In his article, Jesus in American Culture, Harvey raises many interesting ideas about Jesus and his place in Christianity. Many cultures and groups, even those on opposite sides of ideological debates, have used Jesus in their different spiritual practices. Harvey gives the examples of slaves versus slave-holders and the Ku Klux Klan versus black churchmen.
The idea of Jesus (and his teachings) has been used by so many different groups to achieve various ends. So much that, to some of these people, Jesus may even be seen as separate from Christianity. From many perspectives, it is not the formal religion of Christianity that people desire. It is the relationship with a figure, such as Jesus, that creates spiritual significance. Much like we all have diverse relations with the people around us, Jesus means different things to different people. A woman can be seen as a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a niece, a cousin, a friend, a teacher... The list goes on. People hold different relationships with her that satisfy their needs and desires. People develop relationships with Jesus that suit their own needs and desires. They may be searching for comfort, guidance, reassurance, belonging, etc. and find such aspects within Jesus and his teachings.
This is why Jesus is used as the figurehead for more than one movement. Building a relationship rather than adhering to strict rituals and laws plays a much greater role in not only coercion (as an extreme form of evangelism) but also in fulfilling one's own spiritual requirements. Is a person more likely to give charity because of a religious rule or because someone they love would do the same or has asked them to?
References:
Harvey, P. 2011. Jesus in American Culture. In D. Burkett (Ed) The Blackwell Companion to Jesus. Ebook. DOI: 10.1002/9781444327946.
Picture: http://pixabay.com/en/statue-jesus-fig-holy-christianity-43361/
No comments:
Post a Comment