<h2 id="id00464" style="margin-top: 4em">SOME MODERN OPINIONS ABOUT JESUS.</h2>
<p id="id00465"><i>Christianity "dwells with noxious exaggeration about the person of
Jesus."</i>—Emerson.</p>
<p id="id00466" style="margin-top: 3em">Christmas is the season in the year when pulpit and press dwell, with
what Emerson calls "noxious exaggeration," about the work and life, as
well as the person of Jesus. We have, lying before us, the Christmas
sermon of so progressive a teacher as the Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones.
[Footnote: Unitarian-Independent preacher of All Souls Church,
Chicago.] Here is his text: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the
Father."—John 1:14. How our educated neighbor can find food for sober
reflection in so mystical and metaphysical an effusion, is more than
we can tell. Who is the <i>Word</i> that became flesh? And when did the
event take place? What does it mean to be the "only begotten from
the Father?" We know what it means in the orthodox sense, but what
does it mean from the Unitarian standpoint of Mr. Jones? But the text
faithfully reflects the discourse which follows. It is replete with
unlimited compliments to this <i>Word</i> which became flesh and assumed
the name of Jesus. The following is a fair sample:</p>
<p id="id00467">"I am compelled to think of Jesus of Nazareth as an epoch-making soul,
an era-forming spirit, a character in whom the light of an illustrious
race and a holy ancestry was focalized, a personality from which
radiated that subtle, creative power of the spirit which defies all
analysis, which baffles definition, which overflows all words."</p>
<p id="id00468">Goodness! this is strong rhetoric, and we regret that the evidence
justifying so sweeping an appreciation has been withheld from us.
Although the doctor says that Jesus "defies all analysis, baffles
definition and overflows all words," he nevertheless proceeds to
devote fifteen pages to the impossible task. "I am compelled to think
of him as one who won the right of preeminence in the world's
history," continues Mr. Jones, as if he had not said enough.</p>
<p id="id00469">That is a definite claim, and personally, we would be glad to see it
made good. But truth compels us to state that the claim is unjust.
Without entering into the question of the authenticity of the gospels,
a question which we have discussed at some length in our pamphlet on
the "Worship of Jesus," we beg to submit that there is nothing in the
gospels,—the only records which speak of him,—to entitle him to the
"right of preeminence in the world's history." No one knows better
than Mr. Jones that the sayings attributed to Jesus—the finest of
them—are to be found in the writings of Jewish and Pagan teachers
antedating the birth of Jesus by many centuries.</p>
<p id="id00470">Was it, then, for his "works," if not for his "words," that Jesus "won
the right of preeminence in the world's history"? What did he do that
was not done by his predecessors? Was he the only one who worked
miracles? Had the dead never been raised before? Had the blind, and
the lame, and the deaf, remained altogether neglected before Jesus
took compassion upon them? Moreover, what credit is there in opening
the eyes of the blind or in raising the dead by miracle? Did it cost
Jesus any effort to perform miracles? Did it imply a sacrifice on his
part to utilize a small measure of his <i>infinite</i> power for the
good of man? Who, if he could by miracle feed the hungry, clothe the
naked and give light and sound to the blind and deaf, would be selfish
enough not to do so? If Mr. Jones does not believe in miracles, then
Jesus contributed even less than many a doctor contributes today to
the welfare of the world. More poor and diseased people are visited
and medicined gratuitously by a modern physician in one month, than
Jesus cured miraculously in the two or three years of his career.
Jesus, if he was "the only begotten of God," as Mr. Jones' text
states, was not in any danger of contracting disease himself, which is
not the case with the doctors and nurses who extend their services to
people afflicted with contagious and abhorrent diseases. Moreover,
Jesus' power must have come to him divinely, while we have to study,
labor, and conquer with the sweat of our brow any power for good that
we may possess. If Jesus as a God opened the eyes of the blind, would
it not have been kinder if he had prevented blindness altogether? If
Jesus can open the eyes of the blind, then, why is there blindness in
the world? How many of the world's multitude of sufferers did Jesus
help? Which of us, if he had the divine power, would not have extended
it unto every suffering child of man? Of what benefit is it to open
the eyes of a few blind people, two thousand years ago, in one
country, when he could, by his unique divinity, have done so much
more? Mr. Jones falls into the orthodox habit of not applying to Jesus
the same canons of criticism by which <i>human</i> beings are judged.</p>
<p id="id00471">But perhaps the "preeminence of Jesus" lay in his willingness to give
his life for us. Noble is every soul who prefers truth and duty to
life. But was Jesus the only one, or even the first to offer himself
as a sacrifice upon the altar of humanity? If Jesus died for us, how
many thousands have died for him—and by infinitely more cruel deaths?
