LUDICROUS ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY
The Bishop of Manchester, in a speech delivered by him in Oldham in
August, 1870, is reported to have said that "he could defy anyone to try
to caricature the work, the character, or the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ." He no doubt felt confident in throwing out such a challenge,
as the attempt would be considered so atrociously impious that few men
could be found with courage enough to incur the odium of such an act. We
confess that we have not the temerity to wound the sensitiveness of the
devoutly religious. What may be deemed of the nature of caricature in
the following remarks the reader is requested to regard as merely the
spontaneous utterance of one who is keenly alive to the ludicrous, and
who is not awed by the belief that the Bible is an infallible volume.
We find the New Testament, when read without the deceptive spectacles of
_faith_ as amusing, as extravagant, and as contradictory in many places
as most books.
A system of religion, to be a moral guide to men, should be perfect in
all its parts. It should not consist of a few precepts which might
be followed under certain circumstances, the rest being made up of
impossibilities and contradictions; but should be so comprehensive as to
embrace all orders of men under all circumstances. And a divine exemplar
to mankind, if such a being can be imagined, should possess every human
virtue in perfection, and be absolutely without fault. We are told daily
and hourly that Jesus Christ possesses these transcendent qualities, and
is worthy of the homage and admiration of the world. We ask where this
divine image is to be found, and are referred to the four Gospels in the
New Testament. All that is there written was written by inspiration of
God, and God therefore is the painter of the lineaments of his own Son.
We will take it as such, and see what aspect Jesus presents when viewed
in the light we are able to bring to bear upon his portrait. We shall
follow a somewhat different plan to that adopted by M. Rénan. That
great French writer has evidently gone to his task with the intention or
anticipation of finding an almost perfect man, and he ends by believing
he really sees one in Jesus. We have taken up the Gospels with the
desire of finding what is actually there; and as it appears to us, so we
will present it to the reader. We know that some will view the sayings
and actions in a different light; but that is inevitable. No two persons
ever see in the painted portrait of a friend or relative, precisely
the same expression; yet they may be equally honest. Now we claim to be
regarded as truthful in the following portraiture, though Jesus appears
to us a very different man to what he appeared to M. Renan. Some may say
we are flippant, but that we cannot help, though we may regret it. We
must express ourselves in our own way, and we most be excused if we
laugh at what seems ludicrous or absurd.
1104709949
August, 1870, is reported to have said that "he could defy anyone to try
to caricature the work, the character, or the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ." He no doubt felt confident in throwing out such a challenge,
as the attempt would be considered so atrociously impious that few men
could be found with courage enough to incur the odium of such an act. We
confess that we have not the temerity to wound the sensitiveness of the
devoutly religious. What may be deemed of the nature of caricature in
the following remarks the reader is requested to regard as merely the
spontaneous utterance of one who is keenly alive to the ludicrous, and
who is not awed by the belief that the Bible is an infallible volume.
We find the New Testament, when read without the deceptive spectacles of
_faith_ as amusing, as extravagant, and as contradictory in many places
as most books.
A system of religion, to be a moral guide to men, should be perfect in
all its parts. It should not consist of a few precepts which might
be followed under certain circumstances, the rest being made up of
impossibilities and contradictions; but should be so comprehensive as to
embrace all orders of men under all circumstances. And a divine exemplar
to mankind, if such a being can be imagined, should possess every human
virtue in perfection, and be absolutely without fault. We are told daily
and hourly that Jesus Christ possesses these transcendent qualities, and
is worthy of the homage and admiration of the world. We ask where this
divine image is to be found, and are referred to the four Gospels in the
New Testament. All that is there written was written by inspiration of
God, and God therefore is the painter of the lineaments of his own Son.
We will take it as such, and see what aspect Jesus presents when viewed
in the light we are able to bring to bear upon his portrait. We shall
follow a somewhat different plan to that adopted by M. Rénan. That
great French writer has evidently gone to his task with the intention or
anticipation of finding an almost perfect man, and he ends by believing
he really sees one in Jesus. We have taken up the Gospels with the
desire of finding what is actually there; and as it appears to us, so we
will present it to the reader. We know that some will view the sayings
and actions in a different light; but that is inevitable. No two persons
ever see in the painted portrait of a friend or relative, precisely
the same expression; yet they may be equally honest. Now we claim to be
regarded as truthful in the following portraiture, though Jesus appears
to us a very different man to what he appeared to M. Renan. Some may say
we are flippant, but that we cannot help, though we may regret it. We
must express ourselves in our own way, and we most be excused if we
laugh at what seems ludicrous or absurd.
