The parable of The Good Samaritan is one of the most well-known and well-loved of the stories attributed to Jesus. It appears in the Gospel of Luke (and only there, which is a pity, because it's a winner), chapter 10:25-37. Seen as central to Christian ethics, it is also a shining example of core humanist ethics that make no call on a god for validation.
Our poor assault victim lies by the roadside, and is passed by by the religiously observant priest and Levite. They weren't simply ignoring this unfortunate chap because they couldn't be bothered - their religion explicitly forbade them touching a wounded man. They were doing what their god had commanded them to do! This aspect is frequently glossed over.
When Jesus told this story, the barb would not have been lost on his hearers - this is an *antireligious* story. It tells of religion's ability to get between a person and their ethical responsibilities. Who holds people to account? God? No. People? Yes.
The Samaritan, unencumbered by religious nonsense, and acting on pure basic humanistic principles, helps the injured man, and demonstrates the real value of humanistic ethics. Jesus could not have put it plainer than this. He could have told the story about a good Muslim, a good homosexual, a good atheist - all of the above. It is just one episode that justifies non-believers claiming Jesus as a fellow-traveller along that hazardous road to Jericho.
Welcome!
Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ Atheist.
Jesus Christ was an Atheist?? You may be shocked, but don't be. Stick with us, and we'll explain where this is going.
There is no question that the man, Jesus the Nazarene, believed in God. However, the notions that have been attached to this man (a human like all of us) are largely fictional, and overlain with multiple layers of theistic interpretation, that they combined many elements of Jewish and Greek religious thought into a new religion, Christianity, in the centuries following the death of Jesus.
Nowadays, a large percentage of people in "Christian" countries do not believe in God; they do not believe (obviously) that Jesus was the "Son of God" (or divine - the two terms are not interchangeable). They do not believe that he was born of a virgin, performed miracles, or rose from the dead.
However, many people still do believe these things, and they have set up remarkable organisations called churches to promote their worldview, and to bring their message to the community. Oddly enough, many members of these churches are themselves atheists or agnostics, but enjoy the community life of the church, and like the people that they meet on a Sunday. Yet deep down many such people feel a little bit hypocritical for standing up and singing hymns, while under it all, they don't believe.
Sound familiar? The CJCA may well be for you.
Are we a church? No - not in the normal sense. We don't (often) meet up in real life, separately from the usual churches. Our goal is to develop a compatibility layer, enabling free-thinking people - atheists, agnostics, humanists - to engage with Theistic Christians and to participate fully in the life of churches in an ethical and responsible way, without having to short-circuit their brains into "believing" what they know to be untrue.
It turns out that there are many elements of Christianity that reflect deep areas of human ethics; many parables and events from the bible and Christian history, many characteristics of Jesus the Nazarene that can be adapted and adopted by those who do not believe in god, and used as narratives to illuminate and enhance the human condition.
In doing so, it is we who confer the honour "Christ" on Jesus the Nazarene, and use his story, acknowledging its shortcomings, as both a parable and a paradigm for our lives and our self-examination. Not in dogma. Not as a short-circuit to science or reason. Not as a set of "beliefs", but as a scaffold upon which to tell our own stories, and to build a better world for all - theist and atheist alike.
If this strikes a chord, why not join with us - comment on this post, and follow the blog! Part of what we will be trying to do is reinterpret the bible in an atheistic way - not to change it or deny its history, but to learn lessons, and reclaim Jesus the Nazarene as an icon for Freethought.
Jesus Christ was an Atheist?? You may be shocked, but don't be. Stick with us, and we'll explain where this is going.
There is no question that the man, Jesus the Nazarene, believed in God. However, the notions that have been attached to this man (a human like all of us) are largely fictional, and overlain with multiple layers of theistic interpretation, that they combined many elements of Jewish and Greek religious thought into a new religion, Christianity, in the centuries following the death of Jesus.
Nowadays, a large percentage of people in "Christian" countries do not believe in God; they do not believe (obviously) that Jesus was the "Son of God" (or divine - the two terms are not interchangeable). They do not believe that he was born of a virgin, performed miracles, or rose from the dead.
However, many people still do believe these things, and they have set up remarkable organisations called churches to promote their worldview, and to bring their message to the community. Oddly enough, many members of these churches are themselves atheists or agnostics, but enjoy the community life of the church, and like the people that they meet on a Sunday. Yet deep down many such people feel a little bit hypocritical for standing up and singing hymns, while under it all, they don't believe.
Sound familiar? The CJCA may well be for you.
Are we a church? No - not in the normal sense. We don't (often) meet up in real life, separately from the usual churches. Our goal is to develop a compatibility layer, enabling free-thinking people - atheists, agnostics, humanists - to engage with Theistic Christians and to participate fully in the life of churches in an ethical and responsible way, without having to short-circuit their brains into "believing" what they know to be untrue.
It turns out that there are many elements of Christianity that reflect deep areas of human ethics; many parables and events from the bible and Christian history, many characteristics of Jesus the Nazarene that can be adapted and adopted by those who do not believe in god, and used as narratives to illuminate and enhance the human condition.
In doing so, it is we who confer the honour "Christ" on Jesus the Nazarene, and use his story, acknowledging its shortcomings, as both a parable and a paradigm for our lives and our self-examination. Not in dogma. Not as a short-circuit to science or reason. Not as a set of "beliefs", but as a scaffold upon which to tell our own stories, and to build a better world for all - theist and atheist alike.
If this strikes a chord, why not join with us - comment on this post, and follow the blog! Part of what we will be trying to do is reinterpret the bible in an atheistic way - not to change it or deny its history, but to learn lessons, and reclaim Jesus the Nazarene as an icon for Freethought.
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