JESUS AS A PERSECUTOR - the one who sowed the seed of the Inquisition
Hitler did not have to hurt anybody personally to be what he was. Neither did Jesus.
There is a suspicion among scholars (eg Reza Aslan) that Jesus was involved in
Jewish terrorism or zealotry. Zealots used knives to destroy certain
"sinners" such as homosexuals and perceived political enemies. Jesus was
slain on a cross as a terrorist. That is how terrorists ended up.
The gospels give that away by claiming the death was made worse and more
degrading than usual. he had to be turned into a message for zealots.
Matthew 18:1,15-20 has Jesus saying to his disciples, disciples meant any of his
followers not just the apostles, that if you have a complaint about a believer
and he won’t listen to you bring in members of the Church to do it with you the
next time and if he still won’t give in treat him like Gentile or a
tax-collector – someone who is shunned and despised by society. Christians
distort this to say he only meant just be distant from them to help them learn
their lesson but be kind to them otherwise. Then why didn’t he say that? Why did
he say Gentiles or tax-collectors who were treated with hatred and contempt?
Nobody was kind to them to help them change. They got suspicion and dislike and
abuse wherever they went and were regarded as unclean and dirty and not fit to
be in the company of God’s people.
Jesus used violence in the Temple to put out those who were buying and selling
there.
Psalm 45:3-5 is believed by Christianity to predict the coming of
Jesus with a sword. The Book of Revelation says Jesus will return
one day to earth and will butcher (19:11-16). Jesus said before his
arrest in the garden that he had the right to set violent angels on
those coming to arrest him.
Jesus gave authority then for the Church to persecute people who despise any of
its “morals” or beliefs. Anybody who disbelieves any part of Church teaching is
insulting the intelligence of the rest so they can go to him and persecute him
for it. The purpose of the persecuting was to force. People who knew they could
lose their families if they got on the wrong side of their God would have no
choice but to give in to the Church. Matthew 18 is the reason Jehovah’s
Witnesses are notoriously nasty to members who commit adultery or who consort
with another faith. Any Christian cult that ignores Matthew 18 is not sincere
even if it feels it is for how could it be sincere and ignore the words of the
Son of God? It is stupid to use the excuse that it would be hard to implement
now. Jesus warned that difficulty was not excuse for not doing God’s will. All
unpalatable rules are hard at the start.
Jesus tried to use fear to get converts. He said that Sodom which was burned by
fire and brimstone would have it easy compared to any town that would not
welcome his messengers (Luke 10:12). He warned of everlasting punishment for
unbelievers and those who had different moral beliefs to him.
Jesus used forgiveness in such a way to do harm with it. He
said that its purpose is reconciliation. So you cannot say it
suffices if you no longer let yourself be hurt by what another has
done to you when you are always keeping out of their way. That
is not reconciliation and shows that you have not really put what
they have done in the past. He said that unless you forgive
God will forgive you nothing. This is moral blackmail.
Forced forgiveness does not work. It will unravel too easily.
It is not forgiveness at all.
He believed he had the right to persecute himself and even embrace death on a
cross that he knew was coming. This put faith before his own life meaning faith
comes first and man is made for faith and not faith for man. This idea has
spawned oceans of bloodshed.
