“As followers of Christ, we are to be careful not to remain victims of the many cultural presuppositions of who he is, and what he teaches, insofar as taking for granted our own caricatures of him. Let it boil in both mind and heart the question, 'If Jesus were to appear today, how many of us would actually recognize him and his teachings (or would it simply be a recount of his first visit)?” IfsMindFirstsHeartTodayJesusChristTeachTeachingVictimCarefulGrantedFollowersBe CarefulHeart And MindCaricatures Book:Killosophy Source: Killosophy
“The victory of the Church over the power which was embodied in the Roman imperial system was not won by seizing the levers of power: it was won when the victims knelt down in the Colosseum and prayed in the name of Jesus for the Emperor.” JesusNamesChurchVictoryVictimEmperorLeversSeizingColosseum Book:The Gospel in a Pluralist Society Source: The Gospel in a Pluralist Society
“Jesus expressed intense anger toward those who where immoral, such as the self-righteous Pharisees, but he never suggested that they were demonized. Toward the demonized, however, he never expressed anger; rather he exhibited only compassion. As Langton notes, "Pity rather than anger characterizes the attitude of Jesus toward the possessed...He treats them as if they were the victims of an involuntary possession." Indeed, he treats them as though they are casualties of war. For, in his view, this is precisely what they are.” IfsWarSelfJesusViewsAttitudeCompassionTreatsVictimNotesPossessionIntensePityRighteousPossessedImmoralCasualtiesSelf RighteousInvoluntaryPharisees Book:God at War: The Bible & Spiritual Conflict Source: God at War: The Bible & Spiritual Conflict
“It is in the name of Jesus, himself become God, that fanaticism ignominiously condemned to the stake men like Giodano Bruno, Vanini, Étienne Dolet, John Huss, Savanarola, and numerous other heroic victims; that the Inquisition ordered Galileo to belie his conscience; that thousands and thousands of unfortunates accused of witchcraft were burnt alive in popular ceremonies; it was with the express benediction of Pope Gregory XIII that the butchery of St. Bartholomew drenched Paris in blood.” MenEvilJesusNamesReligiousAliveBloodConscienceVictimParisStakesHeroicPopeAccusedCeremonyFanaticismWitchcraftInquisitionBenedictionButchery Author:Camille Flammarion