Christian Double Standards

by Craig Hamilton on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 1:17pm


At last I have arrived at an argument with respect to Jesus that I do not have a good answer for. The argument is as follows: The actions of all the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Bible seem highly questionable, but wasn’t the actions of the life of Jesus also highly questionable? That is, for example, if Lot married his daughters, if Solomon had a thousand or more women, and Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit; what reason have I for rejecting Jesus as a legitimate name among those others in the Bible? After all, Jesus is reported to be guilty of several capital crimes; shouldn’t he be lumped in with the others?

The first reason I reject the claim of Christians is that so often they put the actions of Jesus on a great pedestal. For Christians, Jesus is the ultimate example of a righteous person. However, very few Christians think of the actions of the patriarchs so highly. What is with the double standard? Jesus is a false teacher, and Christians declare him a hero, but Abraham has a concubine, Keturah, and Christians generally think Abraham as sexually immoral. To a Christian, the lowly Jacob deceives people, his Hebrew name even means deceiver, but when Jesus entices the nation of Israel into apostasy, he is a hero.

I believe that there are some definite problems with the Christian approach. The main problem that Christian’s do not seem to know that they have is a case of Jew hatred. Only someone whom hates the Jews could love Jesus. Jesus is the antithesis of Judaism. To fundamentalist Jews, Jesus is the antichrist. My opinion of the reason that Christianity seems so appealing to so many people is that within the religion it is a safe place to practice Jew hatred.

The excuses for hating the Jews are legion, but the fact is that these excuses are not valid, especially given that one Law of the Torah even forbids Jewish hatred. But, after all, Judah gave birth to Shelah from his relations with a Canaanite woman. What does the Bible have to say about that but from the very mouth of Noah, “Cursed be Canaan.” Additionally, there are some verses in the prophetical books of the Bible that seem to promote Jew hatred. For example, one prophet says that the Jews are Hamites, and declares that Jewish women are whores. There is also the factor of Jewish success, and the Jewish brain. That is, I believe many people hate Jews because they are actually jealous of them. Then, even the Bible seems to be racist, declaring distinctions between Jew and gentile, which the New Testament rids itself of if you simply follow Jesus. However, if you observe what the Bible says as a Jew, then it will have you believing things such as if you are a Jew and a slave, you have to be set free, but gentile slaves do not have to be set free. These things don’t make for good publicity if you are a Jew.

I like the Jewish approach to the patriarchs. It might be summed up in these words, “Be careful of questioning the actions of the patriarchs.” As far as the stories of the patriarchs go, I find them entertaining. However, I don’t like the story of Jesus. The stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs are food for thought, but the story of Jesus is dismal. Jesus is junk food, crack even, for thought. If Jesus had never lived, then I think I would be a happier man for it seems I can’t escape a trace of him wherever I go. So, there you have it. I am still not a Christian. When I read about Sarah, or David, or Ishmael, or Esau, or Methuselah, or Isaac, I think sign me up for the party. But, when I read about Jesus, I think, “Run for the hills.”