But he must have! You see, I have had quite a few conversations with people who profess to love and want to emulate Jesus and the conversations generally follow a pattern like this one:
Me: When is it morally right for someone else to force themselves on you, to rape you?
Them: Never!
Me: But what if it was your husband, the person you consensually pledged the rest of your life to love? Would it be okay if, at some point during your lovemaking, you told him to stop and he would not, instead he used his greater size and strength to force you to continue even as you struggled to break free?
Them: No!
Me: But there were lots of times in the past when you agreed to having sex with him. What would make this different?
Them: Once I say, “No!”, anything after that is a violation of my free will, my consent, my trust! It’s a violation of ME!
Me: Yes, but this time he has a good reason, he knows you need to relax and he knows that having sex is the best way for you to do so. He knows best.
Them: THAT DOES NOT MATTER! I SAID NO!!
Me: Would your husband's actions in that moment be approved by Jesus?
Them: ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Me: Then when did Jesus make it okay for you to do that to someone else, or to hire and train some other people to do that on your behalf?
Them: Jesus never did that! What kind of twisted question is that?!
Me: I am confused then.
You have said before that Jesus approves the existence of human governments that (included in the very definition of 'government’) violate the consent of even non-aggressing people that just wish to go about their lives without being interfered with. Governments send agents to take the property of those peaceful people and, should those people insist on saying, ”No, you do not have my consent”, and resist, those agents will physically subdue them. If they try to get away or defend themselves, those same agents will kidnap and cage or kill them.
Is the morality that Jesus espoused purely situational, not applying if it is inconvenient or impractical, or altered somehow if some people organize themselves into gangs, call themselves “government”, and THEN violate the consent of others?
Them: ...no... I don't think so... but... now I'm confused...
Me: I remember that feeling, 'cognitive dissonance'. It fades once you stop giving your moral approval to what you know is wrong.
