Why do the Christians get under the skin of Marcus Aurelius and Peter Worthington?
Among the many common phenomena that Christians recurrently experience as we pass through the centuries is our consistent capacity to disgust serious-minded people. Especially offensive to them is our unbecoming readiness to die if need be, or even to cause the death of others. We have read of two such instances in the last month, one of which occurred in the late second century the other in the early 21st. In both, the disgusted parties were admirable and notably honest men. The first was Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest of the emperors of Rome, and the second was Peter Worthington, one of the greatest of the editors of the Toronto Sun. Now it’s true–and we acknowledge this truth, although the Toronto Sun might not agree–that Mr. Aurelius…
