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Jesus never said anything about absurdity, and he never indicated for one flash of time that he was aware of the preposterousness of his theory about himself. And he didn't even try to make the theory understandable in terms of the reality and experience of the rest of us. For if everybody else is also not what Jesus said he was, what good is what he said?

William Saroyan#166

TruthRealityFaithAbsurdityBeliefReligion

About this quote

What does it mean?
The quote questions Jesus awareness of the absurdity of his claims and lack of relatability.
In plain terms
Jesus never said his ideas were strange or tried to make sense to normal people.
What can you take from it?
Beliefs should connect to everyday reality.

Where it applies

  • theological debate
  • faith questioning
  • philosophy

Putting it to work

  • evaluate beliefs
  • seek relatability
  • question dogma

Questions to consider

  • Do beliefs need to fit reality?
  • What is absurd in faith?

Another view

It dismisses faith without considering metaphorical meaning.

More from William Saroyan

  1. The idiot is indeed the good man, but only because he doesn't know any better.

    Permalink to quote #165
  2. The boy on the Oakland porch goes to sleep upon the universe of ice and wakes up and remembers the death of his father and mother, and sees the sun.

    Permalink to quote #167
  3. I had long known that there was something about me that was either violent or frightening for some reason. In certain three-sided clothing store images I had f…

    Permalink to quote #164

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