Forgive Them; For They Know Not What They Do

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There’s a quote unproved to have been stated by Mahatma Gandhi, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” For context, “Christ: is used by Christians—followers of Christ—as both a name and a title, unambiguously referring to Jesus.

Jesus is believed to be the son of Jehovah, a Latinization of the Hebrew יְהֹוָה‎ Yəhōwā, one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה‎ (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament. Thus, “God” is a title and “Jehovah” is a name.

I learned this distinction at a young age when my dad, an adherent to the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, taught me a lesson which aligned with the misattributed Gandhi quote. If memory serves, I was in elementary school when taught a lesson about crosses and crucifixes.

“Son,” my dad said to me, “my mom died of cancer, from having smoked all her adult life. I loved her! What sense would it make for me to wear a necklace resembling a pack of cigarettes, commemorating the thing that took her life?” My dad’s point was rational.

For clarity, that which is rational remains in accordance with both logic and reason. Here, “logic” is the interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, and “reason” is a statement offered in explanation or justification.

For instance, a modus ponens syllogism uses the following logical form: If p, then q; p; therefore, q. If tobacco products played a role in killing a loved one (p), then celebrating the mechanism of death pays tribute to the method of one’s demise more so than to the decedent (q).

Tobacco products played a role in killing a loved one [i.e., my grandma died of lung cancer due to cigarette smoke] (p). Therefore, celebrating the mechanism of death [i.e., wearing a cigarette-themed necklace] pays tribute to the method of one’s demise more so than to the decedent (q).

According to one source, “The Christian cross, seen as symbolizing the crucifixion of Jesus, is a symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix, a cross that includes a corpus (a representation of Jesus’s body, usually three-dimensional) and to the more general family of cross symbols.”

My dad told me that many Christians apparently neglected to understand the teachings of Jesus, though it wasn’t my duty to judge followers of Christ for their ignorance (lack of knowledge, education, or awareness). In any event, my dad supported the view of one source which states:

Many people view the cross as the universal symbol of Christianity. Although Jehovah’s Witnesses are Christians, we do not use the cross in our worship. Why not?

One reason is that the Bible indicates that Jesus did not die on a cross but rather on a simple stake. Moreover, the Bible strongly warns Christians to “flee from idolatry,” which would mean not using the cross in worship.​—1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 John 5:​21.

Significantly, Jesus said: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:34, 35) Jesus thereby indicated that self-sacrificing love​—not the cross or any other image—would identify his true followers.

Given the misattributed Gandhi quote, I get how Jehovah’s Witnesses may’ve considered the behavior of many Christians not to have represented the teachings of Jesus. Nevertheless, educating – though not judging – people was my dad’s preferred remedy to ignorance.

Later in life, I transitioned to the Churches of Christ. Similar to the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, members of the Churches of Christ do not display idolatrous crosses or crucifixes, as they instead rationally focus on the resurrected Christ rather than the instrument of His death.

During my time with the latter religious sect, I sang hymns every Wednesday evening, and on Sunday mornings and evenings when worshiping with my sisters and brothers in Christ. One of the hymnal songs we often sang was “Ten Thousand Angels”, which states:

1. They bound the hands of Jesus

In the garden where He prayed

They led Him through the streets in shame

They spat upon the Savior

So pure and free from sin

They said, “Crucify Him, He’s to blame”

Chorus:

He could have called ten thousand angels

To destroy the world and set Him free

He could have called ten thousand angels

But He died alone for you and me

2. Upon His precious head

They placed a crown of thorns

They laughed and said, “Behold the King”

They struck Him and they cursed Him

And they mocked His holy name

All alone He suffered everything

Repeat chorus

The fallible human being I so undeniably am, I often thought after singing that song, “I would’ve called far more than 10,000 angels. I would’ve called a million to destroy the world!” Alas, I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not a demigod, and that I don’t have influence over Jehovah.

Now, I no longer subscribe to the tents of religious faith. While atheism is a lack of belief in a god or gods, agnosticism is the view that the existence of a god or gods is unknown or unknowable. Currently, my views reflect the latter. Still, I value my religious upbringing.

It’s with comprehension of biblical teaching that I realize how irrational it is for Christians to display gaudy jewelry in the form of crosses and crucifixes which altogether misses the point of the Gospel. Jesus’s resurrection, not His death, is the point of the story.

