For Those Who Deeply Love Jesus

This thread is intended to be especially useful to those who love Jesus more than life itself. Sound off if you have a profound love for Jesus. Tell us why you feel the way that you do.

I think it is okay for those who feel differently to post here too ... but please be very respectful toward those who love Jesus, and toward Jesus himself. No Jesus bashing here, okay?

And please refrain from ranting and raving here about politics disguised as religion. However, you're encouraged to rant and rave about the religious institutions who would think that they have a right to do and say things that hurt the weakest, most vulnerable members of our society.

I encourage you to share any good experiences with your love life that isn't traditional or monogamous, if you're not afraid to exchange information (and especially if you love Jesus).

I got the idea for this thread from a post by loveboston: Beyond Doubt and Fear.

I am not currently a Jesus lover because I am unsure of his existence ... and I am doubly unsure of the Biblical account of him. However, I have believed in a Jesus in the past that I loved very much and admired.

From the LDS hymnal are the following lyrics:

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past.
Safe into the haven guide,
Oh, receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on thee.
Leave, oh, leave me not alone;
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee is stayed;
All my help from thee I bring.
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of thy wing.

That's kind of how I have felt, at least in the past.

And I'd like to share one more hymn that quotes his most important commandment ...

As I have loved you,
Love one another.
This new commandment:
Love one another.
By this shall men know
Ye are my disciples,
If ye have love
One to another.

"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
We love him, because he first loved us.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."
-- 1 John 4:15-21

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Your thoughts?

Fear of Coming Out

The recent incident with Ashley Madison is a reminder that there are no such things as secrets on the internet.

The LGBT movement has become a bold pioneer to remove the unnecessary hiding of our lifestyles that are different and unique to each of us as individuals.

The institutional church as well as most other institutions in this country are scrambling to adjust to the what is now the law regarding LGBT rights.

I'm not aware of the issue of non-monogamy being adjudicated but it is fraught with all sorts of civil legal issues on a common sense basis as well as a hyper emotional, pseudo religious basis.

We consulted with an attorney as well as a family counselor to get our guidelines.

We probably shouldn't hold an office or become a member in a church where non monogamy would lead to expulsion. We settled on the Episcopal church. Very nice group of people.

The issue our counselor has raised with us is the same she says she brings up with her LBBT clients. Discretion is different than being secretive.

The only person who has the need and perhaps the right to know if we're having sex with someone else is another sexual partner. STD's and unwanted pregnancies are still the universal reigning terrors.

I hope this thread will lead to a constructive exchange of experiences and ideas on how to maintain an honest, open loving relationship with Jesus, our partner, our friends without fear of institutional consequences.

Knowing full well that Jesus faced the same problem and He was killed by an institution who believed they were doing the right thing.

I just touched on this in another thread...

I was brought up Protestant. I've had an off and on relationship with churches and Christianity, because while I agree with some of the fundamentals, I've encountered too many hypocrites and people who twisted Christ's word for their own purposes. Like Kevin, I'm also uncertain about Christ; was he really God's son, or was he a charismatic, wise teacher who gave important knowledge and lessons to his followers?

I don't like sitting through long sermons... mostly I used to enjoy going to church for a chance to interact with other people, and because of the singing. I don't believe *church* has to be a thing in order for *worship* to be a thing.

Alt and I were Mormon for about six months in 2011, until the day the teens' Sunday School teacher informed the class, "Homosexuality is the biggest immorality there is, and you shouldn't tolerate that behavior in your friends or family." At the time, Alt identified as bisexual...and her two best friends were gay. We stopped going.

We started attending my mother-in-law's church; Country had been going with her all along. (I don't believe in pushing my kids to any spiritual path; their spirituality is theirs to determine.) I liked the services, the people, the building itself, and the energy there. But when Hubby and I opened our marriage, and I started dating Guy, I stopped going. I have a real problem with dishonesty of any kind, and to me, going to a church where everyone believed I was a good monogamous wife and mother when I wasn't, was dishonest.

