Hello to all today:

Okay again with the philosophy! I know...I know, I think if I keep this up I will lose friends...but I have to find the truth some way right?

So I am reading the book of Mark in the Bible. Which I recently have discovered that the book of Mark was actually written before Matthew (or some say it is so). According to some...Mark was written with urgency, and the fact that Mark lacks some of the other teachings that have been added (oops..sorry included) to the gospels is missing in Mark.

Anyway, that is not the point.
Let's get on with the questions shall we?
Again, please feel free to comment...I enjoy all the comments whether I agree with them or not.

Just for the record I will be quoting out of the New International Version.

1) Over and over again in Mark Jesus is quoted as saying "Go, but do not tell anyone."...Mark 1:43-44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:30. Okay, so why the secrecy? Why didn't Jesus want others to hear of his healings? Was this not the point for him to come to earth? A friend of mine said that he didn't want praise given to himself for the healings, Jesus is supposed to be the only true altruistic person. But, if this is the case why did he give orders for those healed not to speak of their healings?

2)Mark 3:17 says, "James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder);" I don't know if I even need to write a question for this one...but here it is...If Jesus was the Son of God, and he was here to worship and bring others to the lamb...why would he change the names of men to things like the "Sons of Thunder"? Isn't this a little paganistic?

3) Mark 8:22-26 is written about a blind man at Bethsaida...my question is why did it take Jesus two times to heal this man? And then why was the man ordered "Don't go into the village."?

4) Mark 9:14-19 talks about Jesus healing a boy with evil spirits. The boys father tells Jesus the symptoms of his son and then he says "I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." Starting at Mark 9:19 Jesus responds, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." Now, it could just be me, but this seems like an extremely harsh response to someone who is asking for help...why does Jesus talk so harshly to his disciples?

5) Mark 12:27..."He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken." Jesus is talking about marriage in the after life...within Heaven. I though that God was to God over all...not only the living or the dead....just as he is not only God over this world, but all worlds...so what's that about?

Okay I will pause there to see how many others are interested!
Thanks for stopping by:
Nik

Hello to all:

I just wanted to come on and say I am Princess Nik of Blogland!

However, being Princess has been such a demanding job. The fairy godmother hasn't left me alone the whole damn time! It's been very difficult to climb up into the pea for sleep, and when I bring a boy home its even more difficult!

And while I have enjoyed the great ball room....it really needs a new coat of paint...where did that damn painter go?

And the sharp pricks keep chasing me!

Thanks to King Dan!
Nik

hey guys...just wanted to drop in a few lines to say I'm still alive! I am just really really busy...

...so for the next few days I hope to be catching up on everyones life!

...miss you all

Thanks for stopping in:
Nik

Hello to all today:

Okay to continue on...thank you all for commenting and I have so many responses I have to decided to dedicate this post to responding and opening up more questions...or simple thoughts.

The earlier question was 'If one commits suicide for a cause would s/he be considered as a martyr?'

Dazey brought up the point about the WWII Japanese pilots. So here is my question about them. If one commits suicide during the time of war because it was more honorable for them to die in war than come home and die, then how is that martyrdom? If they flew their planes to kill others and themselves, then they would be considered heroes and not martyrs in their country...right? If they gave their lives more for the reasons of pride and honor than that of their spiritual or political beliefs that would not make them martyrs. It seems like they were not permitted or taught that there were other options than dying a "honorable" death by sacrificing their lives....so I guess I'm trying to ask if death by suicide is martyrdom if one is taught to that action and there are no other options available to them?.....Thanks Dazey for bringing this up...it's good stuff!

Rosie thank you also for your comparison between martyrdom and the children on the playground. That makes really good sense to me! You helped me see something else that needs to be asked. Rosie said that it's the ones who are killed in the name of freedom that are the martyrs. This is to say that suicide bombers are not martyrs because they submit fear into others and force them to conform. And to this I ask...Is there response (that of killing themselves) not a response of the fear they feel? My personal knowledge of the subject leads me to believe that the middle-east suicide bombings are directly related to the fact that these men and women feel as though their freedoms are being taken away. They have a belief system that is being challenged, and they feel their entire culture is at stake. To rectify this they have taken drastic measures to ensure their beliefs will always be upheld. If martyrs are killed in the name of freedom, then are there ever any REAL martyrs?

BethAnne also commented on the suicide bombers. She said "Suicide has no honor in it. A martyr is a person whose death inspires others." So I ask...inspires others how? If one kills him or her self and that death causes others in the same belief realm to take up arms and fight for their cause...is that not inspiration? Many times I think to sacrifice your own life is much more glorified than to simply fight. (I don't think its more glorified...but the media and often times others seem to point in that direction) If one commits suicide and while he does kills 20 opposers...then there is inspiration in that unfortunately! What if one man goes in and blows himself and 20 men up and this act alone causes his own people to stop and look at the violence they are enflicting...and this one act inspires others to stop the violence...is this a positive inspiration and then considered martyrdom?

I thank you all for commenting...jchess, raggety, and Moody. You have given me a lot to think about. I will be doing much more research on the topic, and I think I am going to write on suicide bombers...mostly because it is a big topic right now in our world. Please don't think that I am by any means supporting the killing of innocent people, but I just want to see both sides of martyrdom...and how each culture defines the term. I will be sure to write more...maybe tomorrow...I have a history test tomorrow and right now I need to change directions and simply study!

Thank you all
Thanks for stopping by:
Nik

Hello to all today:

Today I want to pose a question to you all. Please reply whether you agree, disagree, or simply want to add a statement...or if you have any cool sites for me to visit concerning this topic.

I have to write a paper in philosophy about martyrdom. I have only started my research so this may seem a little choppy, and for that I apologize.

Okay... so martyrdom is defined as having been killed for refusing to deny religious or political beliefs, or the hardship and endurance involved in making sacrifices for a cause.

This is the question I pose: If one commits suicide for a cause would s/he still be considered a martyr?

In all religions that have settled here in the West there is not one that I can say I have heard suicide is considered the same as a martyred death. I know that the middle east is on a rampage with suicide killers. I have heard that their religious beliefs encourage suicide killings...however, I do not know this to be true, and I do not know how to find more info on the topic.

If they do hold beliefs such as the one above, I do not fault them for following their traditions. Just as I do not fault those who participate in the taking of communion.

This is what I do not understand. To be considered a martyr you must die for your cause. What if you were going to be killed anyway, and you chose to die to by your own hand and mind instead of by your enemies. Are those people still considered martyrs?

Again, going back to the middle-east muslims...they die for a cause. They risk their lives for their beliefs...but in the west they are viewed as savage beasts...which is amazing considering our own ties with religion, and the fact that Americans almost always applaud those who are willing to risk their lives for a cause (I guess as long as the cause doesn't interfere with our own beliefs... yea I know...that's for another post).

Then you have sacrifice. Which is suicide, sometimes. If you willingly make a decision to forfeit your life for a god or a belief...isn't that still suicide? Isn't suicide the taking of your own life, whether it be by your hand or anothers...isn't it the mind that initiates the act?

So there's my question
Thanks for stopping by:
Nik