I've posted this argument before but I think it deserves its own thread because its a question Christians need to answer.
Jesus is often seen in our society as the very yardstick by which morality is measured. "What Would Jesus Do" has become a cliche. Even non believers are taken in by the image of him as a great moral teacher. Christians think we will all stand before him on Judgment Day. For the sake of argument, let's assume they are right. Let's assume that Jesus is exactly who they say he is, a personal god who is watching over us right now and desires a personal relationship with us.
For the sake of argument, let's give Jesus a pass on all the suffering that occurs due to natural disaster. We'll gloss over all the unanswered prayers as people are drowned in tsunamis or buried during earthquakes.
Let's also give Jesus a pass on the evil that that most non-clergy miscreants do. We'll call it "free will" and gloss over the genocides of cruel dictators and the sadistic acts of child molesters (the non-clergy ones).
Let's pay attention only to the religion he inspired and watches over. Wasn't there something about "bad tree bears rotten fruit"? And since Jesus represents all that is good in the universe, a religion that promotes his name, that he watches over, should be a great force for good, indeed.
In reality, to take in all the pain, misery and stagnation that Christianity has brought to the world would be a mind-boggling task. For now, let's consider the more dramatic atrocities: the crusades, the inquisitions, the burning of "witches" and intellectuals, and the torture and persecution of non-believers, the heterodox and those of other religions. And the Protestants proved themselves to be every bit as bad as the Catholics whenever they had the opportunity.
If Jesus exists as the god Christians believe he is, he watched all this and more happen, all of it done in his name and his greater glory, and he... did... nothing!
He neither discouraged his vicars from their abuse nor did he intervene to prevent their atrocities. We can only assume that he either didn't care or approved.
A general at an international war crimes trial who knew about the atrocities his soldiers were carrying out, who did nothing to stop it, would be held to full account even if he never gave the order to commit the atrocity. Why should Jesus be held to any less of a standard? If anything, he should be held to a higher standard since he had far greater knowledge and power than a mortal general.
If Jesus exists and is a personal god that watched all of this happen, by his church and in his name by his vicars, and did nothing, then he is the least fit being in all the universe to sit in moral judgment over anyone. He is a monster, akin to Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Genghis Khan or any other blood thirsty dictator who ever walked the earth.
It is Jesus who should repent, not us. It is Jesus who should beg our forgiveness, not the other way around. And if I stand before him on judgment day, I shall tell him to pull the mote out of his own eye before lecturing me on any of my relatively petty sins. He may have the might but not the right.
Christians should justify why they serve such a tyrant.
Jesus is often seen in our society as the very yardstick by which morality is measured. "What Would Jesus Do" has become a cliche. Even non believers are taken in by the image of him as a great moral teacher. Christians think we will all stand before him on Judgment Day. For the sake of argument, let's assume they are right. Let's assume that Jesus is exactly who they say he is, a personal god who is watching over us right now and desires a personal relationship with us.
For the sake of argument, let's give Jesus a pass on all the suffering that occurs due to natural disaster. We'll gloss over all the unanswered prayers as people are drowned in tsunamis or buried during earthquakes.
Let's also give Jesus a pass on the evil that that most non-clergy miscreants do. We'll call it "free will" and gloss over the genocides of cruel dictators and the sadistic acts of child molesters (the non-clergy ones).
Let's pay attention only to the religion he inspired and watches over. Wasn't there something about "bad tree bears rotten fruit"? And since Jesus represents all that is good in the universe, a religion that promotes his name, that he watches over, should be a great force for good, indeed.
In reality, to take in all the pain, misery and stagnation that Christianity has brought to the world would be a mind-boggling task. For now, let's consider the more dramatic atrocities: the crusades, the inquisitions, the burning of "witches" and intellectuals, and the torture and persecution of non-believers, the heterodox and those of other religions. And the Protestants proved themselves to be every bit as bad as the Catholics whenever they had the opportunity.
If Jesus exists as the god Christians believe he is, he watched all this and more happen, all of it done in his name and his greater glory, and he... did... nothing!
He neither discouraged his vicars from their abuse nor did he intervene to prevent their atrocities. We can only assume that he either didn't care or approved.
A general at an international war crimes trial who knew about the atrocities his soldiers were carrying out, who did nothing to stop it, would be held to full account even if he never gave the order to commit the atrocity. Why should Jesus be held to any less of a standard? If anything, he should be held to a higher standard since he had far greater knowledge and power than a mortal general.
If Jesus exists and is a personal god that watched all of this happen, by his church and in his name by his vicars, and did nothing, then he is the least fit being in all the universe to sit in moral judgment over anyone. He is a monster, akin to Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Genghis Khan or any other blood thirsty dictator who ever walked the earth.
It is Jesus who should repent, not us. It is Jesus who should beg our forgiveness, not the other way around. And if I stand before him on judgment day, I shall tell him to pull the mote out of his own eye before lecturing me on any of my relatively petty sins. He may have the might but not the right.
Christians should justify why they serve such a tyrant.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
