I’m honestly torn on this issue. I hate the word “asshole”. It’s crude in a filthy, smelly way that I just don’t like.
Simultaneously, and perhaps in contradiction, I resent the way that the term “asshole” is degrading to human biology, as if there is something morally wrong with taking a shit, which is something that all human beings do, because they must in order to survive. It’s a very Christian thing to hate the human body and to characterize it as inherently wicked.
On the other hand, there is no other word in the human language that so vividly represents in a metaphorical way what cruel people are like. They take what was once a delicious world and spew out disgusting refuse all over it.
So, I was struck when I saw a new meme that asked a challenging question: When did Jesus become such an asshole? The web site asking the question explains:
“The majority of Christian voters in the United States of America voted for Donald Trump in 2016, in 2020, and again in 2024. Now, thanks to the support of Christian voters who love Jesus, Christian Nationalists are in control of all three branches of the federal government of the United States. Under Christian leadership, programs to feed the hungry and provide medicine to the sick have been destroyed. Firefighting crews that control wildfires are being defunded. Disaster response teams are being dismantled. Schools are being investigated, as if education is a crime. Canada is being targeted for military attack. All around the world, people are asking: When did Jesus become such an asshole?”
If you think about it, this blasphemous question is opening up a number of fascinating theological questions. All the best philosophy of religion, after all, comes from skeptics. The Christian faithful who populate seminaries are too busy observing traditional taboos and church sensibilities to find any original thoughts.
One question: Who IS Jesus? This is not the same question as “who WAS Jesus”. It’s treating Jesus as a character who develops over time in Christian mythology, rather than as a static historical figure. There is no actual history of Jesus, after all.
When did Jesus become _____? The implication is that the mythological character of Jesus is deconstructed and reconstructed in order to suit the needs of Christians in specific historical moments. Nobody finds Jesus. People make Jesus to suit their needs.
You can hear the objection of liberal Christians (who make up only 14% of American Christianity as a whole) even before they speak it. “Oh, Jesus isn’t an asshole,” they say. “It’s only some of the people who follow Jesus who are assholes, and they aren’t real Christians.”
Of course, this Jesus who liberal Christians speak of never actually shows up to do anything in the world. How could he? If he ever actually lived at all, he died about two thousand years ago. It’s Christians who show up, and they make Christianity what it is. The people who liberal Christians say aren’t “real Christians” are 86% of American Christians. It’s kind of bizarre to suppose that the vast majority of Christians don’t know what real Christianity is.
This blasphememe – a blasphemous meme – wasn’t created as a tool for theological debate, of course. It’s a political meme that protests the Christian Nationalism that has become the predominant form of American Christianity.
Right now, Christians are in firm control of the US federal government, and they have transformed their religion into a cult of personality around Donald Trump first, and Jesus second. In this interesting ideological arrangement, Jesus is taking on a role similar to JD Vance. He stands in the background, providing support for Donald Trump in blatant contradiction of things he has said before, hoping beyond reason that nobody will notice.
When did Jesus become such an asshole? The precise moment is difficult to pinpoint, but it happened when American Christians made the pursuit of power their primary goal.
Hm. Maybe Jesus has always been an asshole.