We take a break from the war on terror to bring you news from the "good" folks at ProgressiveU:
Progressive U was founded to build a new generation of leaders and influencers who will ultimately discredit the culture wars and work for true progress. We provide a voice for progressive students and other problem solvers using new media channels, allowing people to study and discuss creative solutions to social problems, economic issues, and cultural conflict.
By participating in Progressive U programs, students develop skills that will prepare them for careers in a broad variety of fields. But it doesn't stop there: by creating innovative solutions to social problems and acting as ambassadors in their communities, students can make an immediate yet lasting impact while they are still students.
So what skills should students learn? What solutions to social problems? Well, according to these progressives, we could all benefit by learning of The Evil of Christianity:
Jesus was one of the greatest teachers in human history. His message of the golden rule is the same as other greats like Buddha, Socrates, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. To live by the golden rule (or an identical ethical principle) is the only way to exist with a pure conscience, knowing that you have harmed no one and lived peacefully. This message was a great gift and example to humanity.
So, the question arises... Why, when teaching a message that stands alone as great and good, would one cheapen and ruin it with supernatural stories and the whole Jesus IS God element?
Jesus as a man teaches others that it is important to look at one's own behavior and be a responsible and good person. He was a great example of that since he lived by his own teachings. Once we attribute that ability to live the golden rule in the face of adversity to literally being a god, then how could anyone expect to follow that example. It makes being like Jesus something that we should give up striving for since it is clearly impossible if it took a God to do it! So what Jesus as god is really doing is letting people wallow in their curelty and hatred toward others since they know they are not able to live up to the golden rule, so why try. Besides, people are "Born into Sin" so they are made evil and may as well do what we are made to do. Instead of teaching that one should be like Jesus, people believe that Jesus "died for everyone's sins" so they wouldn't have to be like him. What happened here!? All the meaning and message of Jesus the human now destroyed for Jesus the "god."
Those who believe in Christ's message as a teacher, see the good in his message and try to emulate that. Those who believe in Jesus as a god and "dying for our sins" see that as a ticket to commit wanton acts of brutality and evil, as long as they believe that someone already took care of their sins.
It is therefore no suprize when one looks at the people in this country that call for assasinations, wage war, fuel the fires of hatred against their fellow humans, and gleefully destroy the planet with no regard for life, and still call themsleves Christians. They even think they are getting a heaven after their lives of evil! These are some of the sickest individuals on the planet, yet, because they took the humanity out of Jesus, they feel free to disregard his message yet at the same time claim to believe in him.
Not all christians are like that of course, but you know the type I talk about. The ones that are greedy, selfish, decietful, hate filled, embittered toward the world, and despise humanity. They don't believe in Jesus, but believe in the vengeful and spiteful god that they wrongly claim Jesus to be.
That license to remove Jesus's message from Christianity by replacing him with "god" is the evil of Christianity.
There are elements of truth woven into that soliloquy. And it's what makes the mindset on display so dangerous.
Elements of truth placed in the mind of a young and impressionable author by those purposed in doing their level best to spread falsehood. Dangerous falsehood. Evil falsehood.
It's a reminder for me of the truth of Ephesians 6:12.
God have mercy on those who would wantonly spread The Lie as truth.
MORE: The Anchoress has linked here and trust me when I tell you I'm honored to think that she has dropped by but I send those of you who did not come from her over to her for a touch of the divine, a misty touch of the divine.
Here's another charming essay: "F*ck God".
Posted by: baldilocks | Sunday, July 16, 2006 at 04:22 PM
errr...god isn't working out very well for me either.
so i gave Him a pinkslip.
;)
Posted by: matoko-chan | Sunday, July 16, 2006 at 04:56 PM
CS Lewis confronted the same foolishness 60 years ago and made short work of it.
I suppose if you just kinda know a few things about Jesus and like, have an impression of what he was like, it's pretty easy to make his teachings into whatever you want. This is one more case of Jesus was good, my ideas are good, therefore Jesus likes my ideas. Sheesh.
I just wrote on a similar topic, the "Who Would Jesus Bomb" snarkiness, and request that you favor me with a visit.
http://assistantvillageidiot.blogspot.com/2006/07/who-would-jesus-bomb.html
Posted by: Assistant Village Idiot | Sunday, July 16, 2006 at 05:13 PM
There is a problem with your logic. If Jesus meant the things he said - that he was the Resurrection and the Life, that we were to eat and drink his flesh and blood, that he would raise himself up on the last day, etc, then he either was what he said he was - the Messiah - or he was crazy and delusional.
In which case, you can't simply call him a "great teacher like the Buddha."
Please learn to think and read.
Posted by: Liz | Sunday, July 16, 2006 at 06:04 PM
Ahhh, the joys of the "tolerant" left.
Posted by: Final Historian | Sunday, July 16, 2006 at 07:37 PM
Liz, you might want to "oops" that one for not thinking and reading yourself. What you said to contradict the OP is precisely the point of the OP, which was quoting from another article he disapproved of.
Posted by: Assistant Village Idiot | Sunday, July 16, 2006 at 09:15 PM
Thanks, AVI. I DID actually know that, I just wrote it badly. I'm not a writer! :(
Posted by: liz | Sunday, July 16, 2006 at 09:35 PM
Liz... don't sweat it... thanks for writing here...
Posted by: Rick | Sunday, July 16, 2006 at 10:04 PM
Besides the claim that "before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58, oh, what scandal!), there is also the delightful bit from John 3:13. Unfortunately, it tends to get buried, or totally ignored, in translation.
Posted by: Account Deleted | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 01:24 AM
That Golden Rule thing - doing onto others as you would have them do onto you - isn't particularly applicable in the realm in sexual behavior.
Like other posters have said, while Jesus *was* a great teacher, there is far more to Him that merely His teachings.
Posted by: Caius Marcius | Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 08:45 PM