While maintaining the teachings bestowed upon me from my dad, I don’t judge Christians for their ignorant or irrational behavior. Instead, I’m critiquing their actions, though not the followers of Christ. It’s with this context that I now turn toward a book that I’ve been reading.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

Marcus Aurelius once stated, “As Plato said, every soul is deprived of truth against its will. The same holds true for justice, self-control, goodwill to others, and every similar virtue. It’s essential to constantly keep this in your mind, for it will make you more gentle to all” (page 222).

I consider this view in light of morals and ethics. A “moral” is a person’s standard of behavior or belief concerning what is and isn’t acceptable for the individual and other people. Morals thus relate to what’s considered good, bad, right, wrong, or otherwise acceptable or unacceptable.

An “ethic” is a set of moral principles, especially those relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct. Whereas morals relate to what is thought of as pleasing or displeasing behaviors and beliefs, ethics – based on morals – are the social rules by which we pledge to live.

For context, a principle is a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption that serves as a rule or code of conduct with habitual devotion to this subjective morally and ethically right standard. Thus, principles are a form of values (something intrinsically desirable).

Unlike when I subscribed to religious doctrines, I currently don’t believe in objective morality. Thus, the value of being “gentle to all” isn’t something I strongly hold. Nonetheless, I choose to honor the non-aggression principle (NAP). Thus, I don’t intend on unnecessarily harming others.

I state this, because the more that I delve into The Daily Stoic, I increasingly find the teachings to be somewhat Pollyannaish (resembling or suggesting a Pollyanna, especially by having an optimistic nature characterized by a tendency to find good in everything).

For context, a “Pollyanna” is a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything. Unlike this type of individual, I see the subjectively good, bad, and neutral aspects of life. Irrespective of my view, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 222):

As he wound his way up Via Dolorosa to the top of Calvary Hill, Jesus (or Christus as he would have been known to Seneca and other Roman contemporaries) had suffered immensely.

He’d been beaten, flogged, stabbed, forced to bear his own cross, and was set to be crucified on it next to two common criminals. There he watched the soldiers roll dice to see who would get to keep his clothes, listened as the people sneered and taunted him.

That description was frequently in my mind during youth and early adulthood, especially when singing “Ten Thousand Angels”. The authors continue (page 222):

Whatever your religious inclinations, the words that Jesus spoke next—considering they came as he was subjected to unimaginable human suffering—send chills down your spine. Jesus looked upward and said simply, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

When quoting Luke 23:34, I suspect that Christians and authors of The Daily Stoic adopt a Pollyannaish view of Jesus’s words. I’m unlike Christ in that regard. Those who were said to have tortured Jesus violated the NAP. Therefore, there would’ve been Hell to pay if it were me!

Imaginatively, with demigod status, I would’ve called down legions of angels to destroy Earth. Then again, I’m not Jesus. I’m a fallible human being who doesn’t advocate Pollyanna perspectives. Nevertheless, authors of The Daily Stoic conclude (page 222):

That is the same truth that Plato spoke centuries earlier and that Marcus spoke almost two centuries after Jesus; other Christians must have spoken this truth as they were cruelly executed by the Romans under Marcus’s reign: Forgive them; they are deprived of truth. They wouldn’t do this if they weren’t. Use this knowledge to be gentle and gracious.

It fascinates me how so many people fail to understand biblical teaching. Being “gentle and gracious” isn’t behavior that Christ would exhibit upon His return—had He not already twice visited Earth (i.e., once at birth and another time at His resurrection; no more “second” coming).

In Matthew 10:34, Jesus states, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Although the tale of a demigod who was crucified by Romans on behalf of Jewish individuals regards Christ as a sheep, He’s the Lion of Judah.

He came not to be “gentle and gracious.” That is, if you believe the story. Personally, it remains unknowable as to what is or isn’t real in this regard. Thus, I focus on my choices during this impermanent and uncertain life. Clearly, I have no problem admitting my human fallibility.

This is why I criticize the behavior of Christians who display crosses and crucifixes, though I don’t judge the fallible humans themselves. Likewise, my thoughts and beliefs about destroying the Earth if I were in Jesus’s position are open to be criticized, though I don’t judge myself.

Similarly, I chastise the perspectives of people with Pollyannaish views, yet it isn’t my place to evaluate or appraise the fallible humans themselves. This distinction between people and their thoughts, beliefs, or behavior is a crucial one, as it aligns with unconditional acceptance (UA).

Perhaps in this way, Jesus pleaded with Jehovah to forgive fallible human beings who were ignorant regarding their thoughts, beliefs, and behavior. Thus, I support the practice of UA. Yet, all that being “gentle and gracious” nonsense isn’t something I condone. How about you?

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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