In The Brothers Karamozov, the Grand
Inquisitor asserts a humanistic critique of Jesus' teaching as the devil did in "The
Temptation of Jesus" in Luke 4.
First, here's what Jesus
said:
1. Man does not live on bread
alone.
2. Worship the Lord your God and serve him
only.
3. Do no put the Lord your God to the
test.
For the most part, The Grand Inquisitor says the
Church has had to undue all of Jesus' mistakes since he died. (Dostoevsky really
demonizes the Catholic church here, equating it with Satan's arguments). Wheres Jesus'
death condemned man to be free, the Church has had to foster community through security:
charity, brotherhood, and service.
The Grand Inquisitor
takes "bread" to mean a kind of "free will." He thinks that there are two types of
humans since Jesus has died:
1. Those with free will:
those who can handle freedom. He estimates these to be the tens of thousands. Less
than one- hundredth of one percent.
2. Those without free
will: those who can't handle freedom. He estimates these to be the thousands of
millions. The other 99.99%
Therefore, since most humans
are incapable of handling freedom, the church--or some institution--must provide support
and give direction to their empty, wayward lives.
The Grand
Inquisitor says "man was created a rebel; and how can rebels be happy?" As such, he
rejects Jesus' teachings on simple love and forgiveness as a guiding
philosophy.
The Grand Inquisitor rejects Christ because he
set the bar too high. He rejects the idea that one can become like Christ: that one man
alone can change the world. He says, "What is essential is that all may be together in
it. This craving for community of worship is the chief misery of every man
individually."
The Grand Inquisitor rejects Christ as the
Savior. He says the Christ-as-individual only brings suffering: "Nothing is more
seductive for man than his freedom of conscience, but nothing is a greater cause of
suffering."
So, overall, the Grand Inquisitor rejects the
individual, rebellious, and suffering Christ. Rather, he champions the communal,
acquiescence, and prosperity.
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