Tag Archives: victim
The Saving Power of the Cross
Scapegoating and the Cross The Saving Power of the Cross Friday, April 2, 2021 Good Friday Today the primary human problem is both revealed and resolved. It is indeed a “good” Friday. What is revealed is our human inclination to kill others, in any multitude of ways, instead of dying to ourselves—to our own illusions,… Continue Reading The Saving Power of the Cross
The Scapegoat Mechanism
Scapegoating and the Cross The Scapegoat Mechanism Sunday, March 28, 2021 Palm Sunday Human nature, when it is seeking power, wants either to play the victim or to create victims of others. In fact, the second follows from the first. Once we start feeling sorry for ourselves, we will soon find someone else to blame,… Continue Reading The Scapegoat Mechanism
Doing the Victim Thing Right
Jesus’ Death Doing the Victim Thing Right Tuesday, April 16, 2019 The deep-time message of Jesus’ death is presented through a confluence of three healing images from his own Hebrew Scriptures: the scapegoat whom we talked about on Sunday; the Passover lamb which is the innocent victim (Exodus 12); the “Lifted-Up One” or the homeopathic… Continue Reading Doing the Victim Thing Right
Forgiving Victim
Jesus as Scapegoat Forgiving Victim Wednesday, May 3, 2017 In terms of the soul, no one else is your problem. You are invariably your primary problem. You are always the locus of conversion and transformation. I believe the message of the crucified Jesus is a statement about what to do with your pain. It’s primarily… Continue Reading Forgiving Victim
Avoiding Transformation
Jesus as Scapegoat Avoiding Transformation Tuesday, May 2, 2017 It seems we always find some way to avoid the transformation of our pain. There’s the common way of fight. Fighters are looking for the evildoer, the sinner, the unjust one, the oppressor, the bad person “over there.” He or she “righteously” attacks, hates, or even… Continue Reading Avoiding Transformation
Sacred Images
The Cross Sacred Images Tuesday, April 25, 2017 In Jesus we have a confluence of three sacred healing images from the Hebrew Scriptures: the Passover lamb, which is the presentation of the innocent victim (Exodus 12); the “Lifted-Up One,” which is the homeopathic curing of the victim (Numbers 21:6-9); and, finally, the scapegoat ritual, wherein… Continue Reading Sacred Images