A realization I’ve been having is Christianity doesn’t know how to “do” the Jesus teachings. The raiding of Jewish law, the effort to compile ritual and sacrament where none exist, the sexual restrictions, become so key because the teachings are seen as mysterious. The idea is actually that followers of Jesus, by learning his ways, convert to a new spiritual body and resurrect on earth as divine beings. It’s unfathomable. It’s just nonsense.

Long sections of Jesus’ speech goes by, entire books are discarded, because they have no reference to rule-obsessed ‘Christianity’. Paul’s repeated urging to “put on the mind of Christ” is inexplicable- for how Jesus thinks is unknown! In basic constitution, Christians are much closer to Confucianists (high church) or Muslims (low church).