thought for the day

I've just listened to an excellent thought for the day from Giles Fraser (given on Tues 4th Jan). In it he highlights how religion can be guilty of scape-goating in order to find an outlet for public frustration and violence for the sake of societal cohesion. He gave the example of an African 'pastor' complicit in the torture and burning of a 'witch' in Ghana.

He justified his attack on 'religion' as a Christian Priest by saying that Jesus resisted the controlling and nefarious tendencies of the religious leaders of his day and that he sided with the different, and the marginalised (the usual targets of the persecution of the masses) ultimately absorbing the violence of the masses himself in his crucifixion.

Another interesting thought on the anti-religion of Jesus.