: : Jesus' teachings echo a part of a third sect of Judaism, the Essenes, but Jesus was almost certainly not one. Essene writings were apocalyptic and militaristic (like some of Jesus' teaching) but also narrow and bigoted (and there are very few examples of Jesus being bigoted--Matthew 15 being one, but he changed his mind). Historians think John the Baptist to have been an Essene and if you know anything about John the Baptist, you know that he was one wild sumbitch. : I really like the Essenes teaching, I've been to see the dead sea scrolls, what the exhibition left out though was the discovery of scrolls that seem to suggest that a Mr.Christ turned up a few days after having floated up into the sky and lived with them for a while before leaving.
According to PETA, "many Biblical scholars believe Jesus was a member of the Nazarene Essenes, a Jewish religious sect that followed a vegetarian diet and rejected animal sacrifices. Vegetarianism also is not without precedent in the Catholic faith: Many early church fathers were vegetarian, including St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, and St.
Francis of Assisi.
And hence, let us rejoice, for Jesus was a vegetarian!
By the way, PETA had the audacity to put up a billboard, regarding J.C.'s vegetarianism, in Texas, of all places. Below is a news account of the outcome:
AMARILLO -- A sign company has taken down a controversial billboard proclaiming that "Jesus was a vegetarian," an animal rights group said Friday. The billboard, erected March 9 [obviously, in honor of my birthday :)], was sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, based in Dulles, Va.
After the "Jesus" billboard went up, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received a threat in which a telephone caller said he would burn one cat per day until the sign came down. There was no indication any cats were harmed, authorities said.
The advertising campaign also generated numerous letters and angry calls to the Amarillo Globe-News.
So obviously, the good God-fearing people of Texas know that God eats steak, and if you dare disagree, they'll burn a cat to set you straight (could Copenhagen be a Texan?). What a world.
