THE NAME I CLAIM!

One subject that keeps coming up over and over again is about what I believe and why I believe what I believe. This often includes debate regarding the name I use and what I think of myself regarding the use of that name. Some contend that using the name JESUS as I present and use it is blasphemy while others think that it really does not matter what I call myself so long as I do not harm anyone nor demand that others MUST believe as I do.

Frankly anyone can call themselves whatever they like… That is called FREEDOM and I am quite aware that a claim that they have some spiritual right to use any name (Jesus, Buddha, God, Xenu, YHWH, etc. etc.) or make any claim of authority regarding the use or misuse of that name is questionable and cannot be proven , nor disproved by scientific method and thus is a matter of personal faith and belief.

The same freedom that allows people to choose their belief system and how the apply it extends to all words, names and claims. I see people on the internet using all sorts of alias names. Chances are many of you use a profile name that is not legally on your Birth Certificate and others have nicknames or shortened names they use daily and are referred to by all who know them.

An example in my own life is that I was called "JIM" up until 1989 and then because I was at that time on the fast track of my professional career that my given name on my Birth certificate (JAMES) was more appropriate for someone desiring to appear professional. The point here is that although before 1989 my checks and many legal documents actually read "JIM" and those were accepted as legal in spite of the fact it was not truly the name I had been legally given.

The same holds true of “JESUS“.

From the legal standpoint this name does not appear on anything that is not related to the internet and my ministry but I use the name to signify my purpose, calling and duty and I contend that I have the authority from God to use it exactly as I do.. And even if this were not true I could still use it because unless it is illegal to use an assumed name on the internet it is my right to call myself whatever I choose. For all anyone here knows I have legally changed my name to Jesus of Zion (which I have not yet done but have considered to stop the debate over this name). If I have done this and the government allows it then to tell me I could not use it at that point would be like me saying you have no right to your own name.

Quite frankly my full name actually confirms my beliefs but I will discuss that at another time since I feel no need to prove anything to anyone. I have only bothered to even discourse this because I value people enough to provide an answer even though I am in no way obligated to do so at all.

Names are only expressions of the self to define one person from another and one thing from another. They are labels so individuals can be recognized and acknowledged as individuals and so we have ways to express things and communicate ideas. Otherwise we would not have language or words at all and communication would simply cease to exist at all. A rose by any other name would still be a rose yet without a word to convey it if I needed you to bring me a rose how could I convey what I desired if we had no common word or reference tool?

I know one person on MySpace who goes by "Captain Awesome" yet I do not ask he prove he is either a "Captain" nor "Awesome"… I just call him what he chooses to refer to himself as with no debate over his authority to use the title.

I suppose the real debate about me is not actually the name I use but rather what do I claim regarding why I use this name and if perhaps I am implying something by it that is intended to defraud or convince people I am the Jesus they sing about in their places of worship.

I can understand that the name Jesus to some people is held up like an idol.

In many Christian faiths people believe that it is by this NAME that they are saved and that this NAME is somehow holy inun itself. If this were the case then many people of Hispanic heritage would be considered holy and subject to reverence and devotion.

Once when confronted on this issue I explained the above only to have someone point out that the Hispanic variation is pronounced "HAY SOOS" and therefore it is not the same as my usage but this is a naïve argument since at the time they said it I had yet to speak the name publicly and so how could they know how I pronounced my handle. Perhaps I spelled it JESUS but pronounced it "GEE ZOOS" or "JAH-EE-ZAHS" or ???. The argument of pronunciation is invalid unless God is nit-picky and if God were that much of a tight-ass then nobody has a chance and heaven is going to be no fun at all.

After examination of most of the worlds major religious beliefs and their sub-sects, cults, denominations, variances and other divisions I must admit that I am not anything like what they all claim to expect Jesus to be …but then Jesus of Nazareth was nothing like what the faith (Hebrew) awaiting the a messiahs coming expected either.

If JoN (Jesus of Naz) was indeed the messiah then it is well documented that only a few believed him at first and the people who represented the religious groups not only denies him but sought his destruction calling him a blasphemer, fraud and "demon-possessed".

Well, no matter who I am I certainly understand what it feels like to be rejected like this. The majority of those who say I am guilty of blasphemy and try to argue about my mission are those who teach and preach the Christian message and await the return of the Christ/Messiah.

