Here's another one that's irked me since Sunday School. (Pardon me if I didn't research the John this, or Mark that. I can't stand even looking at the book, much less reading it.)
Why couldn't the Lord at least be as pacifist as Confucius, Epicurus, Buddha, or even MLK? What kind of example did he set when he threw a childish, temper tantrum because he was morally offended?
Think of all the suffering this one stupid incident has caused in human history. The Inquisitors of the Middle Ages were morally offended (so they claimed) and proceeded to torture and burn at the stake millions of people over the centuries. Actually it was all a scam to get their inheritance.
"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."
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9 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Why are you so irked? None of this really happened. Are you irked by "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"?
Casey07
Level 7
May 14, 2018
1
That's immaterial, whether it happened or not. The point is that people are influenced by Christ's behavior—his example. The question is: when morally offended do you have the moral right to resort to violence? To my mind, Christ acted like a spoiled brad kid. That's what I find irksome. He's supposed to be a leader of morality. In history many people died because of it.
There are many but the Battle of Wounded Knee comes to mind. If was clearly revenge for the defeat of Gen G.A. Custer at the Little Big Horn.
History is full of incidents like that. Christ should have been above revenge because nothing good comes from it.
"the Lord" is a fictional character so it didn't happen. He didn't exist so none of it happened.
The gospels are political folk tales which helped Constantine subjugate superstitious people conquered by Rome.
Athos
Level 5
May 12, 2018
3
Very good. Emperor Constantine did a lot of damage to humanity.
One of the many reasons the Christian faith has proven so popular is that thanks to the mass of hypocrisy, contradiction and double standards in the Holly Babble the religion can be all things to all men, it can be used to sanction slavery or speak out against it, it can favour the rich and loath them at the same time, it can laud and condemn poverty, preach violence and pacifism as being the same thing.
LenHazell53
Level 9
May 12, 2018
1
"Turn the other cheek" is for the laity, not the clergy.
You can always write off the scourging of the temple as "righteous indignation" over a concrete harm. You could arguably associate it with the modern concept of civil disobedience. But what about that fig tree incident -- it's undeniably petty, irrational, childish and self-serving that Jesus cursed the fig tree for not having fruit for him ... and figs weren't even in season at the time.
Given that the gospels chose to present these vignettes I can only conclude that they wanted to balance Meek And Mild Jesus with Hellfire And Brimstone Jesus. I guess the subtext is, be attracted to his sweetness but beware -- still waters run deep, so don't presume upon his goodness either.
mordant
Level 8
May 12, 2018
1
Very good. I agree. The fig tree incident bothered me over the years as well. "It wasn't even in season." If I were the fig tree I'd be pissed. I'd say, "You made me. I'm only doing what I was programmed genetically to do, and now you renounce me. Gimme a break."
As far as "righteous indignation" goes, my point is, is this a good example to set by the leader of Christian morality? Think of all the people that suffered and died because of it.
I find it so interesting that in most of his actions and sayings in the bible that he is a pacifist such as in "turn the other cheek." My guess is that whoever was writing these skits wanted to make sure that it was clear that only the church could make money inside its doors So they added this one.
AmelieMatisse
Level 8
May 12, 2018
4
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