A couple months ago, my mother-in-law wasn't able to take the kids to church because she had meetings before and after, so they asked me to drive them. The church is 45 minutes away, so dropping them off, coming home, and going back to get them didn't make sense. I stayed for the service, and liked it as much as two years ago.

The church bills itself as "open and affirming," meaning to them, it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation or gender identity are, you're welcome as a full member of the church and even to hold office within the church. My 20-year-old, multi-pierced, openly pansexual (though I think she told the church she's bisexual, because that's easier to explain), gender fluid child is a Sunday School teacher there.

I thought I might want to go back to church there, so I decided to see how far "open and affirming" actually went. I asked the pastor to meet with me, and Alt sat in on it. I told him I'm polyamorous, that it's completely open and honest with Hubby, that I had another partner I loved. (This was shortly before S2 "downgraded" our relationship.) I said for me, I felt unbalanced and not completely whole with only one partner, and having more than one love in my life felt right.

The pastor asked a few clarifying questions, pondered for a minute or two, then said, "Well, for me, having one partner makes me feel whole. But I can understand what you're saying about needing more than one to feel whole and balanced. And there was definitely a whole lot of polygamy going on in the Bible, so I guess in some ways, the Bible supports polyamory. You're completely welcome here."

I haven't gone back since, partly due to not feeling well or not managing my time well enough, and partly because of the fact that when I say "shortly before" the so-called downgrade, I mean it was the same week. I was trying to stay away from places where anyone might ask me about that relationship. The pastor is the only one at the church aside from my kids who knows I'm poly, but still. But at least I know I *can* go there, and because I've come out to the pastor, I wouldn't feel dishonest.

Thanks loveboston and KC43 for your responses.

I am mostly in the closet about my polyamorous situation, except of course on this forum. I couldn't return to the Mormon church unless I gave up my poly partners, and that's not gonna happen. If I wanted to join a church I'd probably choose Unitarian Universalism. (Although, KC43, I like the sound of your mother-in-law's church.)

I don't worry about unwanted pregnancy because I've had a vasectomy. Also my V is closed and so we also don't worry about STI's, although I suppose that would change if one of us started seeing someone new.

Re (from loveboston):

"I hope this thread will lead to a constructive exchange of experiences and ideas on how to maintain an honest, open loving relationship with Jesus, our partner, our friends without fear of institutional consequences."

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I'm with you there brother.

Re (from a certain Sunday School teacher):

"Homosexuality is the biggest immorality there is, and you shouldn't tolerate that behavior in your friends or family."

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I guess the Mormon church hasn't made a lot of progress in that area.

KC43, I think you are in a tender place as regards S2. You need to do some healing before you can talk to many people about it. It's just good that you have a good church to go to, when you feel up to it.

Sincerely,
Kevin T.

My mother-in-law's church is Congregationalist (United Church of Christ). As I understand it, the denomination as a whole has adopted the "open and affirming" policy, not just this one church.

And yeah... S2 is still a sensitive topic. I just texted him to see whether we can meet this week to try to resolve things--or close them entirely--and am trying not to look at my phone.

Pregnancy isn't an issue in my case because I had a hysterectomy six years ago. Hubby's monogamous (and atheist), so it's irrelevant for him. STIs aren't a concern at the moment either. I may have a new partner--right now I have a "person I'm seeing where things go with until I'm completely done with the S2 drama"--but protected sex is a requirement both by my agreement with Hubby and by Boots's agreement with his girlfriend. And Boots and I are both planning to be tested anyway, because neither of us has been for over six months and it doesn't hurt to make sure.

That sounds like a good plan to me.

Interesting that the United Church of Christ is so open-minded, I'll have to remember that.

And it's interesting that your husband's atheist; when I heard that I thought, "Me too."

