An Obvious Point I Need to Make About Christianity

Jesus was a radical. He was preaching change: religious change. Judaism was (and is still) a mess of complicated rules governing religious belief and daily life. Part of Jesus' radical agenda was to take religion out of the book and bring it back into the world. It is illustrative that his covenant is symbolized by an act (the crucifixion) rather than rules (the 10 commandments). Nowhere is this better illustrated than in this undoubtedly familiar parable: Some Pharisees bring an adultress to Jesus, telling him she's been caught in the act and pointing out, rightly, that Mosaic law demands she be stoned. They ask him what he thinks they should do. He ignores them at first, but on repeated questioning says merely: "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." The Pharisees think about this, and then slink guiltily away. The woman remains, and when everyone else has gone, Jesus tells her he will not condemn her, and that she should go forth and sin no more.

What's the moral of this Jesus story? Even if the Bible says something is wrong, you shouldn't condemn someone for doing it. That's not the point of Christianity. Jesus' call was a call to action, to embodying love in the world. It was not to an inconsistent application of confusing and contradictory religious formulae. We modern types, both Christian and not, seem to have forgotten this. Extremist Christians are driven to wicked acts by their rigid interpretations of scripture, just as the Pharisees were, just as non- and antireligious individuals are driven to dismiss Christianity out of hand because it carries baggage that appears outdated or incompatible with their personal moralities. And we are all, no matter what we believe, poorer for this loss.

So if you consider yourself a Christian, what does Christianity mean to you: condemnation or compassion? If you find yourself engaged in the former, no matter what the Bible says about your personal devils and no matter how much good you otherwise do, think about this story and try to figure out which side you're really on.