Christ almighty!
Heard an interview with Garry Wills, author of "What Jesus Meant" and, coincidentally, read a Newsweek book review, all on the same day!
Newsweek writes:
March 20, 2006 issue - Garry Wills's latest book, "What Jesus Meant," should affront most of his fellow Christians—right from the foreword, which argues that Christ was not one of them. The megachurch set won't care to hear that "Jesus did not come to replace the Temple with other buildings, whether huts or rich cathedrals." The Christian left, committed to good works, won't care to hear that Jesus "does not work miracles from humanitarian motives." The Christian right, cozy with secular power, won't care to hear that "if they want the state to be politically Christian, they are not following Jesus." Pope Benedict XVI really won't care to hear that he, "like his predecessors, is returning to the religion that Jesus renounced, with all its paraphernalia of priesthood." What parishioner of any denomination wants to hear that the Gospels are "a deep threat to the institutional church," since Jesus opposed "just about every form of religion we know"?
Wills claims that Jesus preached love, period. The Bible has nothing in it about abortion, homosexuality, birth control, etc. Just love. As in "love thy fellow man as thyself." No hatred. No hypocracy. As I remember the interview, Wills said that Jesus said something like, "Whatever you do to the lowliest of men, you do to me." Pretty startling stuff!
As I recall, at some point in the Old Testament, the Lord says, "Thou shall not spill thy seed upon the ground." That seems to address masterbation and birth control, and by extreme extension abortion, So I did a little research! Seem like God spoke this to Onan who attempted to avoid impregating his dead brother's widow. From www.catholic.com:
Among twentieth-century exegetes is has been fashionable to maintain that Genesis 38:9–10, condemns Onan’s coitus interruptus only insofar as it violated the so-called levirate marriage custom endorsed by the law of Moses at a time when polygamy was not forbidden. According to this ancient oriental practice, a man—whether he already was married or not—was expected to marry his deceased brother’s wife if she was childless at her husband’s death; the firstborn son of this union was regarded as a legal descendant of the dead man.
And I also came across a hilarious satire on the above entitled the Lost Book of Onan. Enjoy!
Newsweek writes:
March 20, 2006 issue - Garry Wills's latest book, "What Jesus Meant," should affront most of his fellow Christians—right from the foreword, which argues that Christ was not one of them. The megachurch set won't care to hear that "Jesus did not come to replace the Temple with other buildings, whether huts or rich cathedrals." The Christian left, committed to good works, won't care to hear that Jesus "does not work miracles from humanitarian motives." The Christian right, cozy with secular power, won't care to hear that "if they want the state to be politically Christian, they are not following Jesus." Pope Benedict XVI really won't care to hear that he, "like his predecessors, is returning to the religion that Jesus renounced, with all its paraphernalia of priesthood." What parishioner of any denomination wants to hear that the Gospels are "a deep threat to the institutional church," since Jesus opposed "just about every form of religion we know"?
Wills claims that Jesus preached love, period. The Bible has nothing in it about abortion, homosexuality, birth control, etc. Just love. As in "love thy fellow man as thyself." No hatred. No hypocracy. As I remember the interview, Wills said that Jesus said something like, "Whatever you do to the lowliest of men, you do to me." Pretty startling stuff!
As I recall, at some point in the Old Testament, the Lord says, "Thou shall not spill thy seed upon the ground." That seems to address masterbation and birth control, and by extreme extension abortion, So I did a little research! Seem like God spoke this to Onan who attempted to avoid impregating his dead brother's widow. From www.catholic.com:
Among twentieth-century exegetes is has been fashionable to maintain that Genesis 38:9–10, condemns Onan’s coitus interruptus only insofar as it violated the so-called levirate marriage custom endorsed by the law of Moses at a time when polygamy was not forbidden. According to this ancient oriental practice, a man—whether he already was married or not—was expected to marry his deceased brother’s wife if she was childless at her husband’s death; the firstborn son of this union was regarded as a legal descendant of the dead man.
And I also came across a hilarious satire on the above entitled the Lost Book of Onan. Enjoy!
posted by Pete Holsberg @ 7:18 PM
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