By Rochelle Weiss
Please answer the following questions.
1. Does a good righteous person strive for peace in this world?
Jesus didn’t. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus states, “You must not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth: I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a son’s wife against her mother-in-law; and a man will find his enemies under his own roof.”
In Luke 12:49-53, Jesus says: “I have come to set fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until the ordeal is over! Do you suppose I came to establish peace on earth? No, indeed, I have come to bring division. For from now on, five members of a family will be divided, three against two and two against three; father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother against son’s wife and son’s wife against her mother-in-law.”
2. Does a good righteous person respect other people’s beliefs?
Jesus didn’t. In fact, he didn’t respect anyone who disagreed with him. In John 10:14–17, it is stated that Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep and my sheep know me—as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. But these are other sheep of mine, not belonging to this fold, whom I must bring in; and they too will listen to my voice. There will then be one flock, one shepherd.” In Luke 19:27, not only does Jesus show no tolerance for another person’s beliefs, but orders his followers to kill them. Jesus says, “But as for those enemies of mine who did not want me for their King, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.”
3. Does a good righteous person steal or order others to steal for him?
Jesus did. In Matthew 21:1–3, it states that Jesus ordered some of his followers to steal for him: They were now nearing Jerusalem; and when they reached Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: “Go to the village opposite, where you will at once find a donkey tethered with her foal beside her; untie them, and bring them to me. If anyone speaks to you, say, Our Master needs them, and he will let you take them at once.”
In Luke 6:13, not only did Jesus and his disciples take what was not his (ears of corn), but they did this on the holy Shabbot when work, including gathering food from the fields, was not permitted. At that time farmers left the corners of their fields for the needy. Jesus went through the fields, not just the corners, picking ears of corn. “One Sabbath he was going through the cornfields, and his disciples were plucking the ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.”
4. Does a good righteous person believe in beatings?
Jesus did. In Luke 12:47–48, it states that Jesus says, “The servant who knew his master’s wishes, yet made no attempt to carry them out, will be flogged severely. But one who did not know them and earned a beating will be flogged less severely.” 5. Does a good righteous person believe you should let another person take advantage of you?
Jesus did. In Matthew 5:39–42, Jesus says, “Do not set yourself against the man who wrongs you. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn and offer him your left. If a man wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well. If a man in authority makes you go one mile, go with him two. Give when you are asked to give; and do not turn your back on a man who wants to borrow.”
6. Does a good righteous person honor his or her parents?
Jesus didn’t. Even though many times Jesus told his followers to honor their parents, his actions were otherwise. This is illustrated in Matthew 12:46–50. “He was still speaking to the crowd when his mother and brothers appeared: they stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone said, ‘Your mother and your brothers are here outside; they want to speak to you.’ Jesus turned to the man who brought the message, and said, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ and pointing to the disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, my sister, my mother.’ ” Obviously, he didn’t speak to them or acknowledge them as his family.
Again in Matthew 8:22, Jesus shows disrespect for a parent, but this time it is for the dead father of one his followers. It is reported that Jesus says, “Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, ‘Lord, let me go and bury my father first.’ Jesus replied, ‘ Follow me and leave the dead to bury their dead.’ ”
7. Does a good righteous person believe in marriage for those who choose it?
Jesus didn’t. In Luke 20: 34–37, Jesus says, “The men and women of this world marry; but those who have been judged worthy of a place in the other world and of the resurrection from the dead, do not marry, for they are not subject to death any longer. They are like angels; they are sons of God, because they share in the resurrection.” In other words, if one marries, that person isn’t worthy of going to heaven.
8. Does a good righteous person tell people to give up all their personal belongings and follow him?
Jesus did. He told one of his rich followers that in order to win eternal life, “You know the commandments: . . . There is still one thing lacking: sell everything you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Luke 18:20 and 18:22–23) Jesus wants the wealthy to give all ones’ assets to the poor. Jesus didn’t think about the follower’s family or the follower’s future. A wise person who gives to others at the same time takes care of himself or herself and his or her family’s needs. Why does the Catholic Church, which professes to follow Jesus, keep its vast wealth instead of distributing it to the poor?
9. Does a good righteous person abandon his family or tell others to do so in order to follow him?
Jesus did. In Luke 18:28–30, Jesus said, “I tell you this: there is no one who has given up home, or wife, brothers, parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not be repaid many times over in this age, and in the age to come have eternal life.”
10. Does a good righteous person only have disciples who hate their parents? Jesus did. In Luke 14:26, Jesus states, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple (a Christian).”
11. Does a good righteous person show respect for nature?
Jesus was disrespectful toward nature. In Matthew 21:18–20, it is stated: “Next morning on his way to the city he felt hungry; and seeing a fig tree at the roadside he went up to it, but found nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree, ‘You shall never bear fruit anymore!’ and the tree withered away at once.” Maybe it was not the season for the fig tree to bear more fruit!
12. Does a good righteous person treat animals cruelly?
Jesus did. In Matthew 8:28–32, Jesus transferred demons from two men to a herd of innocent pigs, which then perished. Jesus did not even seek out the owner of the pigs, or care how it would affect the owner’s livelihood or even try to compensate the owner for his loss.
The writer is a member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation living in California.
