Today I saw the latest P.T. Anderson film, “The Master.” One
of the best directed and acted movies I’ve ever seen. But I’ll admit that I love almost everything
he does (yes, even Punch-Drunk Love). The Master is a film inspired by the legacy of
L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the scientology movement. Here “inspired” means that the Philip Seymour
Hoffman’s character is a leader of a new religious movement, but his character
is not named “L. Ron Hubbard”. I am told, however, that there are many
parallels and that these are intentional parallels.
This is the second film wherein P.T. Anderson features a
religious charlatan. You might remember that “There Will Be Blood” featured a
charismatic, charlatan preacher played by Paul Dano. It makes one wonder why
this particular theme is important to him.
Whatever the reason, seeing this film reminded me of a thought
experiment I have employed a couple times for pedagogical purposes. When discussing the historical Jesus in Church
settings, I have posed this question: If
Jesus showed up today and started doing the sorts of things that Jesus (purportedly)
did in the Gospels, what would be your first impression? In other words, if a holy man wandered into town
and started casting out demons, and preaching politics, and healing via faith,
would you be intrigued or repelled?
Some folks beat around the bush with a non-answer, but many
(more than I would have guessed) voice their honest inclination toward caution.
For example, I was gmail-chatting with a good friend of mine recently when this
topic came up. Keep in mind that this
person is highly intelligent, toward the conservative end of the spectrum, and
self-identifies and a traditional Southern Baptist. I’ve renamed him “Christian”
here. I’ve also censored his colorful language for the weak of heart:
11:02 AM me: hey dude
11:04 AM Christian: hey
me: happy birthday
Christian: thanks :)
11:05 AM Im older than Jesus now
me: yeah, what did he know that you don't know now?
Christian: He knew far less than me, most likely
me: yeah! bloody do-gooder
11:06 AM Christian: He probably wouldn't have liked me at all
what with my gentile blood
me: he would have looked at you and thought... this guy speaks
complete jibberish
Christian: haha
true
11:07 AM me: do you think you might have converted to Judaism if you'd met
Jesus back in the day?
Christian: Weird counterfactual.
you're saying: if I were raised in the first
century as a gentile, would I have converted?
11:08 AM Probably not
me: presumably, being a Jew would have been the only way to get
close to Jesus
Christian: If I were back there now, knowing what I know now, I think I'd
just try to approach him very humbly and do whatever he said
me: like the centurion
Christian: yeah i guess so
11:09 AM me: what if he called you a dog
?
Christian: but not knowing what I know now, given my personality, I
probably would have thought that he was a charlatan
me: that's funny... at least you're honest
Christian: I think that to someone like me, Jesus would almost inevitably
have come off at about the Benny Hinn level
11:10 AM Perhaps if I had met him in person and he had
affected me in some supernatural way
me: If I'm honest, I'd probably think the same thing
Christian: Of course, that's partly because we're educated 21st century
guys
so the counterfactual confounds some of that
11:11 AM I'd have thought he was being a d**k if he
called me a dog
me: It's an interesting thought experiment... I use it with my
students
Christian: I wonder if he called her a dog with disdain in his heart, or
if he was instead doing something else
11:12 AM me: hard to know how to answer that
11:13 AM Christian: I think Jesus would have bothered me with his hyperbole and
obscure ways of making points
I think I would have lost patience with him if
I were arguing with him
I would have thought he wasn't very smart
just goes to show that I'm kind of an idiot
about that sort of thing
me: Well, he would make you look bad by taking an absurd position
just to throw you a curveball
11:13 AM Christian: exactly
I hate that
it really bugs me
me: are you sure that you're really a Christian?
Christian: Yes, of course
I just know myself
in retrospect, what he would deserve from me
is my devotion and humility
But I wouldn't have known that at the time the
way I know it nonw
now
11:13 AM me: back in a min
11:17 AM me: sorry… well, it's a good thing, then, that your American Jesus
has been pre-packaged to suit your tastes
Christian: idk about that
I mean
setting aside stuff like that
there is something to be said for historical
perspective
it makes it easier to see who was important
and who was just a charlatan
11:18 AM maybe that's what Jesus meant when he said to
Thomas that those who do not see with their eyes and touch with their hands but
believe are blessed
me: well, I suppose that his death was proof enough for most folks
that he was a pretender
11:19 AM Christian: I wonder how many of his followers never believed that he rose
again
Kind of sad
me: yeah... I suppose that this is why Christianity is built on
the belief in the resurrection - because otherwise, he was just charlatan
11:20 AM Christian: Yeah, that seems to be what Paul thought
I always figured that Christ meant that people
who come much later and only have history were worse off than Thomas, but mabye
he meant that we're better off!
me: so the question is .... was the resurrection a necessary
element to continue the cult... or was it the thing that started the cult?
11:21 AM Christian: Oh, they were already underway at that point; without the
resurrection, though, they would have been done.
