Saturday, March 31, 2012

Flipside Jesus: The Divider

The image of Jesus as a peaceful unifying figure doesn’t make much sense since he, according to the New Testament, routinely and actively sought to divide people. The Jesus present in the scriptures frequently displayed an “us vs. them” mentality.

These are just two such examples of his divisive manner:
“For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” (Matthew 10:35)

“And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive one hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” (Matthew 19:29)

It seems pretty clear that Christ is demanding believers sever all ties with non-believers. It even implies that Christians should more actively turn against non-Christians no matter what the previous relationship may have been. That is pretty divisive. Unfortunately, the “Savior” of mankind was not satisfied with creating conflicts where none need have existed.  Jesus found the need to go the extra mile.

“But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”

Commanding his followers to round up and then slaughter anyone unwilling to submit to his rule goes well beyond simple divisiveness. This passage makes Jesus a cold blooded mass murderer. No amount of semantic gymnastics and apologetics can explain away such a blatant verse.

Rather than being viewed as the “Prince of Peace” he should be labeled a homicidal tyrant.

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