Which Jesus?
Which Jesus?
When Jerry Falwell, Jr., or Ralph Reed, Jr. or any other "Christian" Leader appears with President Donald J. Trump, which Jesus are they claiming to follow?
A) The Jesus who turned over the tables of the money-changers in the temple and chased them away with a whip? Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 21
B) The Jesus who when confronted by the religious leaders of the day with a "woman taken in adultery" asking if she should be stoned to death did not condemn her but, instead, stated "Let the one among you without sin cast the first stone"? Gospel of John, Chapter 8
C) The Jesus who talked with the outcast woman at the well in Samaria when women were considered less than fully human by the religious doctrine of the day? Gospel of John, Chapter 4
D) The Jesus who called the religious leaders of the day "white-washed tombs full of corruption and dead men's bones"? Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 23
E) NONE OF THE ABOVE
Jesus was quite perceptive about people. Particularly hypocritical people in positions of power. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7 Jesus is quoted as having said:
Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. You will recognize them by their fruit. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven - only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!'
Have you ever noticed that those who profess their innocence the loudest are usually the most guilty? Mom, me? You think I ate all the cookies?? Samuel Johnson, the English scholarly writer famously noted that "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."
Given what we've seen in the past 20 years about pedophilia in the priesthood, sexual misconduct by Protestant preachers, and philandering by "pro-life" GOP congressional leaders, it is reasonable to draw the parallel that "Fundamentalist evangelicalism is the last refuge of the hypocrite."
It reminds me of the poem "The Grand Inquisitor" that is quoted by Fyodor Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov. Here is the summary of the scene from Wikipedia:
The tale is told by Ivan with brief interruptive questions by Alyosha. In the tale, Christ comes back to Earth in Seville at the time of the Inquisition. He performs a number of miracles (echoing miracles from the Gospels). The people recognize him and adore him, but he is arrested by Inquisition leaders and sentenced to be burnt to death the next day. The Grand Inquisitor visits him in his cell to tell him that the Church no longer needs him. The main portion of the text is devoted to the Inquisitor explaining to Jesus why his return would interfere with the mission of the Church. I have concluded that "The Grand Inquisitor" is alive and well in America today. They no longer have the power to burn heretics at the stake. Instead, they use the power of politics, the press and pseudo religious dogma to shame and suppress anyone who opposes them.
Today's GOP wraps itself in the flag and the Bible, desecrating both by their duplicity. They care little about piety, and even less about people. They mostly care about power, and control, and about ensuring their own survival.
Human nature has changed little since the days of Jesus. It has changed even less since the days of Dostoevsky. It reminds of of the song Save Me Jesus From Your Followers, by Mark Handley on his album - Oh! Ye of Little Faith.
Amen.
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