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Its utter falsity, however, is evident in the fact that it can be applied to virtually anything. The object of the faultfinding need have nothing wrong with it. If someone's intent is to find fault, not even the Holy One of Israel can escape being wrongfully blamed. The religious leaders of Christ's time took advantage of every instance they could to find fault with Him and His followers. And there were many, no doubt, with whom the early Christians met in the ensuing years, who reverted to this device (78:3) An approach of this nature to the New Testament would lead one to focus on those things whose outer meaning could be construed to have negative connotations. Even this, the repository of God's Holy Word, the record of His Son's First Coming, the source of guidance for the nations, even this could be picked apart and criticized: (78:4) "Jesus was hanged on a tree, and the Hebrew scriptures specifically state that such a one is accursed." (78:5) "He has said that we should hate our father and our mother and our children, but love him." (78:6) "He told his followers to eat his flesh and drink his blood." (78:7) "He claimed to be the son of God, but didn't even have a roof over his head." (78:8) "His followers admit that they are fools and prisoners for his sake." (78:9) "He broke and changed religious laws." (78:10) "He said that he came from heaven, yet we know his mother is Mary." (78:11) According to the New Testament, all of the above statements are true. If someone had construed them as evidence that the Christians are imprisoned brainwashed fools who hate their families, who follow a poor beggar who claimed to be God, and who participate in some gruesome ritualistic ceremony in which they eat the flesh and drink the blood of this accursed man whose image they proudly display - if someone wanted to believe this, they were free to. God would not stop them (78:12) All they would have done, however, is to shut themselves out from that eternal heritage which Christ had promised to His followers. No matter what objections anyone would raise regarding Christ and His teachings, they would simply be wrong. The Christians knew the truth, and the truth had set them free. They were free to accept in the proper light, whatever their Lord had revealed through His words or actions
(78:13)
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