Once upon a time a man was born who recognized the hypocrisy of religious leaders, their institutions and the oppressive laws constructed by those leaders and their institutions. Those laws were defended as "God's laws" and as such were considered by those leaders as sacrosanct—unchangeable, unquestionable, and above the laws of man and nature. These religious leaders, the so-called Sadducees and Pharisees of their time, defended themselves and their institutions by intimidating others with God's punishment, as if they had been bestowed with a special knowledge of God's dictates.
After a period of study during the early years of his life, this man publicly ranted against this hypocrisy and exposed it as the sham it was. He did so despite vicious public outcry and condemnation from church leaders. In essence, he said he came to destroy the Temple. In its place he proposed the sanctity of, not religious institutions and totalitarian laws, but the individual. Each person should not be beholden to the law but to their individual conscience.
Sadly, this man died before he could see the full benefit of his work.
I'm talking not of Jesus of Nazareth, but of Christopher Hitchens.
1 comment:
Hear, hear. Well said.
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