(Blasphemy's definition can be found by looking it up on any online dictionary and how I use the name does NOT qualify)

Please realize that I do not claim to be the whole manifestation of God.. nor do I use the name to make fun of , mock nor defame the spirit of God and/or Jesus. Those who think that I do either of these are making assumptions that I define my faith by their version of what or who God and Jesus are and to do this is to claim more authority over me than I would ever claim over anyone else. Thus since I do not claim such “all-powerful” authority nor seek worship how then could I be guilty of blasphemy?

Even if I made such claims I do not believe there would be anyone but God who could correct me since to do so would then be presumptuous that your religious belief system was superior to my own and thus perhaps it could make the person confronting me guilty of exactly the same thing they claim I am in breach of.

I am not here to define which religion is correct. I do not define my calling by any religious authority other than what is true in my heart and never do I enforce, coerce nor demand that anyone believe anything I believe. My task is only to listen to what I feel is God and share what I feel this entity wishes me to do, be and share boldly and as I feel led to do so.

If I am wrong only God will correct me and I am only accountable to God who I call “My/Our Father“.

I am really sick of all the hatefulness that people use to try and support and defend their religious convictions. Anyone coming to me who holds up their religious definition of what Jesus should be or should not be is walking some pretty dangerous ground in my opinion. I believe every person has the absolute right to believe whatever they feel is correct and share this belief as boldly as I do (right or wrong) without others getting all upset about it and feeling that they are doing God's will by playing the judge and claiming that what they believe supersedes the belief of anyone else.

In my studies I have sought not to take up a faith and define all others by it.. Rather I was led to study each faith and idea I was led to by coming at it as if it could be the correct idea and then examining logically the various ideas they propose. This is opposed to the typical idea that there is one idea or faith that holds all truth and the rest are hopelessly wrong.

Christianity is not a single idea or series of dogmas and doctrines. There are a few common elements but overall the divisions each have flaws and none (in my opinion based on years of personal critical study) could possibly claim to be the “one and only” denomination or belief that is 100% correct… In Fact, because Christians cannot even agree with each other they should be a lot less presumptive that their VERSION of truth has enough authority to use as the measure by which all the others get judged.

People should be glad I am not the Jesus they claim to have faith in because if I was then I would condemn all the Churches to Hell because I have yet to see ONE that actually lives as the church of Jesus Christ was intended (originally Churches were to be communal living environments in which all members held all things in common and gave up individual selfish ownership to care for each other as a group and then to take any extra resources out to give to those who had need).

No, today's so-called Churches are not at all like what I believe was intended by God and since the last plea of Jesus of Nazareth (JoN) on earth was that "They may be United (as one)" none do this and still they all debate who has God's favor and teaches the absolute truth.

Because I value first the most basic idea that God is LOVE and that only LOVE can be the weight or measure of Faith then in reality anyone who gets upset or angry enough to seek to defame or harm anyone else violates this and invalidates everything else they might think they understand. Love does not try to use fear and intimidation to persuade people to accept truth. Love understands that each person has a unique path and purpose and that no human can actually claim spiritual authority over another at all.

Fear will never persuade anyone but the ignorant and uneducated to accept anything. Intimidation likewise is not at all a method by which to persuade people to accept any God … much less one who is the essence of “loving-kindness“.

I did not find my God in a book… I did not find my God in a dogma.. I did not find my God in a religion nor church and I did not find my God in being coerced or convinced by someone else. I found what I call God in a deeply personal way that began in my inner being and then incorporated any other elements only to examine and define my own inner reality.

I came through the religious system and was well trained in conventional Christianity. When I attended a Lutheran School in my teens I was trained in Evangelism and Apologetics. I was shown methods to "help people know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior" and given tools to lead people to Christ. I went from home to home in pairs and at each door we would leave a bible tract and if we were able to we would spend time with the resident sharing "the Love of Jesus" with them.

But, even then I felt something was wrong with the methodology of what we were doing. It was all too "packaged" and in reality I was not trained in any other ideas beyond "Christian thinking" to be able to really discuss any differences in other religious idea beyond what we were taught was the ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN and now I feel very bad about the fact that I, no matter how well meaning, made God out to be prejudiced and cruel.

