I do not have the time to reply in depth, but suffice to say much theological scholarship has been performed on Jesus' so-called "hard sayings," and while there do remain a few tricky verses, the vast majority are easily reconcilable within the larger Christian moral ethic.
>I've went back and forth for hours with some very thoughtful and decent Christians on this one, and there is just no where to hide. They reach out for the metaphorical branch, but there is no way to make the stretch work. Jesus is saying that you should be willing to abandon your children or your entire family if they get in the way of following him. Every time I talk about this with Christians, they essentially come to the point where they say they do agree with it, but they can't imagine an actual scenario where a Christian should actually abandon their children. They always come to the conclusion that it should never have to come to that, but it is still the right answer if it did.
I agree with Jesus (obviously) and maintain that there have in fact been situations in which following this prescription has been necessary. Francis of Assisi, the inspiration behind the current pope's regnal name, was prohibited from becoming a friar by his wealthy father, who wished instead that his son continue in the family mercantile business. Francis responded by renouncing his father:
>[Francis] not only gave back [his father's] money but stripped off all his clothes -- the clothes his father had given him -- until he was wearing only a hair shirt. In front of the crowd that had gathered he said, "Pietro Bernardone is no longer my father. From now on I can say with complete freedom, 'Our Father'