Joshua’s Message to Auburn and the Modern World
Joshua, written by Joseph F. Girzone, is a modern day parable. The story is set in the city of Auburn, New York, and focuses on the religious opinions and impact of Joshua, who is new to the town. Through evidence in the text, the reader can conclude that the character of Joshua is supposed to be Jesus in his second coming, which allows the reader to understand the reasoning behind his message. In Joshua: A Parable for Today, Joshua communicates a very important message about religion, which he reveals to members of different faith communities, and which is received in various ways that cause himself to get in trouble. Joshua’s overall message throughout the story calls attention to the way the Church teaches. Joshua argues that modern religion is too authoritative and power is the main motivation for priests and other Church officials. Because of this, he says that the Church teachings are too legislative, while they should be inspiring. He also states that Jesus did not create the Church with this intention. In his meeting with the bishops, Joshua says, “‘That is why you should guide and inspire but not legislate behavior. And to threaten God’s displeasure when people do not follow your rules is being a moral bully and does not service to God’” (Girzone 253). In this exchange, Joshua accuses the bishops of acting in a legislative manner. …show more content…
Joshua’s message is about religion being to authoritative and not as welcoming and loving as Jesus created it to be. He communicates this message to various faith communities, including Jews and Christians. People may take this message in various ways, whether they criticize or agree with it. Overall, regardless of how people view this message, it is important for people to know so they can grow in their faith and relationship with
Joshua, written by Joseph F. Girzone, is a modern day parable. The story is set in the city of Auburn, New York, and focuses on the religious opinions and impact of Joshua, who is new to the town. Through evidence in the text, the reader can conclude that the character of Joshua is supposed to be Jesus in his second coming, which allows the reader to understand the reasoning behind his message. In Joshua: A Parable for Today, Joshua communicates a very important message about religion, which he reveals to members of different faith communities, and which is received in various ways that cause himself to get in trouble. Joshua’s overall message throughout the story calls attention to the way the Church teaches. Joshua argues that modern religion is too authoritative and power is the main motivation for priests and other Church officials. Because of this, he says that the Church teachings are too legislative, while they should be inspiring. He also states that Jesus did not create the Church with this intention. In his meeting with the bishops, Joshua says, “‘That is why you should guide and inspire but not legislate behavior. And to threaten God’s displeasure when people do not follow your rules is being a moral bully and does not service to God’” (Girzone 253). In this exchange, Joshua accuses the bishops of acting in a legislative manner. …show more content…
Joshua’s message is about religion being to authoritative and not as welcoming and loving as Jesus created it to be. He communicates this message to various faith communities, including Jews and Christians. People may take this message in various ways, whether they criticize or agree with it. Overall, regardless of how people view this message, it is important for people to know so they can grow in their faith and relationship with