What Would Jesus Do?
Well, enough politics. Time for me to take on religion... *grin*
The popular question, "What would Jesus do?" among born-againers, devout Christians, and the like is an interesting one. The WWJD bracelets, the saying itself, and the weight of the name of Jesus implies that we are to live as Christian a life as possible, to consider Jesus' words and actions before we speak and act ourselves.
Yet in this country, I think too many people don't follow through on the bracelets or the words themselves. They go to church, they read the Bible, but they don't really pay attention. It's all about the lifestyle, or the pastor's sermon, or the culture, the politics, the "values." But it really isn't so much about Jesus himself, and I think that's a shame.
I read this excerpt earlier today of "The Christian Paradox" by Bill McKibben. The article in full is in the August 2005 issue of Harper's Magazine, and at some point, I should go down to the library and read it in its entirety. But the portion I saw, I agree with. McKibben argues that although we are a very Christian nation, grounded in the texts of the Old and New Testaments, we don't necessarily follow through on these religious precepts. He states that 75% of Americans believe the statement "God helps those who help themselves" is somewhere in the Bible, when in fact the Founding Father and Deist Benjamin Franklin first uttered it. This well-worn phrase thus missed being in the Bible by a good number of centuries. I'm pretty sure there's no editing allowed now.
McKibben uses this fact to discuss how Americans perceive themselves and their actions through this prism, in a manner that is antithetical to the preachings of Jesus. For example, the Good Book states clearly, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." Yet we are the most gun-happy nation on earth, with extremely high murder rates. We live in a land where we build more prisons than schools. We prefer tax cuts over funding programs to help the least of us. McKibben makes these points and more.
True Christian precepts can be found in texts such as the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus preached to the multitudes. You can find the text in Matthew, Chapters 5-8, or in Luke, Chapter 6. Let's look at Matthew for a minute:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7
One of my favorites, given the tenor of our times: "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the Children of God." Matthew 5:9
It's not only the Old Testament that exhorts against murder. In Matthew 5:21, Jesus says, "Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment."
There's more, of course, and I'm cherry-picking, I'll admit, but I think charity doesn't mean just writing off a tax-deductible check, or tossing a few coins into the Salvation Army kettles at Christmas. Pursuing peace doesn't mean invading another country, toppling its leader, then occupying the country, terrorizing its citizens, and torturing people in prison for years.
Luke's version is shorter, more succinct, but covers the same ground as Matthew. Luke does offer this: "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31.
This of course, is the famed Golden Rule. As I've said before, if we took it a little more seriously, we'd all be better off. Doing unto others doesn't mean slashing medical care, or taking away benefits from single mothers and children. It doesn't mean gutting Head Start and tossing all the money to the Pentagon to buy more weapons. Unless, of course, you want people to do the same to you, to shortchange you on health concerns, to deprive your children of food and education, and for people to bomb you back to the Stone Age.
Even Paul subscribed to the Golden Rule, in a sense: "...whatsover a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7
I could go on all night, but I'm sure you get the general gist. I'm sure there's a possibility some enterprising soul will pounce on this and quote the Bible back at me. Ok, go ahead. I don't claim to be an expert, and I'm sure someone can dance circles around me when it comes to theology. All I know is, I liked McKibben's article, what I saw of it, and I'd love to see Christianity in all its forms, permutations, and practices go back to its roots. Otherwise, I'd say this "Christian Nation" of ours maybe needs to go back, pick up a copy of the Bible, dust it off, and do some serious reading and thinking. It's one thing to believe; it's another thing to follow through. I'm not what you'd call "churched," but I think Jesus would have fed the poor, healed the sick, and ministered to our well-being in all facets: physical, emotional, and mental, as well as spiritual. That's how I view Jesus, as a man of the people, not as the lord of the B-52 bombers or the patron saint of tax loopholes and shelters.
The popular question, "What would Jesus do?" among born-againers, devout Christians, and the like is an interesting one. The WWJD bracelets, the saying itself, and the weight of the name of Jesus implies that we are to live as Christian a life as possible, to consider Jesus' words and actions before we speak and act ourselves.
Yet in this country, I think too many people don't follow through on the bracelets or the words themselves. They go to church, they read the Bible, but they don't really pay attention. It's all about the lifestyle, or the pastor's sermon, or the culture, the politics, the "values." But it really isn't so much about Jesus himself, and I think that's a shame.
I read this excerpt earlier today of "The Christian Paradox" by Bill McKibben. The article in full is in the August 2005 issue of Harper's Magazine, and at some point, I should go down to the library and read it in its entirety. But the portion I saw, I agree with. McKibben argues that although we are a very Christian nation, grounded in the texts of the Old and New Testaments, we don't necessarily follow through on these religious precepts. He states that 75% of Americans believe the statement "God helps those who help themselves" is somewhere in the Bible, when in fact the Founding Father and Deist Benjamin Franklin first uttered it. This well-worn phrase thus missed being in the Bible by a good number of centuries. I'm pretty sure there's no editing allowed now.
McKibben uses this fact to discuss how Americans perceive themselves and their actions through this prism, in a manner that is antithetical to the preachings of Jesus. For example, the Good Book states clearly, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." Yet we are the most gun-happy nation on earth, with extremely high murder rates. We live in a land where we build more prisons than schools. We prefer tax cuts over funding programs to help the least of us. McKibben makes these points and more.
True Christian precepts can be found in texts such as the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus preached to the multitudes. You can find the text in Matthew, Chapters 5-8, or in Luke, Chapter 6. Let's look at Matthew for a minute:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7
One of my favorites, given the tenor of our times: "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the Children of God." Matthew 5:9
It's not only the Old Testament that exhorts against murder. In Matthew 5:21, Jesus says, "Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment."
There's more, of course, and I'm cherry-picking, I'll admit, but I think charity doesn't mean just writing off a tax-deductible check, or tossing a few coins into the Salvation Army kettles at Christmas. Pursuing peace doesn't mean invading another country, toppling its leader, then occupying the country, terrorizing its citizens, and torturing people in prison for years.
Luke's version is shorter, more succinct, but covers the same ground as Matthew. Luke does offer this: "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31.
This of course, is the famed Golden Rule. As I've said before, if we took it a little more seriously, we'd all be better off. Doing unto others doesn't mean slashing medical care, or taking away benefits from single mothers and children. It doesn't mean gutting Head Start and tossing all the money to the Pentagon to buy more weapons. Unless, of course, you want people to do the same to you, to shortchange you on health concerns, to deprive your children of food and education, and for people to bomb you back to the Stone Age.
Even Paul subscribed to the Golden Rule, in a sense: "...whatsover a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7
I could go on all night, but I'm sure you get the general gist. I'm sure there's a possibility some enterprising soul will pounce on this and quote the Bible back at me. Ok, go ahead. I don't claim to be an expert, and I'm sure someone can dance circles around me when it comes to theology. All I know is, I liked McKibben's article, what I saw of it, and I'd love to see Christianity in all its forms, permutations, and practices go back to its roots. Otherwise, I'd say this "Christian Nation" of ours maybe needs to go back, pick up a copy of the Bible, dust it off, and do some serious reading and thinking. It's one thing to believe; it's another thing to follow through. I'm not what you'd call "churched," but I think Jesus would have fed the poor, healed the sick, and ministered to our well-being in all facets: physical, emotional, and mental, as well as spiritual. That's how I view Jesus, as a man of the people, not as the lord of the B-52 bombers or the patron saint of tax loopholes and shelters.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 7:57 PM
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