Randerolf

I wrote a letter to my professor an thought you might like to comment on the question that I had. It deals with the love your enemy aspect of Christianity and the seemingly conflicting righteous indignation aspect.

____________

Dear Professor Atwood,

I am a student in your Humanities Forum on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30. A question arose in my head, but it had nothing to do with the topic at hand. Thus, I kept my mouth shut (the fact that I have a cold contributed also).
My question concerns Joseph Campbell’s view on Christianity in that, as the textbook says on page 10, “the main teachings of Christianity, [he] believes, is love your enemy, a love that is characterized by suffering and sorrow.” This is repeated in the actually video of the interview.
As I hear Campell’s view of Christianity, I think of Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple:
John Chapter 2
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise.
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Where does the concept of righteous indignation fit in to the “love your enemies” concept? Take a look at what the Bible says.

Mathew Chapter 5
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

When I read the preceding text, I think of the trinity.

John Chapter 10
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.

There are other themes that suggest that God the Father, Son, and Holly Spirit are one in Christianity, but I won’t go into them. If Jesus advocates loving one’s enemy, why did he not turn heaven over to Satan as God the Father? “And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.”

One also thinks of the murder (Genesis 38:7 for example “And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him”) and genocide (“And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses” – 2 Kings 19:35 ) of the Old Testament committed by God.

How can one make sense of the teachings of agape love and righteous indignation in Christianity? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for your time,
~[Randerolf]


PS I had an intersted conversation with a Jehovah's Witness the next day on this topic. Good timing for him to be hitting the streets.

chavos

interesting question....

when understanding how justice and mercy are to interact, i first read the prophets...this is where much of the language, actions, and traditions that Jesus will borrow/fufill/continue/be written about with comes from.

Their message is two fold: 1.that human kind is out of right relation with those around them and God. 2. that God will forgive them, but they must decide that it is important to live authentic lives.

They display anger, and they are filled with the Spirit to speak out against the crimes that the people are committing on each other. They see people who are the image of God being degraded and forgotten, and this grieves them terribly...and they use every emotion they have to convey the gravity of the situation to anyone who will listen.

Isaiah(Espeicially First and Third), Jerimiah, Amos, Hosea, Micah, all talk about these themes. it is more important to God that we show love to those around us than to burn calves in the temple or sing songs or make a show of our faith. the acts of compassion and mercy (what Matt 5 talks about) are more important than the temple. This is where John 2 comes in...people are abusing the faith of the community to make money, and Jesus puts a halt to this...using some of the same angry language that the prohphets used in their day. many times it is noted that there is anger from God when we turn away from the live God wants us to lead, but it's also then noted that rightious anger is quick to pass and be forgotten if we would only choose forgo our sins.

As for God turning heaven over to Satan...Jesus is advocating personal sacrifice to show love. If we are to assume the literal reality of the devil for a moment, that act would not be one of personal sacrifice, but one of mass destruction, condemning all of humankind to eternal torment. Not exactly a parallel....

That said, i think it is powerful to note that Jesus has come to proclaim forgiveness to all through His ministry and sacrifice...and perhaps if taken less literally, that the evil, the brokenness of the world has been given heaven already...it has been forgiven and allowed to be one with God again.

Reading Genesis, i think it's interesting to contrast Jesus with El Shabbatai, the Lord of Armies. One of the first conceptions of God that the Isrealites embraced, it is a pretty gruesome picture to look at...but i find it compelling that this idea of God is remade and subverted by the God of mercy, in both the Old testament and New.

Tha Sewer

pay attention to all the writings of the "prophets"...or as i call them Prophets. Jesus Christ, Baha'U'allah, Muhammad, Moses, Buddha, etc...

with times comes change. with change comes changes in Faith, and with change in Faith, comes change in belief in the "laws of God". Faith didnt end with chrsitianity. It is an ongoing process. read the teachings of all the "prophets", you will notice not only a difference, but an evolution as the time demands.

prosequence

I'm more interested in what Jesus' answer was, you did ask him didn't you?

__________________
And now here I stand because of you, Mister Anderson, because of you I'm no longer an agent of the system, because of you I've changed...

lurkette

I've generally heard (I'm no biblical scholar) that the teachings of Jesus are meant to "supersede" the teachings of the Old Testament - thus the "love thy neighbor" stuff takes precedence over the smiting and such. However, your point about the moneychangers and handing over heaven to Satan are interesting...perhaps the difference is treatment of earthly, human enemies vs. righteous anger at sins against God/misuse of God's house (the moneychangers) and enmity with supernatural forces of evil (Satan)?

What did your professor say?

__________________
"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

- Anatole France

Randerolf

Nope, I didn't. I only speak a little Spanish. I'm not sure that my Spanish philosophy vocabulary would be up to snuff. Pero, no es un idea mala.

lurkette, my prof replied with:

"My dear Randy,
The Bible is filled with ambiguity and metaphor. Did Jesus actually harm the money lenders? Did he actually drive them from the temple? Did those who wrote down the accounts of events write them as an eyewitness or as they were remembered or were the hands and minds of the writers guided by God? Remember that all of life is filled with ambiguities. How to resolve them takes a lifetime of concerted effort.

It would be of no help to you If I told you what I believe to be true. If you know what I believe by the end of class, I will have failed. The end result of an education should not be the training you receive for a specific career, but the training you receive in thinking for yourself. From that ability comes the right choice of a career and everything else that matters in your life.
So, Randy, ponder the richness and variety and inconsistencies of the Bible and then decide for yourself where the truth lies. I'm afraid that is not what you wanted to hear, but it is your life to live, not mine. I am pleased that you are asking questions; that is a good sign. We will talk further, yes?"