The modern disciples do not resemble very closely the ancient disciples of
Jesus. In fact it is very hard to find a reason why Christian preachers
call themselves disciples of Jesus at all. According to the narrative of
the New Testament Jesus was not in love with money and what money will
buy; he did not have a high appreciation of the good things of the world;
he did not express any anxiety about his food or dress, nor manifest any
desire to have aesthetic surroundings.
And if we can credit the story of the gospels, Jesus charged his disciples
to be and do pretty much as he himself was and did. He said to them: “Heal
the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; ... Provide
neither gold nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your
journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves, for the workman
is worthy of his meat.... It is enough for the disciple that he be as his
master.”
Whether or not the ancient disciples heeded these words of their master,
and carried out his instructions, we do not know, but there is abundant
evidence that his modern disciples do not pay his commands the compliment
of obedience. If there is one item that the clergyman of to-day looks
after it is his salary. He deliberately disobeys all of the injunctions of
Jesus to his disciples, and thinks he is doing his duty to do so.
This is the funny part of his discipleship to us. He does not consider the
charge of Jesus worthy of being heeded. When we point to the commands of
Jesus, and ask some Christian minister why he does not obey them, he
coolly informs us that it would be the height of folly in this age to
attempt to do as Jesus commanded his first disciples. In other words the
Christian clergyman acts upon the ground that the orders of Jesus to his
apostles are incompatible with personal dignity and decent living, and
that only a person utterly devoid of all sense of fitness and social
responsibility would undertake to follow his directions.
We agree with the action of the modern disciple of Jesus in regarding his
commands as foolish and unfit to be obeyed, but we want him to take an
honest stand before the world and say so like a man. Now he is a
hypocrite, when he assumes a place in the Christian ranks but refuses to
obey the orders of his master. The modern disciple of Jesus is more
concerned about putting money in a bank or investing it in real estate
than he is about “laying up treasures in heaven.”
If there is one person who believes thoroughly in looking after himself
and his in the world, and getting all the good things out of it, it is the
Christian minister. He is well housed, well fed, well dressed, and, as a
rule, has a comfortable income. How he must laugh when he reads the New
Testament! He probably regards Jesus as a chump to tell men and women to
take no thought for what they shall eat and drink and wear, and not to lay
up a few dollars for a rainy day. He has to make believe honor the poor,
unsophisticated peasant of Galilee, in order to get his fat living. He has
to fool the fools that support him in luxury, but all the reverence he has
for Jesus you could put in your eye.
If it paid better to tell the truth and to take an honest position in the
world, we presume that most ministers would quit playing the hypocrite,
but as long as Christianity pays its preachers more than they can get from
any other source, we may expect them to profess to follow Jesus and then
do as they please.
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Every fact is backed up by the whole universe.
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Christianity is a black spot on the page of civilization.
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The church is a bank that is continually receiving deposits but never pays
a dividend.