Even the initial question we were given to ask was presented in a way that in retrospect could have been considered as being fraudulent.. Since we claimed it was asked as part of a survey when in reality it was to confront the person in a way to begin a dialog.

I recall using tally sheets that had YES or NO on it but never were these responses actually used for any real study I am aware of since we never turned them in (This is fraud isn't it? and if so then does it not seem odd to use fraud to teach ethics, morals and supposed truth? )

Anyway, the question was "If you were to die tonight would you be sure that you would go to heaven?". Now come on guys… lets look at that question because not only is it confrontational but it is assumptive that "heaven" exists and also it potentially elicits the fear of death. This question is well known by many Christian faiths in their efforts to "lead people to Christ" by the way and only after I got older and better educated did I even realize how this question assumes that the person asking it has all the answers.

There is no proof of faith.

Faith itself is based on the concept that God cannot be proven and that it is belief in the unbelievable that God honors most (Hebrews 11). If God were so manifest that there was no doubt He existed then there could be nothing called "Faith" since no faith is required when proof is available.

This method of Evangelism so popular in today's churches is flawed in logic and would seem to go against the very idea that God is Love. It tells people that god loves them so much that if they don't believe in Him they will be sent to a place where they will be tortured eternally (Hell). Is this what God desires?… Does anyone really in their Spirit believe that God would hide and then say if you don't find him you would die horribly and never have any chance of redemption? Why does no one question this teaching and see it's lack of logic?.. for if there is a Blasphemy then it is to represent God as an arrogant, self absorbed asshole who puts a gun to your head and says find me or die.
So, for those wondering I am not the Jesus of this type of teaching. I am not the Jesus who is the Only way and I am Not the Jesus who promotes death over and above Life. I am the Jesus I am told to be by a loving God I believe in who told me to show people how to Love each other. I do not promote any specific church group or religious belief.. nor do I tell people they MUST believe me or God will get them.

So, what Jesus am I? I am the one I am and I am the one who is here to just be here doing the work I feel I am to do. I do not uphold myself as worthy of worship nor do I tell you I am the ultimate authority on all truth. My body and my brain are only that of a human being and I have no miracles to prove anything to anyone. I don't have to be what people demand I be nor will I be manipulated by religion to try and be what they think I should be.

I may have faults, sins and imperfections as much as anyone else but those who can read the Bible beyond the traditional theologically accepted ideas might see that perhaps Jesus of Nazareth (JoN). Was a tad more human than many wish to believe.

Blasphemy you say to believe that JoN. Might have had human frailties?

I say it is Blasphemy to think anything with one cell of humanity in it could be perfect for to be perfect is to not be a human at all and then what would be Jesus but God only and as such could not understand anything of what it means to be human. Logic alone should show that if Jesus was to have even the meaning being promoted in today's churches that He had to be capable of making mistakes and “missing the mark” occasionally.

In the Bible Jesus was once approached by a guy who began with "GOOD Sir…" and he was Cut off by Jesus quickly and told emphatically "I am NOT GOOD.. Only the Father in Heaven is GOOD".

So tell me then, if Jesus himself stated in scripture that he was not good (meaning perfect) where did this teaching come from and how does it effect the religious teaching that Jesus is God and Perfect as God is Perfect?

Only religion defines things this way.. Even the council that created this teaching argued over it and it created a problem that resulted in a major controversy (but who bothers to go and look at the history???… most do not question such things or even seek them out fairly.. They just hear a preacher or priest tell them how it is and assume it is the absolute truth… Did God then give us a mind that questions and then tell us not to? What of the thoughts of Marcian (see:http://mb-soft.com/believe/txs/chalcedo.htm )?

Howbeit even though this sounds like I am questioning Jesus all I am truly questioning is that what is taught regarding Jesus may be worthy of reassessing .

Why be afraid of the difficult questions?

Why fear examining where the concepts we believe came from and if perhaps what we are told may have been redefined by a religious organization or organizations for reasons other than concern for our souls perhaps it is a sin NOT to question and get things back to what is real.

I don't fear being wrong..

