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Would Jesus be a Liberal?

Which of these political leans would Jesus be?

  • Liberal

    Votes: 40 44.0%
  • Conservative

    Votes: 12 13.2%
  • Moderate

    Votes: 7 7.7%
  • Potato

    Votes: 32 35.2%

  • Total voters
    91
There's a difference between opposing individual isolationism (as some libertarians do) and a desire to criminalize it (as non-libertarians would). I might love someone and want to spend the rest of my life with them, but if they hate my guts, the right thing to do is to leave them alone.

I understand where you are coming from, but I believe Jesus taught that it's a moral obligation to support people, especially people you don't like. That maybe doesn't mean you should be forced to spend much time with them, but when they are in need, they deserve support. And he also said that it's well possible loathed outcasts -- be that prostitutes or what you'd call "illegal immigrants" today -- will rather enter the Kingdom than rich people who think they are living a moral life -- God will decide.

Jesus naturally didn't say whether institutionalized support via the state, or private support is preferable. The state back then was simply not on the same level of development as it is today. But I believe you can justify both -- the demand for private charity, as well as the demand for social welfare nets -- with Christian ideas.

I have a problem with that too, on a personal level, as I am often quite a "loner" and often hate being sourrounded by other people. I would hate being forced together with other people. But I still think the reminder that you have a responsibility for others is a noble teaching.
 
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Jesus believed in feeding the hungry, healing the sick, & bringing comfort to the downtrodden.

clearly, if he was a live today, he would be a Liberal.
 
Jesus didn't promote laziness or sucking off of someone's wealth.
I imagine he also didn't support distorting the truth in order to smear those who disagree with you.
 
He supported charity, he didn't oppose wealth.

He did both.

He opposed wealth polluting the heart and people making money through selfish/unethical means.

You've missed the real message in the Camel passing through the eye of the needle. He was saying that a person who did earn the passage into heaven would not be rich regardless of how much income he had earned in his life. The reason the rich man has difficulty is because he didn't do as much as he was capable of because his greed caused him to hoard his wealth.

Being good is not simply a matter of giving out a portion of one's wealth while keeping the lion's share of it. There's no sacrifice in that.

A person who dies rich has not done enough to earn passage into Jesus' heaven. A person who earned a lot of money in his life but gives enough of it away to prevent himself from dying rich has sacrificed for others.

The hoarding of personal wealth while anyone suffers form a lack of money is selfish and unethical. That's what Jesus was saying. He most definitely opposed personal wealth.

Many of the wealthy members of the early church had meetings in their homes and utilized their larger homes for this purpose.

If they followed Jesus' teachings, they may have had large homes, but they certainly weren't wealthy anymore.
 
Jesus believed in feeding the hungry, healing the sick, & bringing comfort to the downtrodden.

clearly, if he was a live today, he would be a Liberal.

But Jesus could perform miracles to achieve that. Economically speaking, he thus had unlimited resources. He could just lay a hand on someone and everything was fine.

The problems between conservatives and liberals today are because of limited resources, and how to distribute them. That's a problem Jesus didn't have.

If we had unlimited resources today and healing and feeding people would cost $0.00, I'm sure no conservative would be opposed to unlimited public healthcare for everybody, for example. ;)
 
Jesus believed in feeding the hungry, healing the sick, & bringing comfort to the downtrodden.

clearly, if he was a live today, he would be a Liberal.
That's a specious claim. Many conservatives believe in doing all of that - just in the private sector, not the public.
 
What if Jesus was President of the United States?

I guess it depends whether God told him which is the more efficient way to help people in need: Either encouraging private charity, or government social safety programs.
 
Thats what we need, another political party - the "potatoes".
Jesus would be the first "potatoe".
Of course, we know that this gentleman was apolitical, but that his "leanings" were definitely Liberal.
They seem to be the ones who care about people.
 
I guess it depends whether God told him which is the more efficient way to help people in need: Either encouraging private charity, or government social safety programs.
I do not think that its the nature of the wealthy-conservatives to give to the poor, or so it seems...
So, much to their disdain, OUR government must do this.
 
Jesus was a radical socialist.
 
C'mon bro, you really believe that? Jesus advocate worker ownership of the workplace? Communal and public property? Common/government ownership of the means of production?

Lets take a look at the Bible shall we

Acts 4:32-35 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Acts 2:44-45 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Luke 6:20-24 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

Luke 3:11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

James 2:1-5 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

Luke 1:49-53 For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Matthew 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

Matthew 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
 
Jesus would be an Independent and therefore wouldn't have a hope in hell of ever becoming president of the US. Unless of course he miracled his ass into the White House.

Oh come on. He had a Mexiacan name, looks Arab and is Jewish. Being an independent would be the least of his problems getting elected.
 
I don't think Jesus would be as bad at economics as it would require to be a liberal. Though maybe I'm wrong, he is after all a major advocate for centralized power.. :)
 
Because what Christians do and what Jesus said are totally connected. Get a real argument.

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." -
Ghandi.....
There is, of course, some connection......
HCC = Holy Catholic Church
Jesus was smart enough to favor a separation of church and state.
This "HCC" should appreciated this.
 
Render unto Caesar wasn't a political statement. He also showed no understanding of money so the statement in of itself is worthless.

Your opinion......, I feel that it did have implications (separation of church and state).... Try to prove that Jesus knew nothing about money....this cannot be done either way...
You are obviously not a Christian, Henrin.
 
Who's Christian, and half-white.

I wanted to give all us Americans some credit for how far we've come though. I'm a conservative newt gingrich supporter, but the fact that we could elect a black man named Barack Hussein Obama as president says a lot of good things about how far we've come as a people that we're not judging each other by skin color and origin quite as much as we maybe used to.
 
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