Now, Let’s Talk about Jesus…

Well, now I’ve done it.

I probably offended half my list last week by using Hitler to make a point. Lest there be any confusion…

I made a simple comparison with an infamous person to make a point:

Marketers should keep their promises.

No more, no less.

And yet I got critical comments, emails, and even unsubscribes from long-time “formerly loyal” readers.

Which is why I thought it would be a good time to talk about Jesus.

Why?

Because Hitler and Jesus have at least one thing in common: Anytime you mention their names, you’re bound to offend somebody.

And since I already offended half my list, I figured it wouldn’t be fair to not offend the rest!

All kidding aside, I would like to clear up some misconceptions…

1. I’m firmly against murder. (The Man Himself says, “You shall not murder.”) I think we’d all be better off following Jesus’s example of turning the other cheek.

2. I don’t condone what Hitler and the Nazis did. It still stands out as one of the darkest periods of history in the last 100 years.

3. I’m sympathetic to anyone or any family who had to suffer through the Holocaust (or any other violent regime or military occupation).

A Reader Sounds Off…

Now, one long-time reader who unsubscribed was quite upset that I said the U.S. had killed at least 8 million people between 1951 and 2001 and tens of thousands more in the last decade. He writes:

Now, to get attention for your blog, you bring up Hitler. OK, but your reference to… “well the US has killed millions, etc” as if the killing of millions of unarmed innocents in WWII by the Nazis was remotely similar???

Yes: What the U.S. has done to other countries and peoples *IS* similar — only with less efficiency.

What was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but the merciless killing of about 500,000 “unarmed innocents”? (About a quarter million the first few days and another quarter million over the next 50 years.)

I’m NOT okay with what the U.S. did to Japan, just as I’m NOT okay with what Germany did to the Jews and other minorities.

How about the Trail of Tears? The U.S. forcibly removed a nation from its land and killed thousands of innocent women and children along the way (about 4,000 people died).

Or what about our invasion of Iraq in 2003? Saddam Hussein did not attack us. He did not threaten us with war. And yet we invaded Iraq anyway.

Since then, more than 120,000 innocent civilians have been killed as well as some 30,000+ Iraqi soldiers, “insurgents,” and “combatants.”

Furthermore, during our time at war, we’ve had well documented cases of torture, sleep deprivation, psychological abuse, forced sexual acts between prisoners, etc.

If you try to argue that the U.S. brand of murder and torture is somehow better or more “righteous” than the Nazi brand of murder and torture, then you seriously need to get your head checked.

Murder is murder, no matter which country commits it.

Torture is torture, no matter which country carries it out.

Both are wrong. Period.

“Death of one man is a tragedy, death of a million is a statistic.”

I can see why certain people would be offended by the mentioning of Hitler or using him to make a point (as I did).

When events are yet fresh in our memories, emotions run high. But let a hundred plus years pass and objectivity comes back into focus — along with a fair dose of amnesia.

Can there be any other explanation for why nobody is offended by Stalin or Mao?

Although researchers can’t agree on how many people died during Stalin’s regime, the low estimates say that 9 million people died — about as many as are attributed to Hitler. And if the higher estimates are true, then Stalin puts Hitler to shame with 60 million deaths.

For Americans who say, “Ah, the A-bomb wasn’t that bad. It only killed half a million people — Hitler killed 11 million people!” then we could, by the same logic, also say, “Ah, Hitler wasn’t that bad. He killed only 11 million people — Stalin is responsible for 60 million deaths!”

And yet in American culture, Hitler is Satan; Stalin is a footnote.

And let’s talk about Mao Zedong for a second. Your average American has never even heard his name. And yet even he — a relative unknown in America — is responsible for 40 million to 70 million deaths, possibly more than Stalin.

Perhaps this revulsion for Hitler, yet apathy toward Stalin and Mao, is because many of us know Jewish families or have close Jewish friends who have some connection to the Holocaust.

At the same time, very few of us have close Russian or Chinese friends whose families lived under the vice grip of Stalin or Mao.

The Best “Salesman” of All Time

If you want an “historical figure” from who you can learn a pile of hidden sales lessons, look no further than Jesus. He is probably the most influential man of all time — and, unlike infamous political leaders, he never lifted a finger against another person.

Here are just a few “sales lessons” Jesus illustrated during his life on earth:

• He clearly recognized his “market.” He didn’t try to please everybody.

• He used simple stories to deliver powerful (persuasive) lessons.

• He knew when to talk and when to shut up.

• He had an appealing sales message (salvation is for everybody).

• He backed everything up with plenty of proof (hundreds of miracles).

• And a whole lot more.

And what better way than to end on a high note with lessons from Jesus? After all, we celebrate his birth this week.

Merry Christmas,

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. By the way, Jesus really wasn’t born on December 25. If you’d like to learn a little bit about the history of December 25 and the date Jesus was really born, check out Why We Celebrate December 25.