howardpark/religion

Although I'm now an atheist, I have always considered Jesus of Nazareth an important role model (no, I'm not being sarcastic). I admire Jesus for many reasons, the main one being that he spoke out on behalf of the poor, the oppressed, the outcasts, and the undesirables--a typically "liberal" preoccupation. While modern conservatives side with the rich and powerful on virtually everything, the man they supposedly worship spent his life preaching against them. And while Jesus taught love as the highest virtue, conservatives are constantly looking for ways to express their hatred toward gays, immigrants, Muslims, intellectuals, and anyone else who isn't exactly like them.

I also admire Jesus because he was a rebel. He fought the law, which was and still is a tool of the conservative establishment, and risked his life to denounce the "guardians" of the law for their hypocrisy, wickedness, and greed. With nothing more than a few simple stories told in the language of peasants, he took on the Pharisees, the Romans, and "the system" in all its might--and he overthrew them all.

Another reason I admire Jesus is that he was strongly anti-materialistic. Many times, and in no uncertain terms, he preached against accumulating earthly goods, and commanded his followers to share whatever of value they possessed. In this respect, he would have been more at home among hippies and Commies than among conservatives, who seem to be obsessed with preventing the disadvantaged from sharing in "their" prosperity and "their" way of life.

Given Jesus's position on the problems that afflict our society as much as they did his own--poverty, injustice, corruption, materialism, and unbridled greed, to name a few--I think it is fair to say that Jesus was a liberal, or even a radical. He certainly didn't have much in common with most of the people who call themselves Christians.


(The painting is Luca Giordano's The Expulsion of the Moneychangers from the Temple. Thanks to gregoryo for the second picture, which may be viewed in full on his page.)

THE essential resource for anyone interested in god, religion, or faith.

"Top Ten Signs You're a Fundamentalist Christian ... 10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours."

Note the poor oppressed Christian's post below the cartoon. Seems she can't take a joke if it isn't sufficiently worshipful of her superstitions and her need to feel victimized.