The Good Book
A friend talks about An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and explains that this is the most misunderstood statement in the bible.
I am not so sure about this being the most misunderstood statement, actually. One could read this book and think war is a bad thing, for example. Given that most wars are fought by, in the name of, or with the blessing of the various churches and believes, I think there must be a misunderstanding, too.
Anyway, he claims that An eye for an eye is not a demand to match like for like, but instead is to be understood as a restriction not to escalate. Take an eye for an eye, he says, but don’t also take the tooth for good measure.
When watching the BCC’s coverage of the recent attacks in Mombay, interviewees remind me on that conversation. It seems they must have all misunderstood it. Maybe they haven’t read the good book in the first place.
I admit, neither have I. Maybe I should. I’d prefer reading the one that explains how to do away with religion in the first place. I’m getting pretty fed up it.