Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - February 14, 2018
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Activist Feedback
  2. Original Sin, part 26
  3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

1. Activist Feedback

Chip and I handed out 1840 CVA booklets at BOK Center in Tulsa for Winter Jam on January 28.

Upcoming Activist Opportunities

Leafleting and tabling are effective, enjoyable ways to show our brothers and sisters in Christ that a plant-based diet is good for God’s Creation. When you volunteer for the CVA, the CVA now donates $25/hr. to the veg. or animal protection group of your choice. In particular, the Winter Jam events are outstanding leafleting opportunities, with large, young, receptive audiences. Contact Lorena at lorenavalenziveg@gmail.com if you can help.

02/22/2018 TX, Corpus Christi Mercy Me and Tenth Avenue North LIVE
02/23/2018 TN, Knoxville Winter Jam 2018
02/24/2018 NC, Greensboro Winter Jam 2018
02/25/2018 TN, Chattanooga Winter Jam 2018
03/02/2018 GA, Atlanta Mercy Me and Tenth Avenue North LIVE
03/03/2018 TN, Memphis Winter Jam 2018
03/04/2018 TX, Houston Winter Jam 2018
03/04/2018 TN, Nashville Mercy Me and Tenth Avenue North
03/09/2018 KS, Wichita Winter Jam 2018
03/10/2018 LA, Bossier City Winter Jam 2018
03/10/2018 PA, Philadelphia Mercy Me and Tenth Avenue North
03/11/2018 MO, Kansas City Winter Jam 2018
03/17/2018 OK, Oklahoma City Winter Jam 2018
03/18/2018 TX, Ft. Worth Winter Jam 2018
03/23/2018 SC, Columbia Winter Jam 2018
03/24/2018 NC, Raleigh Winter Jam 2018
03/25/2018 SC, Greenville WinterJam 2018
03/29/2018 IL, Chicago Winter Jam 2018
03/31/2018 KY, Lexington Winter Jam 2018

2. Original Sin, part 26

Human violence has plagued humans and nonhumans since the dawn of human civilization. However, modern technologies have given humanity the power to alter the climate, to kill millions of fellow humans with a single weapon, and to abuse and murder tens of billions of land animals each year. These inter-related manifestations of human violence, I am convinced, have put human civilization in great peril. Fortunately, I think, there is a glimmer of hope, and it resides in the teachings of the spiritual leaders of nearly all faiths.

We Christians, of course, focus on Jesus’ life and teachings. But, there is great diversity among Christians about Jesus’ ministry. I will offer a view that I think accords with the biblical witness. Though I cannot validate my view with overwhelming evidence, I think it is at least as likely as popular Christian views and has the merit of, perhaps, offering a path toward rescuing humanity from impending disaster.

If, as I have argued, Original Sin was scapegoating, how might Jesus have “taken away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)? I can envision several possibilities. One possibility would be to punish those engaged in scapegoating. The hope would be that fear of retribution might prevent people from participating in the scapegoating process. This strategy has several deficiencies. First, people engaged in scapegoating often fail to recognize that they are attributing excess guilt to victims. They would regard their punishment as undeserved and unfair. Second, Jesus, as a man, was mortal. Subsequent to Jesus’ death, other people would need to mete out punishments. Those humans would be prone to similar needs, desires, and delusions as other people. While claiming to punish scapegoaters, they would actually tend to scapegoat innocent individuals. Third, scapegoating is often a communal process. From a practical standpoint, it is virtually impossible to hold the larger community accountable? (What comes to my mind is the movie The Ox-Bow Incident, in which virtually everyone in town participates in the hanging of three innocent men, as well as the many communal lynchings of blacks in the first half of the 20th Century.)

In upcoming essays, I will consider other ways that Jesus might have tried to end scapegoating.

Stephen R. Kaufman, MD

3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
Heavenly Kingdom Power

Newsletter Archives 2006-2017
See All Newsletter Archives