Unfortunately, Hubby is the type of atheist who gets smugly condescending to anyone who believes in a higher power. He's better than he used to be, but I still sometimes have to remind him that if I respect his right not to believe in anything, I expect him to respect my right to believe.

Beliefs

I've decided my belief in Jesus is analogous to my belief in love. He exemplified a type of love that I aspire to replicate.

My first introduction that love is a belief came from the Baptist church. Their version didn't turn out all that well for me. I've read some real cool, practical things about love on a Buddhist forum.

I always try to look for the middle ground with my wife. I think that is a principle Jesus gave us that exemplifies not being co-dependent. Loving others as much as we love ourselves is challenging. I often err on loving myself less. The martyr syndrome, superiority black hole.

At the moment I have several casual friendships with women who know that we have an open marriage and who also understand my belief in Christ.

As usual my wife is more successful at finding and maintaining relationships than I am.

Men and women are drawn to her. Even gay men have warmed up to her leaving me in the background.

I'm very happy for her.

I am a strong proponent of women's equal rights.

I find it fascinating that the Christian movement followed Paul's instructions about women instead of Christ's.

I find it equally fascinating that the Christian movement never takes the lead to obey Christ's commands but is always mired down by disputes about issues other than love.

Jesus identified Himself as the Bridegroom and His Church as the Bride.

I think I'm pretty good at empathy but for the life of me I can't fully fathom my wife's ability to be receptive. I know a few men who are receptive but none comes close to my wife or other women who I know and admire.

Receptivity to love and the ability to discern authentic love is something I count heavily on my wife to help me understand.

One of the things I've enjoyed about the women friends who I've had is that it isn't an occasion to betray my wife but an opportunity to give my wife a break from the pressure of the unrealistic expectation of trying to be everything to me. The expectation comes as much from our idiotic culture as it does a religious tradition.

KC43 I'm happy that your husband allows you to have male friends and that you've got someone new in your life to move past S2.

Maybe your hubby could accept the fact that the higher power you believe in is Love even if he can't understand your belief in a deity and leave it at that.

I hope you can sense the support that I am sending your way. I know Kevin well enough to know that he's being sincere with you.

Kevin
I've had enough experiences to know that having sex with another man isn't something I enjoy but being able to discuss the topic of love and sex openly with another man has not been possible for me in any church group I've been a part of.

Come to think of it there has never been a time I've discussed love and sex with any group of men. I don't think there will be a male version of "The View" on TV anytime soon. If Donald Trump is any indication of what's available for entertainment I think we men have a ways to go.

I'm very happy that I have you and River for forum friends. It has given me a model to use to interact with one of my wife's new suitor's in a more receptive loving way.

Re (from KC43):

"Unfortunately, Hubby is the type of atheist who gets smugly condescending to anyone who believes in a higher power."

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Ohhh ... sorry to hear that. I'm disappointed ... and a little embarrassed. Makes me wish people could just live in harmony.

Re:

"I still sometimes have to remind him that if I respect his right not to believe in anything, I expect him to respect my right to believe."

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Yeah, an atheist, of all people, shouldn't have to be reminded.

We can agree that love is a universal good, yet we often disagree about what constitutes loving behavior.

"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
And he said unto him, Thou has answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."
-- Luke 10:25-37

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When we see someone wounded by the side of the road, having been attacked from all sides, do we have mercy and treat that person's wounds, or do we think, "Not my problem, not my business, not my affair." Perhaps we think, "That person deserved it." Perhaps we even join in the attack. After all, who wants to be on the losing side of such a dispute?

I suppose there's an exception to every rule but that's why I say, we often disagree about what constitutes loving behavior.

Re: love and poly ... I am lucky in that I only have to "share my woman" with one other man. Sometimes in the early years that was hard to do, but I have gotten used to it. I did find it was helpful for me, personally, to strike up a friendship with the other man. And to be the recipient of his generosity. Gratitude goes a long ways toward dispelling jealousy.

