Riddle Me This

Filed under:Bumper Stickers,Church of Liberalism,Language Barrier — posted by Anwyn on August 16, 2007 @ 2:28 pm

Bumper sticker seen this morning: that quote of Gandhi’s that says (unsourced at the Wiki), “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Bumper sticker seen about two minutes afterward: “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

Guess who said it?

But Gandhi wasn’t the first to repudiate “an eye for an eye.” Wait, if I think hard, I might get it.

Right, okay, Gandhi already stipulated that he admired Christ; it was his followers he had trouble with. Well, tell me something: Why is it that the people in our country today most strident against any form of religion even in public view, much less in the government, are some of the very people most strident in their demands for our government to act as Jesus said it would be best for individuals to act in their daily lives? You cannot remain an effective government if you allow individuals to tyrannize over other individuals, nor other governments to tyrannize over your own. Or, in select cases, over still other governments. It is simply not a feasible plan for the ordering of the globe.

Why are the biggest anti-religionists also frequently the biggest fans of complete nonviolence, no matter the harm it causes to people in either their own country or others?

Update: More tales of taking Jesus out of context:

Q: Is it morally meaningful for people who have no guilt to apologize to people who are not victims?”

A: No.

2 comments »

  1. Damned Quakers. :-)

    I suspect there’s a temptation to ascribe Jesus’s teachings (or a misunderstanding thereof) to whatever cause one wants to accomplish in the world. I agree with you that complete and utter non-violence is an awful idea as it would lead to chaos and a lot of dead pacifists at the hands of those who didn’t get the “non-violence” memo.

    That said, when did Jesus ever suggest that his followers were supposed to order the globe? To turn your question around, I think it’s completely fair to ask: “Why are the biggest” religionists “also frequently the biggest fans of complete” control, “no matter the harm it causes to people in either their own country or others?”

    I suspect there has to be a balance struck somewhere. I don’t know what that balance is but I don’t think it will be found in arguing over what Jesus would have done. I just hope that if we do find a solution, the creed will fit on a bumper sticker. :-)

    “My dropout stole your honor student’s lunch money.”

    Comment by Norm — August 16, 2007 @ 3:43 pm

  2. That said, when did Jesus ever suggest that his followers were supposed to order the globe?

    He didn’t. That’s my point–that you can’t organize governments on the principles that Jesus laid down for the behavior of the individual. You can use them, if you’re so inclined, as guidelines to legislating the behavior of individuals within the nation, but if governments are in the business of forgiving rather than teaching other nations (or individuals) not to emulate the offenses, we have a serious problem. And yet so many bleeding hearts who would not be caught dead citing Jesus for the principles of government advocate this very course.

    Comment by Anwyn — August 16, 2007 @ 4:06 pm

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