The Beatitudes

I finally managed to go through another box to unpack and I found a card I'd managed to hold onto since childhood. It featured the Beatitudes. Those things credited to Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount, which each began as "Blessed are..." Perhaps the only part of my Catholic upbringing that I ever truly felt a kinship to in my heart and soul.

Years later, while I was still Catholic, I heard it suggested through scholarly and philosophical grapevines that the Beatitudes sounded quite odd as any kind of Galilean form of sermon. They were more in tone with the polytheistic Greek chants. I learned, also, that the Sermon on the Mount, when all notes from Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John were compared and combined, was much too long to have ever taken place in one sermon. Even many priests had their doubts that it was any more than a simpler way of combining the majority of Jesus' teachings. There was probably an event such as described as the Sermon on the Mount, but it couldn't have logically been as long or in as much detail as has been attributed.

So what of the Beatitudes, which is my intention for this post?

When I first learned that Jesus may have borrowed them from Greek songs/prayers/chants, I didn't pay too much attention. It stuck with me, though, and I always carried it in the back of my mind. After I left Catholicism and started researching theology and ancient cultures on my own (previously censored by the church), I came to a complete understanding of what was meant. After all, the Old Testament is made entirely of ancient texts that were borrowed and combined from various theologies throughout the ancient world, most of which were polytheistic. This knowledge along with discovering Jesus took most of his influence from these scrolls and tales told by word of mouth from generation to generation, it wouldn't be a stretch to say the Beatitudes are, indeed, Greek in origin.

Let me say now that I haven't found any declaration of this anywhere. I'm just putting facts together to come up with a logical theory. The origin may not even be Greek, but I do believe the Beatitudes were referenced by Jesus rather than written by him.

Another indicator besides the tone that was owned by primarily the Greeks is the addition of the last two Beatitudes. There were originally 7, as most religious scholars believe. The final two Beatitudes found only the christian bible are clearly not in the same tone as the previous 7, and are distinguishable by their center being on Jesus alone and reward for martyrdom in his name instead of being about guidance to our own spiritual growth. 

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.

Then we have the 8th and 9th that have no logical reason for being part of this grouping, other than self-indulgence of a symbol created by Rome, whose failed attempt at destroying the symbol led it to stake claim to him and twist him into what he wasn't based upon great men from ancient religions.

      8.  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
           heaven.

      9.  Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of 

           evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward 

           in Heaven.

The blatant difference is so obvious that many church leaders have begun leaving out these two in their sermons and during church services. They still remain part of christian teachings, however, and the Vatican refuses to remove them as it has long refused to acknowledge its many other frauds upon mankind.

Following these beatitudes are the 4 woes in Luke 6:24–26. They begin as Woe unto you:

• that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
• that are full now! for ye shall hunger.
• that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
• when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets.

A typical tactic by the church of punishment for self-improvement and twisting of ancient philosophies for their own agenda. Much like the commandments that begin as a purely egotistical rant of a vain and jealous "god," forgetting that vanity and jealousy are deadly sins and therefore, absurd to apply to any deity deserving of respect and admiration. 

Such hateful cruelty towards mankind's efforts to find joy and self-improvement are why I found it so easy to leave the confines of religion. 

We must remember when reading such outrageous silliness that this bastardization of something once so beautiful and genuine is by human minds alone and not the action of any supreme being. It is man who sees wickedness in everything. The enlightened only see positive and negative energy and a place for spiritual growth when learning from them both. We can find no enlightenment as long as we follow another's path and led by such dark thoughts on our growth.

Studied in their original context, the Beatitudes are a beautiful testament to our abilities should we choose to allow them leadership over our lives. Be yourself. Be greatness from within. Be the attitude your soul invests in at the moment.