Thanks, Loveboston. One of the best things about Hubby is that even when we were living monogamously, he never had a problem with me having male friends. He trusts me fully, and he understands that for me, men are just easier to get along with because they tend to be more concrete and up-front about what they mean. That's a gross generalization, but it holds true for most of the men and women I've known.

I "met" Kevin on a different forum...good grief, it's been at least two years, I think. He's actually how I found my way over to this forum. So I know he's sincere

Hubby and I agree on fundamental values. We both believe in "do as you would be done to." We both believe in "you get back what you put out." The only disconnect is that I believe a higher power exists and he doesn't. I don't think terming it any differently would change his opinion, and doing so would feel dishonest to me anyway.

On the S2 front, since that seems to have become part of this conversation (sorry if I'm going off topic), I heard back from him this morning and we're meeting for lunch on Friday. He made a couple of lame jokes during our text-versation about where and when to meet, so it seems fairly promising that we'll be able to salvage a friendship. I hope so, because I don't miss the relationship nearly as much as I miss having someone to do music with, to ask for help with research for my books, and to text when good things happen.

Hey, interesting thread!

I'm definitely NOT one of those who "love Jesus more than life itself". I don't believe that Jesus would have wanted anybody to be. But I can certainly relate to "be very respectful toward those who love Jesus, and toward Jesus himself. No Jesus bashing here, okay? [...] However, you're encouraged to rant and rave about the religious institutions who would think that they have a right to do and say things that hurt the weakest, most vulnerable members of our society."

How much can I share without giving the game away? I was born into a missionary family. My mother was closed to certain considerations, but was basically a caring person. My father, however, was one of those "If you don't believe that MY religious beliefs are absolutely right, then you've got a foot on the road to Hell" types that helped me turn my back on a church that had centuries earlier turned ITS back on all that Jesus was really about.

I DON'T believe that Jesus was the "only begotten Son Of God"... and I don't believe that he ever said so. People's words have a way of being twisted by others. ESPECIALLY by others with an agenda of their own. Why should Jesus be an exception to this universal occurrence???

Are we allowed some "Saint" Paul bashing here? The most important defiler of Jesus' teachings that ever existed. I speet on heem. (to quote from The Van by Roddy Doyle)

Are we allowed some "Saint" Paul bashing here?

I think this thread is hoped to be a place for people who have moved beyond or are attempting to move beyond any belief system that has inhibited individual growth and understanding of Christ's command that we be-friend and love each other.

This is best effort to not throw out the baby (love) with the bathwater (institutional religion) to allow for positive affirmation of anyone regardless of background to pursue individual freedom to love and be loved.

I do think it would be a good idea to have a separate thread to be used as a place to reveal our own personal experiences at the hands of religious bullies of any sort.

I certainly agree that Paul or those who have used Paul to bully is high on the list of culprits. I absolutely hate his teaching that women are inferior. I despise anyone who would make that suggestion to my wife who I rely on so heavily.

I'll let moderator Ken chime in on his thoughts but I think a separate thread would help to keep this one as a place for lovers to limp forward away from the worries and cares of this world.

Welcome to the thread, MrFarFromRight.

I sympathize with you having a father who said, "Believe as I do or else." It's that kind of pressure that drives people away from believing, don't you think? Even if it takes awhile.

I'm curious ... how accurate do you think the Four Gospels (the Biblical accounts of Jesus' life) are? I think they're up to 50% right, but possibly less. If there was no Jesus at all, then they must be 0% right. The jury's out on that one for me.

Re (from MrFarFromRight):

"Are we allowed some 'Saint' Paul bashing here?"

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Heheheh, I think we are. (If there are no objections?) Though having said that, I like some of what Paul wrote. I just think he was preaching the Gospel of Paul more than he was the Gospel of Jesus.

As long as we can respect each other's positions ... and, as loveboston might say, love and befriend one another ... then I think we are on safe ground.

Re (from loveboston):

"I do think it would be a good idea to have a separate thread to be used as a place to reveal our own personal experiences at the hands of religious bullies of any sort."

