(identity 'myron)

Wed, 20 Apr 2005

Books [/books]

Finally finished The Gospel According To Jesus Christ by José Saramago a few days ago. It's a pretty good skeptic's retelling of the gospel stories. The entire book explores the what-if's and why's that a lot of people have reading the Bible and answers them with enough humour to almost be a parody at times, at other times very sharp and witty criticism. Though much of the book's criticism about the concept of God could be waived if you believe in an incomprehensible abstract notion of God. I don't think this is the case for a lot of Christians, so the criticism is spot on.

There's quite a few good quotes from this book, but I'll only include two because those were the only ones I remembered to bookmark. The first is from a conversation between Jesus and God, which forms some of the best and funniest dialogue in the book:

For the last four thousand and four years I have been the God of the Jews, a quarrelsome and difficult race by nature, but on the whole I have got along fairly well with them, they now take Me seriously and are likely to go on doing so for the foreseeable future. So, You are satisfied, said Jesus. I am and I am not, or rather, I would be were it not for this restless heart of Mine, which is forever telling Me, Well now, a fine destiny you've arranged after four thousand years of trial and tribulation that no amount of sacrifice on altars will ever be able to repay, for You continue to be the god of a tiny population that occupies a minute part of this world You created with everything that's on it, so tell Me, My son, if I should be satisfied with this depressing situation. Never having created a world, I'm in no position to judge, replied Jesus. True, you cannot judge, but you could help. Help in what way. To spread My word, to help Me become the god of more people.

The second quote is one of many that plays on the duality of good and evil and how it's too simplistic to characterize anything as some "battle" between good and evil:

All men, replied God, as if imparting wisdom, whoever and wherever they may be and whatever they may do, are sinners, for sin is as inseparable from man as man from sin, man is like a coin, turn it over and what you see is sin.

// posted at 08:36. permalink   comments