I don't call it a cult
I don't think it's true that 'cult' just means
'fledgling religion'
me: hahaha - in a technical sense, cult is the right word
cultus
cultivate
culture
11:22 AM cult
Christian: WEll, it means more than that in the English language of 2012
me: only if you're a Romney lover
Christian: It's pejorative
it has become pejorative, anyway
11:23 AM me: in one of the worlds I live in... its pejorative.... in the
other world its just technical speak
anyway, you're the one who called our Lord a
charlatan
Christian: In english, it's pejorative. In religion-academese who the f**k
knows.
me: blasphemer
Christian: No, no
11:24 AM me: you're going to hell for sure now
Christian: I said I'd have thought he was a charlatan if I had been alive
then
wrongly thought it
me: hell
Christian: right
I can just imagine going to hell for something
like that
and being pissed off for all eternity
that I got a bum rap
me: have you seen the louis ck episode about Jesus on the cross?
Christian: no
11:25 AM me: really worth watching... a bit sad, but thought provoking
Christian: is it pretty offensive?
me: no, less than most of his stuff
11:26 AM it has this long back story of him in catholic
school
Christian: I'll have a look
he's definitely funny
me: season one I think
Christian: huh I thought I'd seen all that
me: hey I better run
11:31 AM Christian: Nice to chat with you
have a good one
me: cya
I include this conversation to illustrate a simple point.
Jesus was faith healer, he was an exorcist, he taught in esoteric ways, and his
disciples founded a movement that must be considered a “fledgling religion” or
(to risk a pejorative term) a “cult.” Add to this the communalism practiced by
this founding group and you’ve got a pretty good repellent for traditionalists.
Many traditionalists (like my friend “Christian”) would have steered clear of
Jesus simply because he looked like a charlatan.
Here’s hoping – at the
very least – that Jesus was better looking than Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Thoughts?
I agree with "Christian" in that I too would have avoided Jesus. Living during Jesus' time, I would obviously have no previous knowledge or education about his teachings. To me, Jesus would have been one of the many heads in a crowd, besides the fact that he preached, performed miracles and so on. I have walked past homeless people, who seem to be mumbling, what to me sounds like crazy ideas, but maybe for them it's something more for that. I feel like this is how I would approach Jesus when he was preaching his faith and teachings. I would have looked at him like he was talking non sense. Of course in hindsight, if I were to meet Jesus I would know that he is the Son of God and that what he is saying is not so crazy after all. It's amazing how the disciples had so much faith in this holy man, that they decide to follow him and support him 100%.
ReplyDeleteI would also have to agree with Christian, I think that it would be a rarity to find someone who would honestly have believed what Jesus was preaching at that time period. Humans innately have a group mentality and will tend to go along with the majority. Jesus represented an anomaly, something that most people would stay away from. It is easy to criticize the people described in the gospel who did not listen to or follow Jesus; but what if we had been in their shoes? It really makes me wonder if there is another "Jesus" in today's society who is simply being written off as being crazy or an outcast.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting thought experiment. I too have thought about what it would be like to chit chat with Jesus about the issues, although I've never really tried to account for the realities of existing in his era. There's great difficulty in conceptually transporting my skeptical, analytical, post Enlightenment self back a couple thousand years. If I'm honest, I think that short of witnessing Jesus' many miracles in person, as experienced by my own senses and faculties of reason, I'd probably write him off as a charlatan. A big part of me can't help but imagine Jesus as a kind of Eli Sunday, especially due to his penchant for debate, his desire for authority over his community, and his ability to form a devoted following. Like “Christian,” I think I would have trouble with his argumentative methods, “his hyperbole and obscure ways of making points.” In any case, I tend to think that despite what I know about Jesus and his life, meeting him in the flesh would be like learning about him for the first time.
ReplyDeleteThe commentary in the beginning highly amused me, and got me thinking about if the Historical Jesus were to come here, to this time, with no changes in how he thought back in ancient times, what his reaction would be. The idea of him seeing all of these inventions 2000 years after his birth and death, and seeing the reaction he would have as a human, not as the Messiah, seems like something that would be highly entertaining. I have often thought about what the reactions of our past presidents, like Washington and Lincoln, would be if they somehow ended up in this time, and because they would likely be completely freaked out, I have always found it to be more of an amusing thought to have.
ReplyDeleteMore on topic however:
If Jesus were to appear in this time, in reality, and started preaching as he did back in the day, I honestly believe that most people would think he was insane, and try to put him in a mental hospital. It is, in my opinion, the event that has the highest possibility of happening, as our society is so largely driven by science and logic in today's world. If I were to meet him personally, I would probably be filled with skepticism as well, unfortunately. Most definitely, however, a Jesus of this time would gather a large following as well, because of the number of people that have faith in him.
If he were to come here and start exorcising demons, and not be thrown into a mental hospital, likely he will be an exorcist just like all the other exorcists in the world.
I have heard the biblical phrase where Jesus said to Thomas that those who do not see with their eyes and touch with their hands yet believe are blessed often. I always thought it was easier to believe without seeing or touching.
ReplyDeleteIf I did not know what I know now and instead lived in his era, I am not sure how I would have approached him, if at all. I honestly think I would have kept myself at a distance and would have probably gotten the message Brian got at the Sermon on the Mount from the Life of Brian. It seems like the Jesus from the Gospels (meant to reflect the real Jesus) sometimes seems to be quite unapproachable.
It is somewhat crazy to think that many place their faith on someone they do not know. I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that he truly did resurrect. However, after reading this post, I wonder now if there would still be so many Christians had Jesus not resurrected…?