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Oh, okay ... see the new thread Religious Bullies.

Re (from KC43):

"I 'met' Kevin on a different forum ... good grief, it's been at least two years, I think. He's actually how I found my way over to this forum. So I know he's sincere "

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Awww, thanks. You must mean Polyamorous Percolations, that's the only other forum I was involved in at the time. (There's very little activity there nowadays.)

My youngest brother believes in a God that is not a Being of any kind, but rather an ultimate State of mind or rather of spirit. If I understand right, he believes that we are all ultimately One, and that after death we will be reunited in that State of ultimate Oneness. He believes we can have glimpses of this Oneness through meditation (the quieting of the mind), and that these glimpses are glorious and deeply healing. I think he would agree that God is, literally, Love.

I can't argue with his belief on a conceptual level, and, I respect his right to believe and I have respect for what he believes. I just can't share in that belief personally. Partly because I don't believe in any (soul or) afterlife, partly because meditation (and prayer) has never helped me. Plus, I am very fond of (attached to) the idea that we're all very unique, independent, and individual, and well, it creeps me out to contemplate an afterlife where we all merge back into one great Whole. Although, that would be better than no afterlife at all.

I am an atheist who hopes he's wrong.

Re: S2 ... I consider that to be on-topic.

I intended for this thread to cover a wide range of topics, which is why it's on the Fireplace board. I don't mind tangents (as long as everyone plays nice).

KC, I'm thinking you must have healed a little bit if you can openly say you miss your friendship with S2, along with detailing some of the points of that friendship that you do miss. Maybe you and S2 just needed to reevaluate what S2 is able to give in a relationship? It sounds like friendship is something he can give.

A final thought ... if anyone has aught against any of my methods of handling/guiding this thread, could you let me know? I'd like the thread to move in a direction that is pleasing to all involved. If possible. So far I'm personally happy with everything that's been posted.

Yeah, it was Polyamorous Percolations. I think I made a comment in a thread there that the forum was pretty quiet, and you recommended I check out this one.

I think S2 can offer friendship if he's willing to do so. The issues were that he "downgraded" us from full-fledged relationship to something platonic that was more than friendship. A very confusing mindspace, and one I really struggled with. He kept telling me we would probably "re-upgrade" at some point; I believe he might have wished that was true, but that he also knew it wasn't and was trying not to hurt me.

Then he went on a date with someone else... and the "downgrade" became an official breakup the next day. The breakup wasn't the problem, though. The problem was that he said, "I don't know if we can be friends, because she might not be okay with it." (She being the woman he'd gone on a date with.) So to my perception, he'd lied to me about not being able to handle *any* relationship; he just couldn't handle *ours*. And he'd lied to me the times he'd promised we would stay friends even if we didn't stay as a couple and even if he started dating someone else. And he'd lied to me all the times he told me I was important to him, and he cared about me, and he couldn't see a time when he wouldn't want me in his life in some capacity, because if those things were true, he wouldn't have been telling me we couldn't be friends. (Note that I have extreme trust issues. Which he knows. He also knew that until that moment, he was the only person in my life whom I trusted completely.)

That's what I hope to sort out on Friday. He said something during that last conversation that I didn't quite catch because I was too angry, about there being "different levels of friendship." I would like to believe he was trying to say we couldn't be friends with things staying the same as they were during the "downgrade" phase, with me hanging out at his place and such, not that we couldn't be friends *at all*, but I'm still not sure about that. So hopefully we'll get it sorted.

I'm assuming he's still seeing the woman he went on that date with three weeks ago, so nothing more than friendship is possible anyway. When I met S2, he believed he was polyamorous, but I think he's realized differently now. After the months of him "being confused" and "trying to figure out what he really wanted," I wouldn't do a relationship with him again in any case. It was too much pain and emotional upheaval for me, which I accepted because I don't break promises. I had promised him last fall that I would do everything possible to *try* not to hurt him, and breaking up with him even with all the turmoil would, in my perception, have hurt him. But I wouldn't put myself in that situation again with him. I think we'll make much better friends than partners.

