What do you think Jesus meant by turn the other cheek? It seems rather clear to me that it so that the person can strike you again. In other words, so that the physical abuse can continue... God will take care of us. If that means by death, as in Stephen's case, so be it.
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It takes quite a bit of effort to avoid defending yourself or retaliating for an attack, and a decent case can be made that the whole "turn the other cheek" thing, and much of the rest of the sermon that follows, is not so much a description of what is supposed to be done but a point that perfection is impossible. Since the Sermon on the Mount/Plain is obviously a very old part of the Jesus story (or at least a central component of Q), one wonders what Jesus originally meant by it and how it ties into salvation doctrine. (Did Paul even allude to it?)
If I recall correctly, a higher-class individual could with legal impunity strike someone of lesser status, but only within certain parameters (it was more than a year ago that I came across this and it may just be speculation, but I think it was either only a left-handed normal or a right back-handed slap that was allowed); the meaningful part of 'turn the other cheek' was therefore a challenge to violate those parameters so that one could legally fight back.
@Pedantic Speaker
I heard it slightly differently, but as I heard it, it was the fact that it was a response to a backhand strike, to "turn the other cheek" was to turn the cheek that they couldn't just backhand, basically saying "If you're going to strike me, you will do it as an equal, not as my superior."
Not sure where I heard this, but I wouldn't dispute your version either.
NO. What it MEANS is, if you are insulted or put down, you should not retaliate with violence. That way, you get the moral high ground. In a way, it COULD apply to slapping you, in which case GigaGuess has it right. My RS teacher once described it as the 1st century AD way of saying "F*ck you, a-hole!"
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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