World Religion and World Politics
The article: Why One Should Forgive One's Neighbour
Chapter 6
Christ's conduct is true Christianity
But if the authorised Christian priests do not yet know what true Christianity is, it is unlikely that ordinary Christians know what true Christianity is. The morality and conduct that people have gradually adopted and call "Christianity" is absolutely not true Christianity. What then is true Christianity?
      There is absolutely no other true Christianity than the disposition and the display of neighbourly love that constituted Jesus' daily life and conduct, and for which he gave theoretical, practical and symbolical expression in his teaching. In this conduct of Jesus Christ we see the utterly completed human mentality. This mentality is different from the ordinary human being's mentality in that it is totally cleansed or liberated from the mental predispositions inherited from the animal kingdom. Here there was no egoism or selfishness. Here there were no tendencies towards envy or feelings of jealousy. Here there was no intolerance or feelings of antipathy whatsoever. Here there were no tendencies towards bitterness or anger. On the contrary there was a fully-developed talent for seeing the solution of the mystery of life and thereby the goal for every human being's existence. Here was a fully developed talent for a true co-existence with God and thereby for a harmonious and loving attitude to every living thing. Here was a fully developed talent for understanding one's neighbour's actions and troubles so that one could forgive him in all situations – even when it meant crucifixion for oneself. He had a fully developed talent for giving rather than taking, for serving rather than being served. He had a fully developed talent for not being able to be offended or hurt. He had a fully developed talent for turning the left cheek when he had been smitten on the right. He could turn love towards those who turned hatred towards him. There were thus no animal tendencies in his mentality. He was totally cleansed of what is more or less firmly to the fore in the mentality of other people and which we have come to know as "evil". He was the completed human being in "God's image".