Dear Editor,
Finding religion today entails something very different than what Jesus taught long ago. Today, people are guided into thinking Jesus’ main goal for them is “kindness.”
Kindness was certainly an important part of what Jesus taught, but his program went far beyond psychological sensitivity to others. In addition to kindness in private relationships, he wanted public kindness.
He wanted religious people to resolve fraught issues in criminal and civil law, economics, marriage and family, and international relations (Samaritans and Romans). In other words, he wanted good citizenship.
Jesus was opposed to easy divorce, but you would never know it from the blessing regularly given to it by priests and pastors today. He was also opposed to walking away from other kinds of commitments, like debts.
Today, church goers even want to withdraw entirely from public society and commune only with elect Christians. But Jesus wanted people to engage in cooperative policymaking and organized civic services like adult education. He set an example for participation in civic affairs by delivering judicial and public health services himself and engaging in public debate over things like taxation.
Kimball Shinkoskey
1306 S. 1100 W.
Woods Cross, Utah 84087
kshinkos@gmail.com
801-637-6352