Dangerous radicals or What Would Jesus Do?

A friend of mine just shared an article that showed one man's view on why Evangelicals hate Jesus, then posted his own excellent blog on the subject and the whole thing got me thinking about religions and radicals. With all the chatter that is going on these days about the "Ground Zero" Mosque (Which isn't at Ground Zero) and whether or not Muslims are "being cooperative enough with law enforcement agencies." (Funny I remember reading similar musings written during the McCarthy Era disasters.), Radical Movements and such are an hot subject for everyone that can type and post.

So like I said before my mind started wandering, it got me to thinking about one of the most famous radicals in all of history. A man with teachings went against the accepted norm and whose actions continuously angered both the officials of his own people those of the occupying nation. A man who, when they finally couldn't deal with his insurrection any more, was put on trial before a Kangaroo court (Wait no Kangaroos there, ummm Lizard court?) and executed for his "crimes." I am, of course, Speaking of Jesus of Nazareth.

Now before I go any further, let me try and attract as many people as possible so I can peeve off a greater number. Whether you believe that Jesus was the Son of God, sent to Earth to help us see the right path to Heaven (which I do) or simply that he was a nice guy who tried to teach us to just be a little nicer to each other, it is pretty much a certainty that this man did live and die. I leave whether or not he did all the things that the Bible says he did up to wiser minds (Any of those out there), to me the fact that he existed and taught is all the proof I need.

Okay now that I have a hold of Christians and Non-Christians, lets get on with the message which is simple and eloquent. Jesus and his followers were a bunch of Radical Freedom "Fighters" who struck so much fear into the hearts and minds of the period's leaders that they had to shut him up before he did any more damage. His radical teachings took, as most really good ones do, all the teachings of his fore fathers and pushed them in an entirely new direction. Hells, if he was alive today he would probably be labeled a "dangerous terrorist" and have a price on his head.

Have I offended anyone yet? Well, I'll keep going to make sure. Everyone has this image in their head of Jesus as the kind and gentle shepherd that tended the souls of man and taught us the way of peace. This image is accurate but it doesn't go nearly far enough. Jesus also had no problem raising heck whenever necessary as is shown when he cleanses the Temple of Money lenders and such. He understood that sometimes you had to make a little noise to be heard.

In the end, Jesus' "radical" ways were mostly of the peaceful kind. He wanted to fix the "system" not destroy it. Sometimes I wonder if, since when he walked the Earth he walked it as a man, He had any idea the incredible changes his simple teachings would cause.

People are always pointing out all of the negative things that have come about through humans' interpretations of his teachings. The Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition are just two of the hundreds I could quote. The various "versions" of his teachings that have come about because of the translation and retranslation of the Bible, have given groups lots of leeway over the centuries. Heck, even the time of his birth was conveniently moved several months by man to attract more followers to the fold.

Jesus never wanted us to be complacent. He wanted us to stand up for our faith and our fellows. Being "Meek" does not mean being a door mat so if something calls for a little "radical" action then step up. At the same time remember that Jesus always tried to respect the ways and attitudes of those around him so try to show tolerance to those who's beliefs might be different from yours. "Judge not lest ye be judged" is still a truism today as it was so long ago.