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Getting back to Jesus Christ and what made his teachings revolutionary—it wasn’t the idea that if you structured your life a certain way that you’d be able to fly around in a nightgown with all your friends after you died, but rather it was about how the meek are worthy human beings. That idea was extremely radical at the time because it had nothing to do with any of the magic and fairy tale found elsewhere in the Bible, but instead it had the strength of being grounded in reality, the reality being that all human beings have value.
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[Jesus] is coming into the world when all of the societies at the time are based on slave labor. He was a radical and was perceived as such, which is why he was crucified. Garry Wills had a column once where he said that, if you’re thinking about Christ, you’re closer to the mark if you’re thinking about Lenny Bruce than you are if you’re thinking of Archbishop Russell.
Mr. Fish: June Gloom With Lewis Lapham - Interview - Truthdig
