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'''''Jesus or Christianity, A Study in Contrasts''''' (1929) is a book by [[Kirby Page]] arguing that modern Christianity is greatly damaged by abandoning the ethics of Jesus.

== Quotes ==
=== Ch. 1: What is the Religion of Jesus? ===
* '''This''' volume '''is a study in contrasts: divergences between the religion of Jesus and organized Christianity.'''
** p.1

(contracted; show full)ual is sheer mockery. Compromise with temporal powers can never lead to redemption. Flight to ascetic communities cannot heal the festering sores of society. Resort to violence merely compounds fear and hatred. Prodigal sons can never be persuaded to reclaim their heritage, nor can embittered brethren be reconciled, except by an inner change of heart. '''The fathomless gulf that separates men from God and from each other can be bridged only by love and fellowship.'''
** p.43


* '''Freedom means power to choose evil.''' And unwise decisions lead to suffering. The harvest is always determined by the sowing. Freedom may lead to estrangement, to callousness, to misery. ...Freedom might even lead to disaster.
** p.43

* '''The seed may appear to be dead, but not so; it is only buried.''' ...First the Cross, then resurrection, then [[w:Redemption_(theology)|redemption]].
** p.43

* '''That Jesus was annihilated on the Cross is to me simply unthinkable. The universe in which we live conserves values.''' Science tells us that matter or energy is imperishable; many changes of form but no annihilation. What a meaningless world it would be if lesser values should be preserved with infinite care while the noblest creation of the ages alone is destroyed! To me belief in the resurrection of man is absolutely essential to rational thought. And '''that one who was so altogether lovely and Godlike should utterly perish is simply beyond my comprehension. The rationality of God is at stake.'''
** p.43-44

* If death is the end for man, then it is difficult to believe that Intelligence and love are at the heart of the universe. '''If there is no God then the life of Jesus is the most ghastly delusion of history. It would Indeed be an Irrational universe if a tragic hallucination should create the fairest flower of the human race.'''
** p.44

* '''[[w:Salvation|Salvation]] itself has usually been thought of as escape from hell and entrance into heaven. Numerous theories have been advanced as to how belief in the blood of the Lamb saves from eternal damnation, many of which are repugnant to ethical minds today.''' Some have said that a ransom must be paid to Satan; some that the payment of a great price was necessary in order to placate an angry God; some that divine justice could not forgive unless a perfect sacrifice was offered for the sins of mankind; while multitudes of humble folk have made no effort to explain the mystery, simply imputing magical power to the shed blood of Calvary.
** p.44-45

* '''There is no redemption in the Cross. Salvation is not release from future punishment or the enjoyment of eternal bliss. Salvation is''' reconciliation and appreciation; '''reconciliation with God and man; appreciation of the good, the true, and the beautiful'''. A man is saved when he shuns unfilial and antisocial attitudes and practices; when he exhibits the virtues of the home. '''Salvation is not an act; it is a process. We are not saved, we are being saved. We grow into redemption.'''
** p.44-45

* '''Death is not the end of life'''; it is merely the dividing line between two aspects of one reality. '''Life''' itself '''is continuous and eternal.'''
** p.45

* '''Day by day we are being saved or being lost.''' ...If we give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, welcome to the stranger, clothes to the naked, relief to the sick, kindness to the prisoner, we are being saved. '''When we fail to live as if the Family of God is a present reality we are being lost.'''
** p.45

* '''He''' [Jesus] '''makes us conscious of the presence of a loving Father and fills us with desire for unbroken fellowship with the Eternal.'''
** p.45

* '''Estrangement from God and hostility toward His purposes lead to barrenness of life and desolation of spirit.'''
** p.45-46

* '''Jesus... exhibits a character of sheer nobility and utter loveliness and illustrates how compassion and devotion deal with fear and hate. By fathomless love and unstinting forgiveness he creates [[Penance|penitence]] and aspiration.''' [[w:Zacchaeus|Zacchseus]] found it impossible to practice fraud any longer. The sinful woman loathed her former ways after she had listened to him. ...The bereaved found comfort in his presence.
** p.46

* '''Why should it be regarded as impossible for Jesus to be in constant communication with those who are in tune with his spirit?''' The record of history bears important testimony concerning this point. '''Multitudes''' of Christians in every age and in all lands, '''including many of the keenest minds and most consecrated spirits, have been dominated by the certain conviction that the living presence of Christ was the greatest power in their lives. ...prompting us day by day to higher thinking and more courageous living.'''
** p.48

* '''Even in the animal world, those species have survived and progressed which have practiced mutual aid and self-sacrifice.''' The evolution of mankind is one long story of struggle and renunciation. '''An incalculable debt is due to the pioneers and heretics who, with indomitable courage and supreme abandon, have blazed new pathways to freedom and life.'''
** p.49

* '''If any man would come after the Great Leader he must deny himself''', take up his cross, and follow on. ...A man must be willing even to forsake father and mother if necessary in order to follow his ideals. '''He that truly desires to serve his fellows must not be content to deny himself certain coveted things; he must deny himself. ...the deepest joy and the fullest self-realization come only through self-renunciation.''' 
** p.49

* '''Man is made in the spiritual image of the Creator and is capable of rising Godward.''' ...Without the virtues of the family a man cannot be himself.
** p.49

* When in a normal condition man derives more satisfaction from feeding those who are hungry than from gorging himself with dainty delicacies. '''Sublimation of a low desire for the sake of fellowship or the welfare of another is better than gratification.'''
** p.50

* '''If devotion to ideals leads to pain, then suffering becomes a gateway to joy and self-realization. The truth of this statement is revealed in the lives of the great spiritual leaders of the human race.''' ...with them dedication to a great cause took precedence over gratification of fleshly desires. '''Reflect upon the lives of those persons whom you rank highest and you will be reminded that they are not self-centered.'''
** p.51

* At every turn we come face to face with a paradox but none more startling than this: '''if a man seeks to save his life he loses it, but if he loses himself in devotion to a noble ideal he finds life indeed. With profound insight Jesus pointed out this fact''' to his disciples on many occasions.
** p.51⏎
⏎
[[Category:Christianity]]