[Gutenberg 4004] • On the Prospects of Christianity / Bernard Shaw's Preface to Androcles and the Lion
- Authors
- Shaw, Bernard
- Publisher
- Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
- Tags
- essays , christianity , prefaces
- ISBN
- 9781499592283
- Date
- 2014-05-18T00:00:00+00:00
- Size
- 0.11 MB
- Lang
- en
The question seems a hopeless one after 2000 years of resolute adherence to the old cry of "Not this man, but Barabbas." Yet it is beginning to look as if Barabbas was a failure, in spite of his strong right hand, his victories, his empires, his millions of money, and his moralities and churches and political constitutions. "This man" has not been a failure yet; for nobody has ever been sane enough to try his way. But he has had one quaint triumph. Barabbas has stolen his name and taken his cross as a standard. There is a sort of compliment in that. There is even a sort of loyalty in it, like that of the brigand who breaks every law and yet claims to be a patriotic subject of the king who makes them. We have always had a curious feeling that though we crucified Christ on a stick, he somehow managed to get hold of the right end of it, and that if we were better men we might try his plan.