I think that Jesus had to be firm in some of his teachings becasue he knew just like everybody else did that some people were not going to accept a message filled with hope and all the good mushy things that come with it. Plus this is a faith we're talking about here, in a faith one must be firm with the teachings that come with it.

God is apparently like my 8 year old son, and makes the rules up as he goes along.
I think that all rules are open to interpretation by the masses. If you think 'Tho Shalt not Kill' is straight forward then why have we had so many religious wars that have ended in bloodshed? I don't believe it is because these people abandonded these laws, but they chose to interpret them differently so they could justify killing the enemy. Which brings me to my point. The more rules you have reguarding an issue the less open to interpretation it becomes. Jesus' golden rule may not have stopped the countless deaths that have resulted from religious wars. But he gave us something very important to think about when it came to dealing with someone you weren't exactly on par with.

Bballad, I have a great equation that's right on the mark...

God + Me = Peace of Mind & Solidarity