! We should be alert for subtle meaning behind his sayings and stories. Such as his concern when his disciples wanted to know who of them would be the greatest. They were asking for authority over their fellows. For a pecking order, as had been developed in the world around them. Sadducees Pharisees and priests were seen as authority figures and there were the ranks of the occupying Roman army.

A Better way

But Big J had a better idea! He said “Mat 20 25, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave". If the greatest (Authority) was to be seen as your slave then what was Big J saying? Is this not a way of saying to those who can understand that the greatest authority is the self! If you think about it, it makes sense, because the individual is the only control of an individual body. He can be threatened "or else" but the individual can not be controlled by any other body. " you can take a horse to water but you can not make him drink". With individual control, or authority, goes individual responsibility. Big J repeated this theme many times associating the greatest in his kingdom with those who serve, because his philosophy was based on goodwill, and not on the coercion of authority. His Ideal was sharing the decision making among all concerned. Not delegating the making of decisions to a few. Big J appears to have thought that the power of decision making (sometimes known as free will) was so dangerous that it had been deliberately distributed amongst the individuals of the group for safety. We talk about using a thief to catch a thief, its the same principal, using intelligence to contain intelligence. He Illustrated this when he told the story of the temptation in the wilderness Luke 4,6 The devil led him to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And said to him "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours". Jesus answered "It is written "Worship the Lord Your God and serve him only". The temptation was to use his intelligence to dominate the minds of others (for their own good?). How many churches have fallen to that temptation? But for big J, that would not be making use of the distributed intelligence of his peers and however tempting, would not be sustainable so it would be only temporary and weak. Individuals do not live for ever in this world! But experience of love is passed on from generation to generation and grows eternally. "Be yourself; especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass" (DESIDERATA).

Pecking Order

In the big J Fan club there can be no pecking order. The better idea is that if everybody is looking out for other peoples interests as just as important as there own, then authority is redundant! If we pause for a moment to remember what big J said to the Authority of his day which had become authority for the sake of the prestige of authority, we will get a glimpse of the strength of this idea. Mat 23 23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. " But with no Authority all the trappings of authority become redundant too. The law, The police, elders, and deacons, government, Kings, Princes, Dictators (benevolent and otherwise). we have to ask is that practical? After all did not our present system grow by trial and error. invented to solve practical problems. Yes it is possible but only within a church where authority is made redundant by love. And that can only happen with a personal decision of each and every one of us. As Big J put it you must be born again. Tradition(see note 1) has read mystery into that statement. But there is no mystery, just the adoption of a different motivation. With the adoption of good will to all others as a motivation there is no conflict with good law. But there might be with authority which just exists for the sake of prestige. People who adopt Big J's philosophy of good will become obvious in the community, J said by their fruits you will know them. Its not that they do anything specific but more that they fit in to any positive situation. They are the live and let live people tolerant and easy to work with. The Big J fan club is not easy to define, I have invented a name to give it a handle but the concept is really nameless. "a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet" As a nameless concept it has the potential to encompass all good people regardless of the name they have adopted for themselves. It may be that names are only tradition anyway, because giving two different names to the same thing does not make it two different things.

I said the big J fan club is not easy to define, so let me use Js explanation technique, and tell you a story. Its a true story and I am going to tell it as it was told to me and use words that I would not chose to use myself because they are traditional and in my view worse for wear. My friends Joe and Jackie used to care for a Christian Commune. They told how the organization used to run happily without any rules until they tried to expand by inviting in non-Christian friends to share their communal life. It was only then that rules had to be invented. They added and it was only the Christians that could be relied on to keep to the rules. I tell the story because it illustrates that the decision to change your motivation does make a real difference that stands out like a sore thumb The problem I have with the traditional word "Christian" is. that the proof of the pudding is not in the name, Its in the eating. and there could be other names for the same thing! People seen to be Christians are human beings and subject to emotions even when they have adopted the new way to live. but bye and large they are different and become progressively more so if they persist with the motivation.

