Case Against Jesus

brilliant and unprecedented... I can't believe no one has written this before. -Tom Flynn (1955-2021) former Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism and Editor of Free Inquiry magazine.The Case Against Jesus had me laughing out loud, which is something far too rare these days. Ever hear the Bible story where Jesus says you must hate- yes, hate- your family and yourself if you want to follow him? If not, then let Barabbas Jones show thee the way unto the real, unfiltered Jesus. For two millennia Christian apologists have run damage control by muting his mike every few sentences. That's why Bible quotes are never longer than a line or two. The Case Against Jesus talks about all those scenes that preachers and Sunday school teachers had no choice but to leave on the cutting room floor because they are NSFW: Not Safe For Worship. Nothing would empty every church on Earth faster than unedited Jesus. This book shows you why. -Pamlea Whissel, Managing Director, Campaign to End Religious Abuse of Children and former Editor in Chief of American Atheists national magazine.From The Book:Jesus Christ was a narcissistic, horrifically violent, slavery supporting, misogynistic, wealth worshipping, Roman occupation collaborating, gaslighting, hissy fit throwing, hell condemning, vile fictional character. Plus he famously went into a public place and attacked people, sheep, cattle, and other barnyard animals with a whip, quite possibly stemming from having been born in a barn. Apart from his impressive ability to cadge free meals, he was also astoundingly lazy.This is, of course, a terribly taboo thing to say, and for many people, a terrible thing to say period. Even amongst atheists, there is often a level of discomfort mocking or even criticizing Jesus. Christianity might be viewed as ludicrous and evil, but Jesus Christ is not. This fits with the broader Christian claim that Jesus was a lamb, the Prince of Peace, the ultimate embodiment of love. When Christians claim that their god loves you, it is Jesus they are talking about. After all, he said to help the poor, condemned the rich, and never hurt anyone.Except that, as we'll discover over the course of this book, he actually did very little to help the poor, spent most of his time in the company of the rich, and hurt a great many. For every positive thing he said, there are innumerable examples of him saying, and most importantly, doing the opposite. He was also utterly indifferent to his fellow Jews' mass enslavement, crucifixions, and grinding poverty under the Roman occupation.His maniacal enthusiasm for condemning people to hell is less about anyone deserving it and more about him throwing a temper tantrum whenever his feelings were hurt. Much of what he says comes across as You just wait til I come back with my dad and his angels! Boy are you guys gonna be sorry! The best way to get through the tedium of reading the Gospels is to imagine Jesus as a spoiled four year old who thinks he has divine powers.His famous parables were told to, for the benefit of, and from the perspective of the 1%: kings, wealthy masters, and most shockingly, slaveowners. This was one of several surprising- a more accurate word would be sickening- things to be discovered when reading the Gospels: his cruel and demeaning attitude to the poor and particularly the enslaved.In Matthew 18 and The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Jesus, aka the Prince of Compassion, enthusiastically allows for torture when a slave can't repay a debt (verse 34): In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. In his charming Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22), a poor man is violently thrown out for not wearing the correct clothes. Jesus' exact words are (verse 13): throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.This catchphrase is repeated throughout the Gospels: you can just imagine him asking someone to pass the salt or else they will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.Jesus was the absolute master of blaming the victim. In John 5:14 he heals a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years and then tells him to Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. A woman accused of adultery is told the same thing (John 8:11). In Mark 4 and Matthew 13 he tells his disciples that he speaks in parables so that most people won't understand what he's talking about, and thus won't be forgiven and will be condemned to hell. Because, you know, he can. Classy guy.Arguably his clearest teachings combine slavish worship of hierarchy and wealth with an utter contempt for the most destitute of society. In his Parable of the Ten Minas a king of noble birth has his opponents brought before him to be killed. The cruelty is the point (Luke 19:27): 'But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them-bring them here and kill them in front o...