…I fear accepting what is wrong and calling it “right“. Truth IS truth and so question away folks because truth cannot be changed and only by questioning truth can it be examined enough to divide out the errors within it.

Some of you are likely to think I am going to Hell for what I share here and if you do think that.. Prove I am wrong… Prove that God exists first though and I want absolute proof before you begin tossing stones at me. Prove JoN walked the earth and prove he was perfect with more than just a feeling or belief or church doctrine. Prove Hell exists and show me where Heaven is because I believe I do know the answers to these things and I am here to share all of it with you and already have.. But I admit what I shared may not have proof but at least I take logic into account and do not just accept what is taught without questioning it.

I can't prove ANYTHING but if you are honest you have to admit you cannot either.

So am I the Jesus expected at the End of Days? Did God personally in myself tell me to do as I am doing or not? Am I a Blasphemer or a caring soul trying to live out my calling? Don't answer unless you can PROVE that I am nothing without defining it only by a feeling, emotion, religion or faith because those things too cannot be weighed or measured so I cannot be fairly judged by them.

In a courtroom one must only show proof if challenged .. But really the first Burdon of proof is upon the person doing the challenging thus the Burdon of proof is not mine for I do not have to prove anything since I allow anyone the freedom to believe anything even if I think it's wrong… but likewise I share where I think it might be wrong only to find truth and not to judge other people… I am free to be and express anything I like but if you wish to debate who I am first show me something,.., anything.. Which proves whatever you contend for I am not bound by individual definitions and I say there is no authority in heaven or on earth that can provide evidence sufficient to suggest their truth is greater than my own.. Save God Alone… and if you wish to condemn or correct me by claiming you know God better than I then please write me and I will give you my address and ask you to bring Him over to prove it… which cannot be done .

Realize this is not intended to be an argument or something to debate. I believe what I believe because I personally have enough evidence within myself to support my personal faith.

I will listen to any who feels differently and you may say as you like but if you wish to change me you MUST provide scientific proof that I am wrong . I do not feel this can be done so all I ever really have asked is not that anyone believe me but only to give me your ear and consider my ideas as you study yourself.

NEVER WORSHIP A MAN.. ONLY THE CREATOR DESERVES WORSHIP AND IN MY OPINION I DO NOT BELIEVE HE EVER DEMANDS IT.. The demands are made only by humans who construct religions to define what they believe but any religion that forces or intimidates people into it's belief system is, in my opinion, A DANGEROUIS CULT and too mean and self absorbed to be anything near what I believe would be the faith of that which I call My Father.

I am not bound by any faiths opinion of me nor will I ever accept it's judgments of me…. Likewise any judgments I give are only my own and I shall never judge "people" except in one thing which is this:
Is this person seeking to BE LOVE???

… and if so then I will trust the God I believe in to guide them and help them and my only task is to boldly speak my understandings to the best of my abilities and be available to help my Brothers and Sisters to be the best they can be and to manifest REAL LOVE on this sad planet.

My faith is mine alone and your faith is your own and in the end we will see what God has to say and let HIM judge us . Until then I will do as I feel is right and if anyone tries to stop me from what I am supposed to do then I will disregard their objections and continue anyway until God Himself corrects me or guides me otherwise.

I am JESUS OF ZION and that is a part of myself I have come to value most …for it is not James the body or brain that defines me. Rather it is the Spirit that baptized me in which I find my definition and purpose and by that spirit shall I continue to serve what is my purpose as it is known only to myself and my God.

I love you all and thank you for your friendship. I hope that you will be open enough to accept that I am not likely to change my modes operandi because it happens to offend a few people but ask why it offends you for when Christians become Christians and are baptized does not each one claim a part of the Spirit of Jesus?

How is what I am doing wrong if this be so?…

…In effect the old self (James) is first buried.. Then healed, fulfilled and given purpose by the Spirit of Christ.. Do not many Christians say this?… Yet where are my brothers and sisters who truly make it this much a part of their life? Where is the rest of myself who loves without judging and shares in my duty and name?

Is my Spirit alone… or am I more… for if there are more of me then please let them know I await them or if I am the only one? Hm? Well I will let you all consider and you can come to your own conclusions..

…Meanwhile I will just do what I was sent to do.

BE LOVE & BE LOVED!
JoZ (JESUS of Zion)