John Farebrother

“Like most other
`Christians', he believed in taking thought for the morrow, what he
should eat and drink and wherewithal he was to be clothed. He thought
it wise to layup for himself as much treasure upon earth as possible.
The fact that Jesus said that His disciples were not to do these things
made no more difference to Slyme's conduct than it does to the conduct
of any other `Christian'. They are all agreed that when Jesus said
this He meant something else: and all the other inconvenient things
that Jesus said are disposed of in the same way. For instance, these
`disciples' assure us that when Jesus said, `Resist not evil', `If a
man smite thee upon he right cheek turn unto him also the left', He
really meant 'Turn on to him a Maxim gun; disembowel him with a
bayonet or batter in his skull with the butt end of a rifle!' When He
said, `If one take thy coat, give him thy cloak also,' the
`Christians' say that what He really meant was: `If one take thy coat,
give him six months' hard labour. A few of the followers of Jesus
admit that He really did mean just what He said, but they say that the
world would never be able to go on if they followed out His teachings!
That is true. It is probably the effect that Jesus intended His
teachings to produce. It is altogether improbable that He wished the
world to continue along its present lines. But, if these pretended
followers really think - as they say that they do - that the teachings
of Jesus are ridiculous and impracticable, why continue the
hypocritical farce of calling themselves `Christians' when they don't
really believe in or follow Him at all?”
― Robert Tressell, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Robert Tressell (ANNOTATED)