What l meant was “No, if you torture another human being, you are torturing Christ.” That the Body of Christ extends to all humanity, if not to the whole of creation, not simply to baptised Christians.
Ah, yes - I agree, but I think I'd argue that's a consequence of the Christian pattern extending outwards, ie all are made in the image of God. But we have to start somewhere!! btw it's why Rodney Stark argues that the West effectively abolished slavery twice, the first being in the middle ages, as a consequence of this.
And also why the Spanish at least had a debate in the 16C, prompted by the Jesuits I think, about the status of the peoples of the Americas. Just a shame they didn’t extend the same protection to the people of West Africa that were enslaved to take their place (although, to be fair, I think the Portuguese started the slave trade).
“No, if you torture a baptised Christian, you are torturing Christ.” Should surely read “another human being”
No, I think the point for the church is to insist that the human being IS Christ, ie is the Body of Christ. That's what I was trying to say
What l meant was “No, if you torture another human being, you are torturing Christ.” That the Body of Christ extends to all humanity, if not to the whole of creation, not simply to baptised Christians.
Ah, yes - I agree, but I think I'd argue that's a consequence of the Christian pattern extending outwards, ie all are made in the image of God. But we have to start somewhere!! btw it's why Rodney Stark argues that the West effectively abolished slavery twice, the first being in the middle ages, as a consequence of this.
And also why the Spanish at least had a debate in the 16C, prompted by the Jesuits I think, about the status of the peoples of the Americas. Just a shame they didn’t extend the same protection to the people of West Africa that were enslaved to take their place (although, to be fair, I think the Portuguese started the slave trade).