What Would Jesus Do?
So a few years ago there was a huge movement in which this slogan was plastered on everything. On the surface, it seems pretty straight forward. Think about your actions... is this something Jesus would do? ... Or how would Jesus handle this situation? Unfortunately there are a few problems with this.
First off is the obvious. It continues to reinforce the concept that we cannot think for ourselves. I am obviously incapable of making the right decision on my own... I'd better stop and consider what Jesus would do.
OK, is let's say I do this. Isn't this a bit like telling a physicist to ask What Would Einstein Do? I mean, it is the extraordinary qualities that made those people who they were. If we could all accomplish what they did just by thinking like them... Well those people wouldn't have been very special. There is a reason we place such value on people like Jesus. Despite your religious beliefs he was an extraordinary historical figure... literally. He was not ordinary, and to think that the average person could just "be like Jesus" is foolish.
But there is another problem I have with this question. And it really is a core principle of my own personal philosophy. I touched on it in a previous post... It is the simple notion that humans rarely stop and ask themselves "how" they should behave. And even if they do, they rarely behave in a manner contrary to their nature simply because they processed someone else's theory. In fact, the opposite tends to be true more often than not. Humans are compelled to act, and they do so according to their nature. And they will either maintain a belief system which supports that behavior, or they will find a way to rationalize that behavior within the belief system they have become accustomed to. You can ask yourself all day long... What Would Jesus Do? But the person that answers will still be you. And you will dig through your limited knowledge about this one person, and dig up the answer that best justifies the action you were already going to take. Only now, you've denied yourself the satisfaction of understanding your own potential and traded it in for the belief that someone else has helped you, or worse yet... made the decision for you.
I have been impressed and amazed by numerous figures throughout history... Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Martin Luther, Immanuel Kant, Martin Luther King, Jesus, Mohammed.... the list can go on for a long time. All of these people helped to change the world. But none of them ever changed who we are as people. And I could stop every time I had an important decision to make and try to imagine what any of these great people might do in a similar situation. And the only thing it will do is waste time.
So go ahead... Ask what Jesus would do. At best you will simply arrive at the decision you were already going to make. At worst, you will make a decision which you cannot justify or rationalize to yourself, and you will regret it forever. Jesus never asked, What would Dad do? Jesus acted according to his will, and his beliefs. You want to act as Jesus did? You should do the same. Act according to your will. Stop trying to be someone you aren't.
Then again, I could be completely wrong...
