A professor told us that according to historians "turning the other cheek" amounts to giving someone the finger. I just wondered if anyone else has heard of this.
2007-10-14 14:38:18 · 19 answers · asked by Frank B 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yeah, it didn't make sense to me much either. He also said that the rest of the Sermon on the Mount also seemed contridictory. Ah well, so much for college education.
2007-10-15 07:49:46 · update #1
Of course not...Where were you..Princeton? It means, to not seek revenge for something someone has done to you. IF a man steals your jacket,,offer him your coat....
2007-10-14 14:51:21 · answer #1 · answered by dreamdress2 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To me it means that we shouldn't just get into a fight just because some one does or says some thing that we don't like. Do we really have to react to every little thing that bothers us?? I could get fights and arguments all the time because there are people even adults who make comments on how I walk or the way that I look, I've heard time and time again people make fun of children with learning disabilities which I have and my children have. I've had trouble with people calling me crazy when they see me enter my psychiatric clinic for therapy. I could get upset when I see people making fun of the disabled and since I am one I could take it personally but that wouldn't help the situation. So to me turning the other check means not jumping into every situation that could cause you to get into a fight.
2007-10-14 14:56:15 · answer #2 · answered by Kathryn R 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be a real Contributor i could could ask you this? have you ever heard of "thou shalt no longer mock the Lord"? nicely it says this interior the bible so, basically in case you haven't any longer heard it till now,I basically had to be the 1st to enlighten you. So mango or no mango this is approximately time to tango. Hows that actual contributor? i'm no longer so particular if the Lord even liked Mangoes yet i might desire to be incorrect I wasn't there. i do no longer think of i'm incorrect however approximately some issues it quite is.. God Bless You.
2016-10-09 06:00:37 · answer #3 · answered by buswell 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not exactly, though your professor is on the right track.
Y'see, the person normally doing the striking would have used their left hand, to add insult to injury, as it were -- the left side was often considered to be "bad" (the Latin word for "left" is "sinister"), and not using your "good" hand is the mark of a superior chastising someone of lesser status. "Turning the other cheek", in this case, would force the person to use his right hand in order to strike effectively -- the gesture is effectively saying, "You just TRY that again, now that we're on equal ground..."
So much for "Jesus, meek and mild"...
2007-10-14 14:42:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, it basically means to forget about the insult. I can't even imagine that Christ Jesus would give anyone the finger, especially when the Bible tells us at Eph. 5:4 that obscene jesting is not becoming to us. And what is giving someone the finger if not obscene jesting?
2007-10-14 14:44:08 · answer #5 · answered by SisterCF 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your professor should check the contents of his pipe...
The meaning of the text is clear: when someone strikes you or harms you in any way, instead of retaliating the Christian is to offer the opponent the opportunity to hurt him again. So, if you are struck on one cheek, offer him the other - meaning to accept it and expect more. Do not seek revenge.
There is no way your professor's explanation makes sense in the teaching of Jesus, especially since Jesus commands us to love our enemies, to bless them and not curse them. Seems pretty clear to me.
2007-10-14 14:45:30 · answer #6 · answered by Jude & Cristen H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You were doing great, you almost made me believe you with all that talk about Jesus, than you did something that tore the guts right out of me, you quoted 2 Timothy.
Hey, I had a conversation with President bush last year, let me tell you what Hillary said.
2007-10-14 14:47:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What does that mean to you?— It is saying that we should not try to get even. We should not be mean to a person just because he was mean to us. But what if someone tries to pick a fight with you? He may try to get you angry by calling you names. He may laugh at you and say that you’re scared. Suppose he calls you a coward. What should you do? Should you let yourself get into a fight?—
Again, let’s see what the Bible says. Turn to Matthew chapter 5, verse 39. There Jesus says: “Do not resist him that is wicked; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him.” What do you think Jesus meant by that? Did he mean that if someone hits you with his fist on one side of your face, you should let him hit you on the other side?—
No, Jesus did not mean that at all. A slap is not like a hit with the fist. It is more like a push or a shove. A person may slap us to pick a fight. He wants us to get angry. And if we get angry and we push or shove back, what happens?— We will probably get into a fight.
But Jesus did not want his followers to get into fights. So he said that if someone slaps us, we should not slap him back. We should not become angry and get into a fight. If we do, we show that we are no better than the one who started the fight.
If trouble starts, what do you think is the best thing to do?— It is to walk away. The other person may push or shove you a few more times. But that will probably be the end of it. When you walk away, it does not mean that you are weak. It means that you are strong for what is right.
But what if you let yourself get into a fight and you win? What could happen then?— The one you beat up could come back with some friends. They might even hurt you with a big stick or a knife. So, can you see now why Jesus did not want us to get into fights?—
What should we do if we see other people fighting? Should we take sides with one or the other?— The Bible tells us what is right. Turn to Proverbs chapter 26, verse 17. It says: “As one grabbing hold of the ears of a dog is anyone passing by that is becoming furious at the quarrel that is not his.”
What would happen if you grabbed hold of the ears of a dog? It would hurt the dog, and he would snap at you, wouldn’t he? The more the dog tried to get loose, the harder you would have to hold on to the ears and the more excited the dog would get. If you let him go, he would probably bite you hard. But can you just stand there and hold his ears forever?—
Well, that is the kind of trouble that we would be in if we got mixed up in a fight between other people. We may not know who started the fight or why they are fighting. One person may be getting beaten up, but perhaps he stole something from the other one. If we helped him, we would be helping a thief. That would not be good, would it?
So, what should you do if you see a fight?— If it is at school, you can run and tell a teacher. And if it is away from school, you can call one of your parents or a policeman. Yes, even when other people want to fight, we should be peaceable.
True disciples of Jesus do all they can to avoid getting into fights. In this way we show that we are strong for what is right. The Bible says that a disciple of Jesus “does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all.”—2 Timothy 2:24.
Now let’s look at more good counsel that will help us stay out of fights: Romans 12:17-21 and 1 Peter 3:10, 11.
2007-10-14 14:42:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
Why don't you talk to the LDS, (Mormons). about turning the other cheek! They turn their cheeks so often in this category, they can see where they have been, and not turn around to do it!
They have been blasted by so many slime bags, that curse them, and insult them!
We are here to exchange info, about what we believe, NOT PASS JUDGMENT!
So why do they ( the bashes) think they have the right to attack other religions?
Now, as for me. if I turned the other cheek, to these @ssholes bashers? It would be me, giving them the finger! Trust me, on that one!!!!!!!!
2007-10-14 14:55:26 · answer #9 · answered by cassandra 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A slap is not like a hit with the fist. It is more like a push or a shove. A person may slap us to pick a fight. He wants us to get angry. And if we get angry and we push or shove back, what happens?— We will probably get into a fight.
But Jesus did not want his followers to get into fights. So he said that if someone slaps us, we should not slap him back. We should not become angry and get into a fight. If we do, we show that we are no better than the one who started the fight.
2007-10-14 14:46:56 · answer #10 · answered by Just So 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This would be a question on the teachings of Karma. It says not to react on the negative Karma absorb it so that others may not feel the pain.
2007-10-14 14:45:38 · answer #11 · answered by islandsigncompany 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