It is easier for an "only begotten" of God, himself a God—who knows
death can have no power over him—who sees a throne prepared for him
in heaven—who is sure of rising from the dead on the third day—to
face death, than for an ordinary mortal. Yet Jesus showed less
courage, if his reporters are reliable, than almost any martyr whose
name shines upon memory's golden page.</p>
<p id="id00472">The European churches are full of pictures showing Jesus suffering
indescribable agonies as the critical hour draws nigh. We saw, in
Paris, a painting called "The Holy Face," <i>La Sainte Face</i>, which
was, truly, too horrible to look upon; big tears of blood trickling
down his cheeks, his head almost drooping over his chest, an
expression of excruciating pain upon his features, his eyes fairly
imploring for help,—he is really breaking down under the weight of
his cross. Compare this picture with the serenity of Socrates drinking
the hemlock in prison!</p>
<p id="id00473">Nor would it do to say that this is only the Catholic way of
representing Jesus in his passion. The picture is in the gospels, it
may be seen in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross with all its
realism. Far be it from us to withhold from Jesus, if he really
suffered as the gospels report, one iota of the love and sympathy he
deserves, but why convert the whole world into a black canvas upon
which to throw the sole figure of Jesus? Which of us, poor, weak,
sinful though we are, would not be glad to give his life, if thereby
he could save a world? Do you think we would mourn and groan and weep
tears of blood, or collapse, just when we should be the bravest, if we
thought that by our death we would become the divine Savior of all
mankind? Would we stammer, "Let this cup pass from me, if it be
possible," or tear our hearts with a cry of despair: "My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me," if we knew that the eternal welfare of the
human race depended upon our death? If the Russian or Japanese soldier
can take his home and wife and children,—his hopes and loves, his
life,—his all,—and throw them into the mouth of the cannon, dying
with a shout upon his lips,—who would hesitate to do the same, when
not the salvation of one country alone, but of the whole world,
depended upon it? There are examples of heroism in the annals of man
which would bring the blush to the cheeks of Jesus, if his biographers
have not abused his memory.</p>
<p id="id00474">Wherein, then, was the "preeminence" of Jesus? Upon what grounds does
Mr. Jones claim, with "unlimited rhetoric," to use his own expression,
for Jesus "the right of preeminence in the world's history?"</p>
<p id="id00475">While there is neither a commendable saying nor an act attributed to
Jesus in our gospels which teachers older than himself had not already
said or done, there are some things in which his seniors clearly
outshine him. King Asoka, for instance, the Buddhist sovereign of
India, 250 years before Jesus, in one of his edicts chiseled on the
rocks of India, declared against human slavery and offered the sweet
gift of liberty to all in captivity. Jesus used the word slave in one
of his parables (improperly translated servant), without expressing
himself on the subject, except to intimate that when a slave does all
his duty faithfully, even then he is only an "unprofitable slave,"
unworthy of the thanks of his master. There was slavery of the worst
kind in the world of Jesus, and yet he never opened his mouth to
denounce the awful curse. It is claimed that Jesus' doctrine of love
was indirectly a condemnation of slavery. Even then, inasmuch as other
and earlier teachers did more than strike only indirectly at the
ancient evil,—for they not only taught the brotherhood of man, too,
but expressed themselves, besides, positively on the subject of
slavery,—they have a prior claim to the "right of preeminence" in the
world's history, if they cared anything about ranks and titles.</p>
<p id="id00476">The doctrine of humanity to animals, our dumb neighbors, is a positive
tenet in Buddhism; is it in Christianity?</p>
<p id="id00477">Two and a half centuries before Jesus, under the influence of Buddha's
teaching, King Asoka convened a religious Parliament, offering to each
and every representative of other religions, absolute religious
liberty. Is there any trace of such tolerance in any of the sayings of
Jesus? On the contrary, the claim of Jesus that he is the light, the
way, the truth, and that no man can come to the father except through
him, leaves no room for the greatest of all boons—liberty, without
which every promise of religion is only a mockery and a cheat. Not
even heaven and eternal life can be accepted as a consideration for
the loss of liberty. The liberty of teaching is alien to a teacher who
claims, as Jesus did, that he alone is infallible, and that all who
