Comment on The parable of the "Good Samaritan" is an ancient example of Israeli racism / bigotry
wewbull@feddit.uk 3 weeks agoIt’s one of the most basic messages in the Bible. It is clearly anti-racist. It promotes helping others above all else. And somehow modern Christians seem to miss the point completely.
I’m pretty anti-theist. However, if religions were just a bunch of ideas on how to live your best life (like this parable) it would be generally fine. The problem is a lesson as simple as “love thy neighbour” fails to make it through because it would undermine the organisation. Without “them” there is no “us”, and without “us” there is no organisation.
I don’t think people consciously take on this “us” / “them” thinking, but they fall into it and it feels safe and comfortable. In this case Jesus was literally telling his followers to do what felt uncomfortable — to help people outside of their own faith. To not let labels get in the way.
Be spiritual. Hold a faith. Just forgoe the organisations that corrupt that faith.
Bacano@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
One of lessons of the Bible (from what I gather anyway) is that all humans are corrupt-able and will err. Therefore, all organizations that wield any power at all are subject to human corruption. Indeed, this is how we think of organizations in a secular light.
If you’re looking for the religious teachings or church organizations that are free from the sins they denounce, you won’t find them, because human beings cannot keep themselves from temptation indefinitely.