Hi Z –
its just that i like to think of Jesus as liberating and less judgemental from all the then old stuff ~ the old ways of all the ancients. didn’t he herald the real new age?
Yes He did, but then He said "Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17) so the liberation of which you speak is
within the Law, not outside it.
As a Catholic we hold Christ's mission to 'rend the veil' between God and man, which He did, on the Cross, but that does not invalidate the Law.
If you read the beatitudes, the 'Law of Christ' is far, far tougher than the Law of Israel ... it's not a case of being judgemental, for Jesus it's just a case of what is. For Him, it's a matter of life and death.
Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
... obviously we all have a lot embedded within us, due to schooling, media and upbringing etc.
You're in the US, right? Then yes, I would say there are a lot of misconceptions.
some people think that god dictated everything that happens in the world which leaves us with no individual freedom ...
Not in Catholicism.
well christianity is self centred,
Not really. That might be the message you received, but it's not the traditional Christian one. The Christian one is about putting God and one's neighbour first ... that's the toughest rule, and that's the one most often 'reworked' to suit a self-orientated outlook.
most hippies i meet are quite wise and open,
Oh, I could tell you some stories!
Thomas