New Testament Morality

[Furrowed Brow]

Here is some advice from the new testament:

• Love one another
  Love your enemy
  Do not judge
  Treat others as you would be treated.

Please feel free to add to this least any other homily that is specifically new testament.

Question: Are the morals of the New Testament novel to Christianity or were they already in existence and just absorbed into Christian writings. Had anyone else prior to the time of early Christianity said stuff like love one another, love your enemy etc. Put another way: what is unique and without precedence regarding new testament morality?

[Nilloc James]

Here is some advice from the new testament:

• Love one another
  Love your enemy
  Do not judge
  Treat others as you would be treated.

Please feel free to add to this least any other homily that is specifically new testament.

Question: Are the morals of the New Testament novel to Christianity or were they already in existence and just absorbed into Christian writings. Had anyone else prior to the time of early Christianity said stuff like love one another, love your enemy etc. Put another way: what is unique and without precedence regarding new testament morality?

Most rules of religions all come from the idea of making a practical society that runs efficiantly.

If people hate eachother and kill eachother it creates problems.

In some cases it also designed to stop people from rising up against their mortal masters.

[msmcneal]

Here is some advice from the new testament:

Love one another
Love your enemy
Do not judge
Treat others as you would be treated.

Please feel free to add to this least any other homily that is specifically new testament.

Question: Are the morals of the New Testament novel to Christianity or were they already in existence and just absorbed into Christian writings. Had anyone else prior to the time of early Christianity said stuff like love one another, love your enemy etc. Put another way: what is unique and without precedence regarding new testament morality?

All these things can be found in the Old Testament. I forget the references right now, as I haven't picked up a Bible in a few months. Bascially, there is nothing novel about Christian morality. Like Nilloc said, it's all about making sure society functions as a whole without causing chaos. Well, in theory anyway. One thing I noticed when I read passages such as in Acts chapter 2, was that I got the idea that the New Testament endoses socialism. Now, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with this, in theory, but in practice, it doesn't seem to be working.

[Furrowed Brow]

So when some Christians sometimes say society is based on Christian values, they should really say Jewish values? Or do other writings extra OT and NT share similar homilies.

[Nilloc James]

So when some Christians sometimes say society is based on Christian values, they should really say Jewish values? Or do other writings extra OT and NT share similar homilies.

Possibly, I am not familiar with every holy text in existence.

However these rules have a tendancy to develope on their own (seperate of other religions and soceities) because they are practical.

[msmcneal]

So when some Christians sometimes say society is based on Christian values, they should really say Jewish values? Or do other writings extra OT and NT share similar homilies.

To some extent, yes. However, one thing that I've noticed is that when you study religions, at the base level, at least as far as morality is concerned, there's alot of similarities. Buddhisms Five Precepts basically mirror the last five of the Ten Commandments. Each individual religion did eventually go it's own way, so there are differences, but there are similarities. The claim that Christians make that the US is based off of Christian values, or Judeo-Christian values, is misleading, because those values are basically ones that all major religions share.

[Nilloc James]

So when some Christians sometimes say society is based on Christian values, they should really say Jewish values? Or do other writings extra OT and NT share similar homilies.

To some extent, yes. However, one thing that I've noticed is that when you study religions, at the base level, at least as far as morality is concerned, there's alot of similarities. Buddhisms Five Precepts basically mirror the last five of the Ten Commandments. Each individual religion did eventually go it's own way, so there are differences, but there are similarities. The claim that Christians make that the US is based off of Christian values, or Judeo-Christian values, is misleading, because those values are basically ones that all major religions share.

Exactly,

They are based on common sense, nothing religous.