Monday, October 10, 2005

WWJD?

What Would Jesus Do? It's a question Christians, especially evangelicals, appear to ask themselves several times a day. And yet how seriously do they examine their answers?

Oh, and by the way, to the guy in the black Explorer on the eastbound 134 in Glendale at 7:45 this morning with the WWJD? bumpersticker - I'm pretty sure Jesus would signal, asshole.

Anyhoo, Alessandro Camon writes an exellent essay on WWJD? in Salon today:

"What would Jesus do?" has been a favorite slogan of the Christian right. It's a rhetorical question, meant to display lofty concerns and stake the high ground. It's not meant to be answered; in fact it's usually not even asked in relation to the things Jesus cared about.

It's time to put that question to better use.

Should a nation rush into an unprovoked war whose justification is weak at best, and fraudulent at worst? What would Jesus do?

A mother mourning the death of her son in that war asks for a chance to speak to the president about her grief, and to have her questions answered. What would Jesus do?

Thousands of men, women and children are left behind in the flood with no food, drinkable water or medical aid. What would Jesus do?

Would Jesus rush to war, or neglect to interrupt his vacation to meet the mother of a dead soldier, or abandon the people of a ravaged city? Would he promote tax breaks for the rich, undercut education, support the death penalty?

The answers are painfully easy. We know what Jesus would do, because he did do it, or talked about it in no uncertain terms. Jesus was for peace, for the poor, for the afflicted, for the children, and against the death penalty -- of which he was a victim. Anybody who denies this, or who argues that it's possible to be a good Christian without adhering to these basic positions, is basically betraying Christ.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Actually I find my self asking "What would Ed Rendell do?"... no really... I do.


(there is a rumor that he is the intersection of a human being and politician... very rare)