2003  June

*Neo Conservatism, Neo Pharisees’ Group!  [0621-31]
 

Who killed Jesus? According to the Gospel the Pharisees leaded to Him to the Holly Cross. It tells that Jesus blamed them as following.

How terrible for you, teaches of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You make fine tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who lived good lives;
And you claim that if you had lived during the time of your ancestors, you would not have done what they did and killed the prophets.
So you actually admit that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets!
Go on, then, and finish up what your ancestors started!
You snakes and sons of snake! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell? (MATTEW 23:29-33)

It is said that our history repeats often. As the old people who claim themselves as faithful killed the people of true faith, a new people who insist they are loyal to God are betraying their faith. The name of new people is neo-conservatists who live in U.S. Both Pharisees and neo-conservatists share sublime ideal, but they are satisfied with their narrow mind. They may devote themselves for their ideals, but not for other people but for their own selfish honor. Both live in their closed world of solipsism, and utilize any holly things such as Bible and the holly name of Jesus. They are so arrogant that they believe the selected people to lead our world to their ideal, and do anything to keep their pride of elites.  However, they always stay far from the people who truly need salvation despising them as silly. They watch misery people only in TV, but will not enter their lives to solve problem from real point of view. They only say U.S. should be so great country as to liberate silly people with ideal of Christianity.

They tie onto people’s back loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren’t willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. (MATTHEW 23: 4)

It is very sorry for me that the people who worship Jesus betray His teaching. I am not a Christian, but I cannot allow the people who harm the name of Jesus calling ‘Jesus’. I am a person who gives even a drink of cold water to one of the least of these true Jesus followers (MATTEW 10:42). But I also know that not everyone who calls Jesus ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven (MATTEW 7:21).

I do not know well whether the blame in New Testament against Pharisee is correct or not. However, I am convinced that the people like Pharisees in Gospel should be blamed as the people who disgrace true religious mind. Pharisees’ behavior in Gospel cannot be allowed in all world religions, and they always have been cautious to such people. Also it is sure for me that Neo Conservatists in U.S. adhere to the letters of Bible but are not loyal to the teaching of Jesus. They do not recognize the words ‘only those who do what His Father in heaven wants them to do (MATTEW 7:21)’. If so, they should remind following Paul’s words and carry their consciousness beyond TV screen.

I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understanding all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains --- but if I have no love, I am nothing. (Corinthians: 13-2)

The opposite word of ‘love’ is ‘indifference’. The people, who are satisfied with American TV information that is convenience for me, cannot overcome their world of indifference.

Sometimes, the common characteristic between the Jews and American people is referred from the point of elitism. Some American people have the pride that their ancestors crossed to new world for their pure religious faith and broken new ground with efforts. I will not deny their history. However, these hardships will not allow them to be arrogant. If they want to be true the elected, following phrase should be noticed.

I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another’s feet. (John 13: 14)

The elected must put themselves under others. However, many people who regard them as the elected seek to keep the position beyond others, and build the wall against them. Now Israelis are constructing walls to keep them from Palestinian. Also, many American people are contented with their large isolated island, and only a few people learn foreigner’s languages. The people who want to think them elected also regard them as victims, and so construct the wall for defense from others. However, this wall creates the indifference to others. Actually, the people who live within wall usually enjoyed more rich lives than outers, and fear the attack form poorer out of their worlds.

For both Pharisee and Neo Conservatists, the wall to others is composed not only of geographical distance but also of letters.

American fundamentalists, who are main supporters of Neo Conservatism, are the most typical modernists in the sense that they adhere to objective truth of fact. Many of them believe that Jesus’ miracles written in their scripture are facts, and so denied scientific teachings such as the theory of evolution that contradicts Bible. Their behavior is regarded as traditionalists’ usually, but they have very modernized sense in adhering objective facts. For most of modern people, the truth they depend on is objective fact. As long as Bible is their supreme scripture, what is written in it must be objective fact. Consequently, they are sometimes regarded the most stubborn and unscientific people in our world, although they eager to deny the modern theories that contradicts Bible in very scientific way. This difference of consciousness against outer people enhances their emotion of religious elitism and, ironically, creates the sympathy with Jewish elitism. Actually, the main supporters of Neo Conservatism are composed of these two groups. They also share the belief that each written word in their scriptures must be materialized objectively in our world.

Originally, true religion should be open to any people who are suffering. However, in the case of Pharisees and American fundamentalists, it becomes the excuse to guarantee their superiority to others. This is the point where Jesus blamed Pharisees! Both Pharisees and American fundamentalists regards them victims of religious faith. Pharisees were under region of Rome Empire, and American fundamentalists have the history that they were drove away from Europe developing harsh earth. However, they enjoyed and enjoy wealthy lives actually. Religious belief is the support for their prides and superiorities to others.

Jesus blamed such people followings:

You put aside God’s command and obey the teachings of men. (Mark 7:8)

To recognize what is God’s command, we must consider what He demands us. Both the laws that Pharisees obeyed and miracles that American fundamentalists regarded as facts are originally the methods to lead human to true faith. Pharisees requested to Jesus to miracles and American fundamentalists search the their evidence. But Jesus said:

How evil and godless are the people of this day! You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah. (Matthew: 12:39)

American fundamentalists may say ‘the miracle of the prophet Jonah’ is the Resurrection of Jesus, but the idea of the Resurrection shows the true meaning of His Miracle.

If the Resurrection of Jesus was objective fact but no his disciple followed him, what meaning can it has! The Miracle is the Christianity itself, which resurrected from traditional Judaism beyond the Cross of Jesus! If it is the condition being a pious Christian to believe in the Resurrection as a simple  fact, how many people can be Christians in our world. Actually, the miracles in Gospel disturb many Japanese people to be Christian. Miracles are the method to faith, but not faith itself. If they hinder our possibility to obtain faith, it should be eliminated.

Nevertheless, both Pharisees and American fundamentalists misunderstand the meaning of miracles adhering to objective truth in individual facts.

They (Pharisees) said to him, “You are not even fifty years old --- and you have seen Abraham?” I (Jesus) am telling you the truth, “Jesus replied. Before Abraham was born, ‘I am’.”  (John 8:57-58)

Jesus is not an individual noun here, but a special noun that signifies the person who is glorified by God. The Existence of Jesus itself was the miracle and all truth about faith relate to His being.

For where two or three come together in my name, I am here with them. (Matthew 18:20)

The people who cannot have their faith without supported objective fact are like Thomas who said, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe (John 20:25)”. But Jesus told to him, “ Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me (John 20:29)”. American fundamentalists may believe the Resurrection without seeing Jesus directly, but they seek same evidence as Pharisees requested Him.

You may want to ask me why I adhere to so much to the standpoint of Christianity though not a Christian. It is because what the Pharisees did in Gospel is typical attitude to harm true religious mind, and leads our society to the world of hatred. Actually, Neo Conservatists fanned the human ill will with Islamic fundamentalists. Both fundamentalists in U.S. and Islamic world are the cancer of hatred. Also they polarize the difference between rich and poor people through their confliction. Both fundamentalist groups rely on the power of human civilized power, money. Where is simple faith to thank for God in humble life?

The original Law of our religion including to Christianity, Islam and Buddhism is to have the opened mind to others thanking for God, Divinity that allows us to live. It prohibits making a wall against others. However, some people who insist themselves religious make their wall with the name of God. The poison that they are scattering harms all people in our world, denying true mind of faith.