The gospels don’t show a holy hero who was a superior moral
Mark Twain is commonly credited with saying that the best cure for Christianity is reading the Bible, but no matter who said it, the devout should be warned that their faith is jeopardized by a careful reading of their scripture. Cherry-picking of feel-good texts by the clergy is done on purpose, to divert attention from Jesus-script that is mediocre and alarming. In my article posted here on 30 January 2026, I discussed ten such supposed “quotes”—today let’s look at ten more.
The term Jesus-script should be used instead of Jesus quotes because no method has yet been devised for verifying that any of the supposed words of Jesus are really, truly things he said. The problem remains: Lack of contemporaneous documentation that historians could use, such as letters and diaries. A favorite fall-back argument of Jesus-believing scholars is that the gospels are based on reliable oral tradition. Yet it’s widely acknowledged that the gospels were written decades after Jesus lived—Mark being the earliest, some forty years later. Just how reliable would oral tradition be, if Jesus stories had been told and retold countless times?
And there is this blunt fact: the four gospel authors wrote to promote their Jesus cult: they had different agendas, different understandings of Jesus, and created too much Jesus-script that makes him sound like a cult fanatic. It’s not hard at all to grasp this fact by reading the gospels suspiciously, with an open mind. Precisely what the clergy do not want the folks sitting in their pews to do. They have a sacred, elevated image of Jesus to protect and preserve, which deteriorates quickly when Jesus-script is read in detail.
So let’s consider ten more examples.
(1) In Mark’s 13th chapter, we find a description of events what will proceed Jesus’ arrival from the sky:
“For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of creation that God created until now and never will be.” (Mark 13:19)
That’s part of god’s plan? However, the people who are in the Jesus cult will be spared this suffering: “Then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” (Mark 13:27)
In other words, you’d better be amongst “his elect.”
(2) In Mark’s 14th chapter, when Jesus is on trial before the Council, the chief priest challenges him: Are you the Messiah?
To which Jesus responds: “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 16:62)
So here Jesus promises that those present at his trial will see him coming from the sky. But as we know for sure, this never happened. This Jesus-script is just plain wrong, but it is part of the main theme of Mark’s gospel that the kingdom of his god is just around the corner. Which was also just plain wrong—more cult fanaticism.
(3) In his Sermon on the Mount, Matthew presents Jesus-script stating that none of the laws in the Old Testament can be ignored.
In Matthew 5:20, concluding this pronouncement, we find this text: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
This is more of the cult drill, aimed at getting its members to be super holy: you won’t win eternal life unless you outperform the holiest leaders of the community.
(4) Also in the Sermon on the Mount, we find this Jesus-script:
“But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:22)
The cult is pretty sure that their god is keeping a close watch on everyone, including things people say. And calling someone a fool will get a person tossed into “the hell of fire.”
Some good advice follows, however. Before leaving a gift at the altar—that is, before serious worship—make sure you’re reconciled with people you have disagreements with. But grim threat still hovers over this advice.
(5) At the end of this chapter in the Sermon on the Mount, we find Jesus-script urging the importance of perfection.
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
This fragment of cult fanaticism goes beyond being holier than religious leaders: you have to be as perfect as the cult’s god.
(6) Luke was also determined to promote the cult; he needed to convince its followers that their holy hero pulsed with divine power. Hence we find this Jesus-script in the story of a woman with a flow of blood touching Jesus:
“…Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me, for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” (Luke 8:46)
The episode concludes with this Jesus-script: “Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)
But the main point remains: she had faith that touching Jesus was a way to tap into divine healing power.
(7) Luke was also convinced that there was a holy spirit manifesting his god’s power. He assures his readers that this holy spirit will come to their aid at crucial moments:
“When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you will answer or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12)
Thus you don’t want to mess with or offend this holy spirit: “…everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Luke 12:10)
More cult goofiness.
(8) Above all, cults do not want thinkers. So it’s no surprise that Luke created this Jesus-script as well:
It’s also no surprise that indoctrination of the young has been the obsession of clergy of all brands: Get young brains wired with our version of god’s truth—and try to keep this wiring in place for as long as possible. Please don’t ask questions, please don’t venture off into critical thinking.
(9) In the 9th chapter of John’s gospel we find this episode:
“As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s work might be revealed in him.’” (John 9:1-3)
This is an outstanding example of bad theology. Did the author of this gospel really believe that this man had suffered from blindness from birth so that, one day, by chance, he would meet Jesus—and thus become evidence of god’s power. What kind of insensitive god would do such a thing? Then the story descends further into ancient superstition. Jesus spits on the ground to make some mud that he smears on the man’s eyes. And when he washes off the mud, voila, he can see! This is straight out of the world of magical/miracle folklore. When Jesus resurrected Lazarus (John 11), he did it by voice command. But here Jesus had to make magic mud with his saliva. This is fantasy, and modern readers should dismiss it as such.
(10) By the time readers get to John, chapter 12, they may have become bored with what I have called theology inflation, in which this author specialized. John’s Jesus-script does not include parables, but instead long monologues, not found anywhere in the other gospels.
And here in chapter 12, we find this text: “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25) This is more cult goofiness.
I have not come across any devout Christians who moan about hating their lives. Quite the contrary, they are commonly enthusiastic about their lives, despite setbacks and occasions for grief. They are glad to have families, hobbies, sports, and any number of exciting pursuits. If we came across devout folks who moaned about hating their lives, we’d do what we could to get them into therapy. But here we have Jesus-script affirming that hatred of life is a key to winning eternal life. How can this be anything other than bad advice?
I encourage devout believers to dive into the gospels, read them carefully, make lists of Jesus-script that are mediocre and/or alarming. They don’t match the feel-good verses that the clergy are fond of quoting endlessly. Indeed, this is no lie, no exaggeration: the best cure for Christianity is reading the Bible.
David Madison was a pastor in the Methodist Church for nine years, and has a PhD in Biblical Studies from Boston University. He is the author of Ten Tough Problems in Christian Thought and Belief: a Minister-Turned-Atheist Shows Why You Should Ditch the Faith, now being reissued in several volumes:
· Guessing About God (2023)
· Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn’t Taught: And Other Reasons to Question His Words (2021). The Spanish translation of this book is also available.
· Everything You Need to Know About Prayer But May Not Want to Admit (2025)
His YouTube channel is here. At the invitation of John Loftus, he has written for the Debunking Christianity Blog since 2016.
The Cure-for-Christianity Library©, now with more than 500 titles, is here. A brief video explanation of the Library is here.
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