Read The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ for Free Online Page B

mustn't be violent, master, but if someone attacks you, surely you can fight back?'
    '“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”? Is that what you're thinking about? Don't do it. If anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the left as well. If anyone wants to take your coat away, give him your cloak to go with it. If he forces you to go one mile, go two. You know why that is? Because you should love your enemy, that's why. Yes, you heard me right: love your enemies, and pray for them. Think of God your Father in heaven, and do as he does. He makes the sun rise on the wicked as well as on the good; he sends the rain to fall on the righteous as well as the unrighteous. What's the good of loving only those who love you? Why, even a tax-collector does that. And if you care only for your brothers and sisters, you're doing no more than the Gentiles. Be perfect.'
    Christ wrote this all down diligently, taking care to inscribe 'These are the words that Jesus spoke' on each tablet, so no one should think they were his own opinions.
    Someone was asking about almsgiving.
    'Good question,' said Jesus. 'What you should do when you give alms is to shut up about it. Keep silent. You know the sort of people who make a great spectacle of their generosity: don't do as they do. Let no one know when you give, or how much you give, or what cause you give it to. Don't even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Your Father in heaven will see, don't worry about that.
    'And while I'm talking about keeping quiet, here's another thing to be secret about: and that's prayer. Don't be like those ostentatious hypocrites who pray out loud and let the whole neighbourhood know about their piety. Go to your room, shut the door, pray in silence and in secret. Your Father will hear. And have you ever heard the Gentiles pray? On and on, yakkety yak, blah blah blah, as if the very sound of their voices were music in the ears of God. Don't be like them. There's no need to tell God what you're asking for; he knows already.
    'This is how you should pray. You should say:
    'Father in heaven, your name is holy.
    'Your Kingdom is coming, and your will shall be done on earth as it's done in heaven.
    'Give us today the bread we need.
    'And forgive our debts, as we shall forgive those who are indebted to us.
    'And don't let the evil one tempt us more than we can resist.
    'Because the Kingdom and the power and the glory belong to you for ever.
    'So be it.'
    'Master,' someone called out, 'if the Kingdom is coming, as you say, how should we live? Should we carry on our trades, should we build houses and raise families and pay taxes as we've always done, or has everything changed now we know about the Kingdom?'
    'You're right, friend, everything has changed. There's no need to worry about what you're going to eat or drink, where you're going to sleep, what you're going to wear. Look at the birds: do they sow or reap? Do they gather wheat into the barn? They don't do any of those things, and yet their Father in heaven feeds them every day. Don't you think you're more valuable than the birds? And think what worrying does: has anyone ever added a single hour to the length of his life by worrying about it?
    'And think about clothing. Look at the lilies in the field, how beautiful they are. Not even Solomon in all his splendour looked as glorious as a wild flower. And if God clothes the grass of the field like that, don't you think he'll take even more care of you? You with little faith! I've told you before: don't behave like the Gentiles. They're the ones who fret about things like that. So stop worrying about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.'
    'What should we do when we see someone else doing wrong?' called out one man. 'Should we try and put them straight?'
    'Who are you to judge anyone else?' said Jesus. 'You point out the speck in your neighbour's eye, and you don't notice the plank in your own. Take