LUDICROUS ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY
The Bishop of Manchester, in a speech delivered by him in Oldham in
August, 1870, is reported to have said that "he could defy anyone to try
to caricature the work, the character, or the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ." He no doubt felt confident in throwing out such a challenge,
as the attempt would be considered so atrociously impious that few men
could be found with courage enough to incur the odium of such an act. We
confess that we have not the temerity to wound the sensitiveness of the
devoutly religious. What may be deemed of the nature of caricature in
the following remarks the reader is requested to regard as merely the
spontaneous utterance of one who is keenly alive to the ludicrous, and
who is not awed by the belief that the Bible is an infallible volume.
We find the New Testament, when read without the deceptive spectacles of
_faith_ as amusing, as extravagant, and as contradictory in many places
as most books.
A system of religion, to be a moral guide to men, should be perfect in
all its parts. It should not consist of a few precepts which might
be followed under certain circumstances, the rest being made up of
impossibilities and contradictions; but should be so comprehensive as to
embrace all orders of men under all circumstances. And a divine exemplar
to mankind, if such a being can be imagined, should possess every human
virtue in perfection, and be absolutely without fault. We are told daily
and hourly that Jesus Christ possesses these transcendent qualities, and
is worthy of the homage and admiration of the world. We ask where this
divine image is to be found, and are referred to the four Gospels in the
New Testament. All that is there written was written by inspiration of
God, and God therefore is the painter of the lineaments of his own Son.
We will take it as such, and see what aspect Jesus presents when viewed
in the light we are able to bring to bear upon his portrait. We shall
follow a somewhat different plan to that adopted by M. Rénan. That
great French writer has evidently gone to his task with the intention or
anticipation of finding an almost perfect man, and he ends by believing
he really sees one in Jesus. We have taken up the Gospels with the
desire of finding what is actually there; and as it appears to us, so we
will present it to the reader. We know that some will view the sayings
and actions in a different light; but that is inevitable. No two persons
ever see in the painted portrait of a friend or relative, precisely
the same expression; yet they may be equally honest. Now we claim to be
regarded as truthful in the following portraiture, though Jesus appears
to us a very different man to what he appeared to M. Renan. Some may say
we are flippant, but that we cannot help, though we may regret it. We
must express ourselves in our own way, and we most be excused if we
laugh at what seems ludicrous or absurd.
August, 1870, is reported to have said that "he could defy anyone to try
to caricature the work, the character, or the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ." He no doubt felt confident in throwing out such a challenge,
as the attempt would be considered so atrociously impious that few men
could be found with courage enough to incur the odium of such an act. We
confess that we have not the temerity to wound the sensitiveness of the
devoutly religious. What may be deemed of the nature of caricature in
the following remarks the reader is requested to regard as merely the
spontaneous utterance of one who is keenly alive to the ludicrous, and
who is not awed by the belief that the Bible is an infallible volume.
We find the New Testament, when read without the deceptive spectacles of
_faith_ as amusing, as extravagant, and as contradictory in many places
as most books.
A system of religion, to be a moral guide to men, should be perfect in
all its parts. It should not consist of a few precepts which might
be followed under certain circumstances, the rest being made up of
impossibilities and contradictions; but should be so comprehensive as to
embrace all orders of men under all circumstances. And a divine exemplar
to mankind, if such a being can be imagined, should possess every human
virtue in perfection, and be absolutely without fault. We are told daily
and hourly that Jesus Christ possesses these transcendent qualities, and
is worthy of the homage and admiration of the world. We ask where this
divine image is to be found, and are referred to the four Gospels in the
New Testament. All that is there written was written by inspiration of
God, and God therefore is the painter of the lineaments of his own Son.
We will take it as such, and see what aspect Jesus presents when viewed
in the light we are able to bring to bear upon his portrait. We shall
follow a somewhat different plan to that adopted by M. Rénan. That
great French writer has evidently gone to his task with the intention or
anticipation of finding an almost perfect man, and he ends by believing
he really sees one in Jesus. We have taken up the Gospels with the
desire of finding what is actually there; and as it appears to us, so we
will present it to the reader. We know that some will view the sayings
and actions in a different light; but that is inevitable. No two persons
ever see in the painted portrait of a friend or relative, precisely
the same expression; yet they may be equally honest. Now we claim to be
regarded as truthful in the following portraiture, though Jesus appears
to us a very different man to what he appeared to M. Renan. Some may say
we are flippant, but that we cannot help, though we may regret it. We
must express ourselves in our own way, and we most be excused if we
laugh at what seems ludicrous or absurd.
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940013198876 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | SAP |
| Publication date: | 08/06/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 31 KB |
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