People choose what parts of Jesus' teachings to follow

To The Daily Sun,

I recently attended a meeting of the Concerned Citizens group. It was my first time and I went to learn more about what their concerns might be.

The meeting began with a prayer that I assumed was Christian, and it seemed that many of the people in the room considered themselves Christians.

The topic of the films and discussion was “Political Islam.” During the portion of the meeting I attended, all Muslims and liberals were identified as “evil” and “the enemy.” I heard the Hebrew scriptures being used to justify violence against “our enemies.” Lip service was paid to Jesus’ teachings about turning the other cheek, which was immediately followed by “an eye for an eye.” There was no mention of the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” I think Jesus was clear about how we are to treat our enemies.

Several days later, I read a letter to the editor where the writer invoked the Bible to justify the death penalty, though I don’t know if she considers herself a Christian or not. I don’t know where in the Bible Jesus promoted the use of the death penalty.

Would I fight back if attacked? Yes, I would defend myself if I couldn’t run away. But I would do so knowing that I was failing to follow the example Jesus set. I would not use the Hebrew scriptures to explain my failure.

I find it interesting how people seem to pick and choose what parts of Jesus’ teachings they will follow, and I’d like to hear more about how they arrive at their positions on the issue of violence.

Karen Barker

Laconia