Good People

Today Good people come from many different traditions, which have been built up by experience to try to build up the good and diminish what folk have judged to be bad. One of the problems with tradition is that once an idea has been classified as good or bad, the classification holds for all time. That's wishful thinking in a world in which understanding and knowledge is progressive. The other problem is that traditions are culture sensitive and need interpretation if used in a different culture from that in which they were created. So they are more readily accepted in some cultures than in others. Traditions are limited by the knowledge available to the folk who made them. With time they pass away having served their purpose in the generation that designed them. In the same way as it has been recognized that no government can limit a future government, so no tradition can limit a future generation We are back to the authority thing again and can immediately appreciate that the principal of goodwill is a better control, because it can easily adapt to the change of culture with time. If we chose to truly love our neighbor as ourselves we have freedom from traditions, rules, and laws, Just as Big J did (see Mathew chapter 15). On this point of unchanging tradition, the only scriptural reference I can find to support this concept, is Hebrews 13:8 where it is claimed that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. That is something that can always be said about a fact of history but tradition has it that J is still alive and kicking. I can still remember the great loss I felt when I discovered that Father Christmas was a character which was acted out by some kindly person at Christmas. Nevertheless I went on to play the part myself for my children. But a character is a real thing! Can you have a character that borrows a body (by permission) when its appropriate? But of course you can and there is nothing unscientific about that. Actors lend their bodies to characters all the time. You just need to define the character in such a way that good people would chose to play him at times and in situations that they feel he should be there. And defining character was what Big J was all about. But we will not be able to play the character unless we study the original record about him for ourselves. Our understanding has changed over the ages and I would argue is still changing. Take for example the Church of England Prayer book with its confession "I have done the things I ought not to have done and there is no good in me". When Questioned, a vicar said that the form of words was only said for the sake of tradition, nobody really believes that anymore! But do not let me advocate throwing out all, or even most of tradition, lest we throw the baby out with the bath water. What I am saying is that it is alright for us to change our traditional beliefs where intelligence and new information advises it. This is a living movement, not a dead one. Life responds to stimulus with change, only dead things are unable to change.

Winds of change

At this point you might expect me to proceed to detail the sections that I think should change, but its not important which sections appear difficult for me. Its the dogmatic statements that stick in your throat that need to be bypassed. We are all different, and need different arrangements of thinking. But that's all right with Big Js Fan club because diversity is welcomed. So long as you are turning out the fruits of the spirit what you say you believe is of little consequence. Now Paul in his letter to the Galatians (5:22) said But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Here then is the criteria of being a member of Big Js Fan Club. J him self said "No good tree bears bad fruit nor does a bad tree bear good fruit" Luke 6:43. So its not by holding on to tradition that you can be recognized, or by good works done for an ulterior motive, but its your character that you cant help building as you make decisions and adopt attitudes in the daily toil of living. Big J told a parable about this also, at least I think its a parable others may think differently, but it underlines the point I am making. You will find it in Mat 25:32 - 46 Where it is obvious that J thought that a man should be judged by his natural reactions, in other words by the character he builds for himself. Now this is a difficult point to put across and it may be that the early church felt that the best form to use was one that they were familiar with. In fact it was a form J used when his concept proved too difficult for his listeners. He would tell a narrative of imagined events that would illustrate the concept in terms his listeners would understand. The tradition that evolved has served its purpose well up to present times. It was a magnificent parable, weaving the old Jewish traditions with Js teaching on forgiveness, yet not losing the urgency for change, or respect for righteousness blended with love. and providing a simple criteria for a man to measure himself against so why talk about change? or even advance the proposal that change is all right within Big Js Fan club. The only reason is the advancement of his Kingdom to encompass all those good people who have acquired the right sort of character to pass big Js test, but because of modern concepts have difficulty with the adoption of the old traditions. Once again it is not for me to define those difficulties, The folk troubled know what they are and there is no sense in making difficulty for others who are not so troubled. All I want to do is to point out the criteria that were acceptable to J. After all, He started the movement and it does not belong to any one group but to all of us. I acknowledge that our beliefs generate our character but I would argue that those beliefs do not need a rigid format. Other formats that produce the same outcome are perfectly valid. Neither do I want to criticize those holding the old traditions because that would be making an unnecessary judgment. If it works, don't fix it. But let us try to list the beliefs that Big J advocated.

What J advocated

J was convinced that there is more to this life than meets the eye even if it could only be seen with the imagination. The Tradition at that time saw the world as mixture of good and evil and folk had imagined two opposing forces in a battle for domination. On the one hand God and on the other Satan. The Jews had accepted the Authority of a Good God. So good that he was holy - set apart from them because they made so many mistakes (as we all do) yielding to the temptation of Satan. They Imagined that they were able to make it up with God by showing how sorry they were after the event, sacrificing the best of their animals as a compensation. Into this tradition J encouraged a belief that Hosea had started when chastising the Jews for sacrificing but not really being sorry. He quoted God as saying "I will have mercy and not sacrifice" Hosea 6,6. Mercy, in the sense of compassion. But J went further describing God as the Father of man with all the best attributes of a caring father for his offspring and this Idea was bound to make the imagined world a much more habitable place, with the potential of making us all more friendly people. And that's the point. Imagination is just that. but it has its uses in the real world because it determines how we act. and actions are the catalyst for creating reality out of imagination. We can chose to believe what we want to, even concepts that have no hope of becoming reality. But we choose our beliefs as a tools to create the reality we want to see (see not 3). If we want a happy sociable world then its best to hold a belief that its not limited to three score years and ten because otherwise some may be tempted to believe in "every man for himself and the devil can take the hindmost" (make hay while the sun shines!). But a belief that life goes on as a reward to people who learn to be sociable is more likely to create a happy society. But is there any justification for the belief? J thought there was, and his thinking may have been on the same lines as modern science used to put a man on the moon among many spectacular things (modern miracles unthinkable a few hundred years ago).

