My friend Snowbrush out in Oregon (way beyond the Central Time Zone) wrote a post entitled “Who would you like to go back in time and kill?” and included his own list. You can read it here if you like.
I am shocked that Snow includes Jesus in his list. I can’t get it out of my mind.
Hitler, Stalin, George W. Bush -- and Jesus.
Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan -- and Jesus.
Columbus, Ted Bundy, serial killers, mass murderers -- and Jesus.
If I may be so bold, something does not compute, and I don’t mean Columbus.
I know Snow is an atheist and all, but still.
In case you didn’t click on the link, here’s more from his list.
Torturers, drug lords, child molesters, slave owners -- and Jesus.
Mohammed, Jim Jones, David Koresh, union busters -- and Jesus.
Rapists, murderers, druggie moms who have multiple babies that are taken away by Child Protective Services -- and Jesus.
One of these things is not like the others.
People who breed animals to fight, people who dump their pets on the side of the road, men who beat women -- and Jesus.
Rich persons who became wealthy off the backs of others (including Queen Elizabeth II), profoundly retarded persons who are kept alive at taxpayer expense, Sarah Palin -- and Jesus.
Pol Pot, Kim Jong-Il -- and Jesus.
Really?
I think one reason Snowbrush included Jesus in his list is that people who have claimed to be followers of Jesus but probably were not have done some terrible things over the centuries. Some atheists like to mention this. Frequently. (I know this blog has some readers who are atheists. Present atheists excepted.)
Maybe everyone is afflicted with a little megalomania, as it is a very human trait to think moi could do a better job than vous. As well-intended as Snow probably thinks himself to be, however, I do not think he would be a good substitute for God. The God I believe in loves and forgives. Even when we kill him.
Snow began his post with a picture of Hitler as an infant. So I will end mine with Big Bird.
In the race to see who is more insane, I think I’m winning.
Like Snowbrush, I am also a devout atheist but Jesus would certainly not be on my hit list. Historically, The Bible is a dubious publication with its origins murky. Certainly it was not written even close to Jesus's time on Earth - that is if you accept there ever was such a person.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if I suspend disbelief for a moment, it seems to me that Jesus was a good man who did good things and had decent moral standards while eschewing wealth and inhumane government. He was brave and kindly. In such ways he has acted as a role model through the centuries though sadly manipulated by different religious authorities for their own ends.
My hitlist might include Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Eminem, Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga and Robert Oppenheimer but really I just wish we could all live together in harmony, peace and love = Like John and Yoko in the Amsterdam Hilton.