came before him were "thieves and robbers."</p>
<p id="id00478">Of course, Mr. Jones will deny that Jesus ever said any of the things
ascribed to him which spoil his ideal picture of him. But he finds his
ideal Jesus, whose personality "defies analysis, baffles definition
and overflows all words," in the gospels; if these are not reliable,
what becomes of his argument? If the writers of our gospels bear false
witness against Jesus when they represent him as "cursing the fig
tree," as calling his enemies liars and devils, as calling the
Gentiles dogs, as claiming equality with God, as menacing with
damnation all who disagree with him,—what security have we that they
speak truthfully when they put the beatitudes in his mouth? We have no
more reliable authority for attributing to Jesus the beatitudes than
we have for holding him responsible for the curses attributed to him
in the gospels.</p>
<p id="id00479">To return to our comparison between Jesus and his illustrious
colleagues. It is with cheerful praise and generous pleasure that we
express our admiration for many of the sayings, parables, and precepts
attributed to Jesus. The fact that they are much older than Jesus,
more universal than Christianity, only enhances their value and
reflects glory upon the human race, a glory of which Jesus, too, as a
brother, if he ever existed, has his share. We love and admire every
teacher who has a message for humanity; we feel our indebtedness to
them and would deem ourselves fortunate if we could contribute to the
advancement of their noble influence; but we have no idols, and in our
pantheon, truth is above all. We have no hesitation to sacrifice even
Jesus to the Truth. If we were in India, and some Hindoo preacher
spoke of Buddha, as Mr. Jones does of Jesus, as a "personality defying
all analysis, baffling definition and overflowing all words"—one who
has "won the right to preeminence in the world's history,"—we would
protest against it, in the interest of Jesus and other teachers, as we
now protest against Mr. Jones' Jesus, in the interest of truth. We
have a suspicion, however, that if Mr. Jones, or preachers of his
style, were Hindoos, they would speak of Buddha, as they now, being
Christians, speak of Jesus—echoing in both instances the
<i>popular</i> opinion.</p>
<p id="id00480">The best way to illustrate Mr. Jones' style of reasoning is to quote a
few examples from his sermon:</p>
<p id="id00481">"The story of the Good Samaritan has had a power beyond the story of
the senseless blighting of the fig tree; the ages have loved to think
of Jesus talking with the woman at the well more than they have loved
to think of him as manufacturing wine at Cana. No man is so orthodox
but that he reads more often the Sermon on the Mount than he does the
story of the drowning of the pigs."</p>
<p id="id00482">But if he did not "drown the pigs," the reporter who says he did might
have also collected from ancient sources the texts in the Sermon on
the Mount and put them in Jesus' mouth.</p>
<p id="id00483">Again:</p>
<p id="id00484">"The dauntless crusaders who now in physical armament and again in the
more invulnerable armament of the spirit, went forth, reckless of
danger, regardless of cost, to rescue the world from heathen hands or
to gather souls into the fold of Christ."</p>
<p id="id00485">We can hardly believe Mr. Jones speaking of "rescuing the world from
<i>heathen</i> hands," etc. Who were the heathen? And think of
countenancing the craze of the crusades, which cost a million lives to
possess the empty sepulchre of a mythical Savior! Is it one of the
merits of Christianity that it calls other people "heathen," or that
it kills them and lays waste their lands for an empty grave?</p>
<p id="id00486">Once more:</p>
<p id="id00487">"Jesus had tremendous expectations….He believed mightily in the
future, not as some glory-rimmed heaven after death, but as a
conquering kingdom of love and justice. Jesus took large stock in
tomorrow; he laughed at the prudence that never dares, the mock
righteousness of the ledger that presumes to balance the books and pay
all accounts up to date. He knew that the prudence of commerce, the
thrift of trade, the exclusive pride of the synagogue, must be broken
through with a larger hope and a diviner enterprise. He believed there
was to be a day after today and recognized his obligation to it; he
acknowledged the debt which can never be paid to the past and which is
paid only by enlarging the resources of the future. Life, to Jesus,
was an open account; he was a forward looker; he was honest enough to
recognize his obligations to the unborn. Perhaps this adventurous
spirit in the realms of morals, even more than his heart of love, has
made him the superlative leader of men."</p>
<p id="id00488">We sincerely wish all this were true, and would be glad to have Mr.
