Whilst few men can deny that Jesus changed the world as we know it, a critical mass of we doubters question his effectiveness. And it seems we have reached a tipping point of agreement: Jesus failed.
Some of his quotes are legendary, timeless even. “Treat others as you would treat yourself” springs to mind. So does “Take that log out of your own eye before looking for the speck in mine”.
But he trips over the very hurdle that forms the crux of human nature, which is competitiveness. Mankind thrives on competition and it forms the backbone of what it means to be human. This does not forsake compassion (see “Treat yourself . . . etc above), but it recognises that mankind has a built in urge to win / survive.
Hence we come to Jesus’s fatal flaw, and one which led to his being crucified. It is of course his famous statement: “Turn the other cheek”.
Turning the other check is not funny or clever. It is a death sentence. Rather stick to the Old Testament advice of ‘An eye for an eye’.
Christian history from AD 1 is one long trail of death and destruction in the name of Christ. This forms a peculiar paradox. The very people who should be turning the other cheek are taking out eyes to further their religion.
But how else is one supposed to market a religion? Even a supposedly gentle one like Christianity needs a violent foot up to be taken seriously.
This in itself could work as the perfect example of how Jesus has been misinterpreted. But if it wasn’t for the violent Catholic Church, how else would we know about Jesus?
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