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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

* '''...[[Christianity]], It has accumulated so many alien and hostile elements as to make It a different religion from the simple faith of its founder.'''
** p.1

* '''The religion of [[Jesus]] can best be described in terms of the home: God Is Father, men are brothers, all life is a domestic affair.'''
** p.1

* Attitudes and practices which are alien and disruptive to the home should never be Indulged in, while the virtues of the family should always abound. Each member of the household must run the risks inherent in the abandonment of retaliation and revenge and the reliance upon good will and sacrifice.
** p.1

* '''As long as ministers and laymen labor under the delusion that contemporary Christianity is the same religion that Jesus practiced they will remain immunized against his way of life and will lack the vision.'''
** p.2

* During the lifetime of Jesus the question of freedom was the outstanding problem before the Jewish people. Political independence, economic relief, religious integrity, all awaited the Deliverer, The Kingdom of God could never come as long as the Romans ruled.
** p.8

* The ''[[w:Essenes|Essenes]]'' were communists and ascetics.
** p.8

* The ''[[w:Sadducees|Sadducees]]'' were the Jewish aristocracy, the official and wealthy class. As they held office and enjoyed special privileges, they were more friendly with the Romans. They considered rebellion hopeless and thought it better to bargain with the invader. ...all the while railing at the wild radicals who threatened their privileges and security.
** p.8

* The group that most completely identified themselves with Roman and Greek culture were known as the [[w:Herodians|Herodians]].
** p.9

* The ''[[w:Pharisees|Pharisees]]'' were the popular party. Like all other devout Jews they were strict  monotheists and ardent believers in revealed religion. The law came from God, every phrase of it, ceremonial requirements and ethical duties being equally binding. ...they were legalists. ...parallel with the Law itself had grown up interpretations of the elders. ...The Pharisees were passionately concerned about political freedom, chiefly because the conqueror threatened or prevented religious liberty. Acknowledging God alone as King, they looked upon the Romans as blasphemers and idolaters.
** p.10

* '''The ''[[w:Zealots|Zealots]]'' were the radicals of the day. They advocated and plotted violent revolution. The political [[w:Tyrant|tyranny]] and economic exploitation of the [[w:Ancient_Rome|Romans]] were considered utterly intolerable and patience was regarded as a crime.''' 
** p.11-12

* I'''t was In this kind of world that Jesus lived all his days.''' Six decades before his birth the Romans came. Four decades after his crucifixion the Holy City was utterly demolished by the Imperial legions. ..."Scarcely a year went by," says Dr. [[w:Joseph_Klausner|Joseph Klausner]], "during this century, without wars or other disturbances; '''wars, rebellions, outbreaks, and riots'''; and this state of things prevailed in the Land of Israel throughout the whole epoch which preceded Jesus and prevailed also during his lifetime."
** p.12

* '''[[w:Simon_the_Zealot|Simon the Zealot]] was numbered among [[w:Apostle_(Christian)#The_Twelve_Apostles|the Twelve]] and some traditions maintain that [[w:Judas_Iscariot|Judas Iscariot]] was also a Zealot.''' Jesus was frequently referred to as "son of [[w:David|David]]" and on one occasion the populace gave him a royal reception by spreading their garments in his way and crying aloud their hosannas in anticipation of his [[w:Messia|Messianic]] reign.
** p.13

* On one occasion the Pharisees sought to trap Jesus with the famous question: "Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar or not?" An affirmative answer would have repelled patriotic Jews, while a negative response would have embroiled him with the Roman authorities. In the record tax  collectors are usually classed with outcasts and sinners.
** p.13

* The charge against Jesus before Pilate was that of sedition: "We found this man perverting our nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king..."
** p.13

* Even after the resurrection of Jesus his disciples were still expecting him to bring national deliverance and freedom: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?" '''Several times Jesus referred to the probable results of hatred and rebellion against Rome.''' Once he said: "When ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies then know that her desolation is at hand. Then let them that are in Judea flee into the mountains." '''At every turn Jesus was confronted with ''the'' problem; everywhere ''the'' expectation.'''
** p.14

* '''The religion of Jesus begins and ends in the home. All life is a domestic affair. The universal family embraces every race and tongue. Man's primary purpose is to establish the Family of God''', where all persons will dwell in right relations with the Father and with each other. The way to create God's home is to live every day as a good member of the family. '''Only those ends are worthy which are consonant with the family spirit and only those methods are justifiable which are appropriate in the home. ...Live to-day as if the ideal society has already come to pass. The [[w:Kingdom_of_God|Kingdom of God]] is within you. It is all about you.'''
** p.14