Science

Modern Science sees things smaller (and bigger) than the eye can see by using imagination, An explanation for an effect is imagined. and then tested to see if the theory could answer for any other effects. if the answer is yes science asks is there any effect that would prove the theory wrong? Providing the signs are good and given time the theory becomes accepted until such time as new information requires it to be adjusted. J might have thought that because the good God did not prevent people doing bad things, that meant that either there was no God (and I dealt with that concept earlier) or God wanted people to decide what was bad, for them selves, from experience, and would give them time to learn. This could be the theory behind Js teaching because when he encountered any person who realized that s/he had been bad, Big J immediately told them they were forgiven, and encouraged them to find a better way to live. Echoing "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again". There is the bible story of the woman taken in the act of adultery who was brought to J by the authority (with the stone throwers ready to kill her ) this was to confront J for his compassionate teaching. The law says she should be stoned said authority. What do you say ...A long pause.... then Big Js reply, "Let the one of you who is without sin, cast the first stone". They were all ashamed and left one by one till only the woman and big J remained....". Where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?" "No man Lord." "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more" (Read it for yourself in John 8 ; 3). As if in confirmation, there is also the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19;2. It seems that J believed that each so called "bad" person had within him the seeds of his own restoration to goodness and illustrated this with his parable of the tares and the wheat which is all about giving time for man to learn what is required of him Matt 13, 24-30.

J appeared to believe that under parental guidance we are using intelligence to build Utopia. We are learning how to do it through trial and error so we are going to make some mistakes, its part of the learning process. The people who make the mistakes and the people who by chance find some success are all part of the same construction team. For this reason it is difficult to differentiate the building team from those intent to only feather their own nest. The swine we must not cast our pearls in front of Matt 7: 6.

Bad people

"There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best. That it does not behove any of us. To criticize the rest of us!" Big J expressed this in his parable of the tares and wheat Matt 13, 24 A man sowed good seed in his field. but while everyone was sleeping his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads then the weeds also appeared ......The servants asked him "do you want us to go and pull them up?" No he answered because while you are pulling up the weeds you may root up the wheat with them. let both grow together until the harvest At that time I will tell the harvesters First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned then gather the wheat into my barn. J said we would have to live with the situation for now but as we would be like sheep among wolves we would need to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (or as the RV has it "Shrewd and innocent" Matt 10, 16), another way of saying you. must use your intelligence.

I am aware that in writing this blog I am skating on thin ice for some people. The traditions of ancient reasoning I want to leave behind are entrenched in history. And I hope I can leave them there where they worked in a historic culture. The success I have had in making ideas work in practice over the last 20yrs (And Thus earning a living) has, I think, been more due to the ability to bypass historically entrenched assumptions than it was to innovation. Now it is true that I am deliberately not saying what might offend. Rather I am leaving clues to my thinking for others to develop when they feel it right. Big J walked this way and I am aware of the emotion that, in this respect at least, I am treading in his foot steps. Remember he described himself as a sower, scattering seed Matt 13, 3-9 and went on to explain the parable. That much is recorded but not the need for people to think about the seeds and develop them for themselves, to fit in with their understanding and time line. But I sense that is the implication. There may have been other material that has not been recorded. In Matt 10,17 J said, "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs".

Tradition

But its what is not said by big J that was said by his followers That then becomes an interesting field of study, and shows the development of the traditions and rational, that was generated by the early church when they made the seeds Jesus sowed fit in with their understanding and time line. But these traditions might be proving too big to swallow for modern folk steeped in scientific theories ( which might also be superseded, but that's another story). Don't think that the big J Fan club is on the wane even if traditional thinking is thought to be. Look at modern history and compare it with the past. The protest groups for fair trade even positive discrimination for the 3rd world; Armies used for peacekeeping with white painted tanks; the United Nations charter: and tell me things are not changing for the better Just as Big J said they would. The seed he planted is not dependant on tradition its dependency is on goodwill / love / God. The seed will grow. Society will learn. And in Gods good time he will bring it to fulfilment. Are you interested in joining Big J's Fan club? Maybe you are already a member. There is no membership fee and registration is done automatically somewhere in heaven. You cant check the lists to see who else is a registered member, you have to watch and see what they do. and if you really don't know your own membership credentials, then you should be able to guess from how other people respond to you. Think about it. You do have to knock (sometimes insistently) if you want the door opened. but you have Big J's promise. " knock and it will be opened". I say from experience you really have to knock as though you mean it though. comment welcomed roy@themillersathome.co.uk (Well send it anyway. You never know!) Web Master

Notes

  • Note 1 "Tradition" is only mentioned eight times in scripture (RV), Six of them to be criticized by Big J. And once by Paul. Mat 15, Mk 7, Col 2. "Traditions" are mentioned five times all negatively. Mic 6,. Mk 7, Gal 1
  • Note 2 "Jesus said it is not the healthy that need a doctor" Matt 9,12
  • Note 3. The end may justify the means. One might be suspicious that the considerable evidence for altruism is also evidence for endemic eternal life. It does not make sense otherwise.