Jones furnish us with the texts or evidences which have led him to his
conclusions. Would not his adjectives be equally appropriate in
describing any other teacher he admires? "Jesus had tremendous
expectations." Well, though this is somewhat vague as a tribute to
Jesus, we presume the preacher means that Jesus was an optimist. The
reports, unfortunately, flatly contradict Mr. Jones. Jesus was a "man
of sorrows." He expressly declared that this earth belonged to the
devil, that the road which led to destruction was crowded, while few
would enter the narrow gates of life. He said: "Many are called but
few are chosen;" he told his disciples to confine their good work to
the lost sheep of the House of Israel, and intimated that it were not
wise to take the bread of children (his people) and give it to the
dogs (other people). The "Go ye into all the world" is a post-
resurrection interpolation, and Mr. Jones does not believe in the
miracle of the resurrection. Jesus looked forward to the speedy ending
and destruction of the world, "when the sun and moon would turn black,
and the stars would fall;" and he doubted whether he would find any
faith in the world when "the son of man cometh"; and it was Jesus who
expected to say to the people on his left, "depart from me, ye cursed,
into <i>everlasting</i> punishment." This is the teacher, whose pessimism
is generally admitted, of whom Mr. Jones says that, he had "tremendous
expectations."</p>
<p id="id00489">"He believed there was to be a day after today, and recognized his
obligation to it," writes Mr. Jones in his indiscriminate laudation of
Jesus. Is that why he said "Take no thought of the morrow," and
predicted the speedy destruction of the world? "He acknowledged the
debt which can never be paid to the past." A sentence like this has
all the ear-marks of a glittering generality. Did Jesus show gratitude
to the past when he denounced all who had preceded him in the field of
love and labor as "thieves and robbers?" Equally uncertain is the
following: "He was honest enough to recognize his obligations to the
unborn." How does our clerical neighbor arrive at such a conclusion?
From what teaching or saying of Jesus does he infer his respect for
the rights of posterity? Indeed, how could a teacher who said, "He
that believeth not shall be damned," he described as recognizing the
rights of future generations? To menace with damnation the future
inquirer or doubter is to seek to enslave as well as to insult the
generations yet to be born, instead of "recognizing his obligations"
to them. The Jesus Mr. Jones is writing about is not in the gospels.</p>
<p id="id00490">"Do you ask me if I am a 'Christian'?" writes Mr. Jones, and he
answers the question thus: "I do not know. Are you? If anyone is
inclined to give me that high name, with the spiritual and ethical
connotation in mind, I am complimented and will try to merit it." As
our excellent neighbor is still in the dark, and does not know whether
or not, or in what sense he is a Christian—unless he is allowed to
define the word himself,—and as he also intimates that he would like
to be a <i>Jesus</i> Christian, but not a Church Christian, we humbly
beg to express this opinion: The American churches of today,
notwithstanding all their shortcomings, are, on every question of
ethics and science, of charity and the humanities, far in advance of
Jesus, and that in these churches there are men and women who in
breadth of mind and nobility of spirit are as good, and even better
than Jesus.</p>
<p id="id00491">Does our neighbor grasp our meaning? Charging all the bad in a
religion to the account of man, and attributing all the good to God,
or to a demi-god, is, after all, only a dodge. Had not the disciples
of Jesus been braver than their master, his religion would not have
come down to us. And had the Christian church lived up to the letter
of this Semitic teacher, Europe would never have embraced
Christianity. By modernizing Jesus, by selecting his more essential
teachings, and relegating his eccentricities to the background, by
making his name synonymous with the best aspirations of humanity, by
idealizing his character and enclosing it with a human halo, the
churches have saved Jesus from oblivion. Jesus was a tribal teacher,
the church universalized him; Jesus had no gospel for women, the
church has after much hesitation and wavering converted him to the
European attitude toward women; Jesus was silent on the question of
slavery, the churches have urged him with success to champion the
cause of the bondsman; Jesus denounced liberty of conscience when he
threatened with hell-fire the unbeliever; but the churches have won
him over to the modern secular principle of religious tolerance; Jesus
believed only in the salvation of the elect, but the church to a
certain extent has succeeded in reconciling him to the larger hope;
Jesus was an ascetic, preferring the single life to the joys of the
home, and fasting and praying to the duty and privilege of labor, but
the church in America and Protestant Europe at least has made Jesus a
lover and a seeker of wealth and knowledge, the two great forces of
civilization. No longer does Jesus say, "hate your father and mother;"
no longer does he cry in our great thoroughfares, "blessed are the
poor;" no longer is his voice heard denouncing this world as belonging
to the devil. The modern church, modernized by science, has in turn
modernized the gospels. And yet Mr. Jones prefers to be a Christian
such as Jesus was. He is repeating one of those phrases which
apologists use when they give God all the praise and man all the
blame.</p>
<p id="id00492">In conclusion: Mr. Jones admits that Christianity is not unique, that
Buddha conquered greater tyrannies than Christ; that "humility and
self-sacrifice…have world-wide foundations;" but he draws no
conclusions from these important facts, but returns in a hurry to say
that Jesus is the "finest and dearest stream swelling the mighty tide
of history." The only objection we have to Mr. Jones' Jesus is that he
is not real.</p>
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