* '''God is Father and perfectly exemplifies the spirit of the home.''' Wisdom and understanding are His. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without His knowledge. Active and persistent is He in the effort to establish the perfect family. He is loving and has personal affection for each of His children. ...'''He is eager to enter into an intimate comradeship with every member of the household. He makes the sun shine on the evil and the good and the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust. He is forgiving and always goes out to meet the [[wiktionary:prodigal|prodigal]]. ...He ever couples mercy with justice.'''
** p.15

* Jesus staked everything upon the reliability of God. Apart from this faith and this dependence, his life is meaningless and his teachings become tragic mockery. '''The religion and the ethics of Jesus are''' utterly  '''inseparable.'''
** p.16

* The God of Jesus differs fundamentally from the Jehovah presented in many sections of the Old Testament, where Yahweh is frequently pictured as authorizing pillage and slaughter and often as himself an active participant in war...
** p.16

* An authoritative study... was published recently... ''The God of the Old Testament in Relation to War''... the author, Dr. Marion J. Benedict, is summarized as follows: "Yahweh has been found to be a God of war throughout most of the Old Testament material."
** p.17

* '''It is utterly unthinkable that Jesus would himself condemn a wrongdoer to everlasting torture.''' Like any other Oriental teacher he spoke in parables and figurative language. Allowance must also be made for  misinterpretations by the persons who recorded their impressions of his words. Jesus frequently pointed out the inevitable consequences of human conduct. It would be easy for his hearers to assume that he was uttering threats of punishment...
** p.17-18

* There is... a vast difference between consequence and punishment. When a child disregards his mother's warning and plays with fire the pain which he suffers is a consequence, not a punishment. The God of Jesus  permits fire to burn; He does not throw his unruly children into a furnace. '''The Father of the prodigal son could never consign his child to eternal flames.''' The Good Shepherd could never torture the wandering sheep. It is not the will of your Father that one of his little ones should perish, much less be endlessly tortured.
** p.18

* '''Since God is Father of all, there is only one family.''' Every human being is privileged and obliged to treat every other Individual as a member of the household. Attitudes and practices that violate the spirit of the home should never be tolerated. No son should be guilty of blasphemy and irreverence. Indifference to His presence and disobedience to His wishes grieve the Father. Ingratitude is baseness itself.
** p.18-19

* Beware of covetousness. Greed wrecks the family. Avarice is so deadly that if a man cannot conquer it he must sell all that he has and give it to the poor. Pride and ostentation are disgusting; hypocrisy destroys fellowship; anxiety is a cancer; extortion and exploitation are out of place in the home; lust is a perversion and should be shunned. To seek physical thrills at the expense of another is to disregard the value of personality. Anger is poison. Hatred breaks the family bond. Revenge is never sought in a true home. Murder of a beloved kinsman is unthinkable. Woe unto the man who causes his brother to stumble or drags him through the mire. To wreck the personality of a fellow man is worse than to drown one's own body in the deep sea.
** p.19

* '''The home is a place of affection. Understanding is sought, sympathy prevails, kindliness is manifested. Mutual forbearance is the rule; patience is exhibited; forgiveness brings reconciliation. Everyone delights in serving the others. Sacrifice is joyously accepted. The welfare of the group takes precedence over the desires of any member.''' The one increasing purpose of life is the creation of the Family of God. This is the pearl of great price. In order to secure it a man will eagerly sell all he has. This treasure will be sought until it is found. ...The desire for comfort, privilege, prestige, or safety must not be allowed to stand in the way. '''What good will it do if a man gain many possessions and lose his zeal for fellowship? ...Rather than be paralyzed by desire, one must pluck out an eye or amputate an arm.''' It is better to continue the pursuit maimed and blind than to be swerved by fleshpots. '''He that endures to the end will be victorious.'''
** p.19-20

* '''The roadway is infested with evil doers—persons who, because of ignorance, delusion, prejudices, desire, greed, passion, or disease, are a menace to their relatives.'''
** p.20

* '''The way to overcome evil is by doing good. To do good is to live every day as a true member of the home.''' Turn away from those attitudes and practices which destroy the family. Exhibit those virtues which constitute the foundations of the home. Remember that '''the wrongdoer is a child of God, of inestimable inherent worth, and, therefore, should be treated with reverence and affection.'''
** p.20

* '''Can the use of physical force ever be reconciled with the family spirit?''' ...On one occasion he appears to have resorted to force himself... It sheds no light upon the question as to whether the taking of life, capital punishment, or war are ever justifiable. '''The criterion by which Jesus judges every method is this; Can it be used appropriately in the home?'''
** p.21

* '''Those persons who do not think of life in terms of the Family of God often feel justified, however, in defending themselves by torture and terror. Long has it been the practice, ever since men became sufficiently humane to restrict unlimited retaliation, to exact an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life. This is justice. But an enduring home can never be founded on justice alone. Love, mercy, forgiveness, and sacrifice are likewise indispensable.'''
** p.21

[[Category:Christianity]]