It sounds like the main problem was that he had issues with honesty (finding it easier to be dishonest), and you had issues with trust (being extra hurt when you found out he was lying). I think you need some closure on those points before you can be his friend.

That's exactly it. Closure and resolution are what I'm hoping to get from talking to him on Friday. If and when that happens, we'll be able to transition into a friendship.

Thinking about it rationally with some time-distance from that last phone call, I *don't* think he actually lied about me being important to him, etc. I believe now that those things were completely true. They just *felt* like lies that day because to me, if that's how you feel about someone, you don't completely cut them out of your life for the sake of someone else you've just met. At that point, he hadn't even mentioned me to the other woman and had no clue how she would feel about him being friends with me, which just made it worse.

He was dishonest about being unable to handle any relationship. He actually admitted that to me the last time I saw him, a few days before his date. There are some things about me that he can accept fully and deal with as a friend, but as a partner, he kept feeling like he should have been doing something to "fix" the problems. Something he could have told me in the first place instead of doing the downgrade thing and insisting it didn't have anything to do with me, it was all about his own issues and divorce filing. So that was another lie, that the "downgrade" didn't have anything to do with my mental health issues.

With things like that, though, I don't believe he was maliciously lying. He was afraid of hurting me, and even though I'd told him over and over that dishonesty would hurt me far worse than any truth he might tell me--and that if he was dishonest, I would find out--he couldn't bring himself to say something he knew would be hurtful to me. Unfortunately, that had exactly the result I'd warned him about.

Do you think he'll be more honest with you in the future?

I hope so. Given that the dishonesty was about relationship specific stuff, he won't have as much reason to be dishonest. On the other hand, I won't be expecting honesty from him now that I know he was dishonest in the past.

Yeah, that's one of the bad things about lying. Once you've done it one time, it kind of permanently stains your record.

Can't stand the King James Version. Here is it in modern English, Kevin.

Luke 10:25-37 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

So! Here is another story that did not bring me closer to Jesus as a child, since it had so many ancient cultural references I did not understand.

I was also taught the KJV version of this story. A "lawyer"? That meant someone who handled estates and divorces and stuff. I didn't understand it meant a Torah interpreter back in those days, 2000+ years ago. Why teach this shit to kids who can't possibly have the historical education to make anything of it?

Secondly, a priest. In my experience, a priest was something Catholics had. I had no idea there were priests in ancient Judea. I found out later, Priests were thought to be very close to Yahweh, and they lived off the tithes of the common folk. They weren't concerned with some peasant lying on the side of the road.

3rd, a Levite. What the heck was a Levite? I had no idea. Now I know they were the ruling nobility of Judea/Jerusalem. They also lived off the tithes of the common folk and would not be concerned with some peasant lying on the side of the road.

4th, a Samaritan. What the heck was a Samaritan? A citizen of Samaria. Where was Samaria? It was a tiny country right next to Judea. Both nations worshipped Yahweh, only Samaria had resisted the priests and Levites who destroyed Yahweh's multiple shrines across the region, insisting true Yahwists could only worship their god in Jerusalem at the Temple (and don't forget to bring your tithes!).

So. This story, seems to me, isn't so much about being kind to your "neighbor," as a so-called evil Samaritan once did, as a calling out of the ruling nobility who purported to be the chief worshipers of Jesus' Father.

Therefore, it can be implied Jesus (or whoever wrote about this legendary preacher), was down on their own rulers, and up on brotherly love of those who worship Yahweh in a more grassroots kind of way.

As an OT prophet once wrote, putting words into Yahweh's mouth, I paraphrase: "I despise your holy days and sacrifices. Go feed and clothe the poor, the orphans, the widows, and then you will be worshiping me."

But religious institutions go right on spending more time feeding their priests and other nobility, as always.