Well, Jesus Christ believed in the redistribution of wealth. What about that?

[theophilus]

There are numerous examples of wealth redistribution in the Old Testament. Just look up Jubilee some time! Jesus was known for helping the poor and the RICH young ruler was told to sell ALL he had and give it to the poor. There are many other examples of Jesus teaching to redistribute and always help the poor. What about it Christopublicans?

When the Christian church begins in Jerusalem, all those who had abundance sold some of it and helped those who were in need so that NO ONE LACKED. This concept was continued into the future, somewhat when Gentiles were converted. We see congregations helping those less fortunate and Paul quoting Jesus as saying, "It is more blessed to Give than to RECEIVE.

Today's REpubs are hypocrites and don't know their Bible, obviously.

[KansDem]

1. "Today's REpubs are hypocrites and don't know their Bible, obviously."

Jesus Christ is merely a hood ornament on the Rolls-Royces of One Percenters.

[Flashmann]

7. "Today's REpubs are hypocrites and don't know their Bible, obviously."

Oh they know it....It just doesn't apply to them.....Hell,why follow the rules,when one can amass enough stolen wealth to bribe ones way into heaven......Everyone has a price,right??..They just need to find Gods number.....

[krhines]

2. repost

[Angry Dragon]

3. Jesus was not in the Old Testament

[snooper2]

4. please stop using mythology as a proving or showing a point on anything...

Our goal is to have it dismissed completely....not worthy of discussion---

[tama]

6. Who is that "us"?

It certainly does not include indigenous people and our oral traditions and myths we have founded their lives upon, expressing and informing balanced way of life, myths that express ancestral wisdom and thousands of generations of empirical experience and evolutionary adaptation in compacted linguistic poetic form.

[kestrel91316]

14. Speak for yourself. The adults in the room will continue to use the bible's own words to

refute the biblical cherry-picking that the RW uses to justify their politics.

[kctim]

5. The problem is

that the Jesus dude was teaching it on an individual level, not a governmental one.

[krhines]

8. so then

So then why don't the 80% of the population who calls themselves "Christians" start selling everything they have and give it to the poor?

[kctim]

26. That's silly

It's like saying why don't the 15% of the population who call themselves liberals use their own money to help who they say they care about, instead of paying for internet, TV, phone or whatever.

People don't have a problem with a system that helps others, they have a problem with a system that is abused and excessive.

[Poiuyt]

11. Doesn't it make sense that Jesus would want governments to do the same things as individuals?

I really doubt that Jesus would have said that individuals should be caring to those in need, but that governments should do just the opposite.

[krhines]

12. Jesus

Jesus only want government to make sure the "gays" don't get married.

[kctim]

29. I'm not sure

From what I have heard, he spoke on an individual level, not a governmental one, and I would think that would place the burden on those who believe.
I'm pretty sure Christians believe they should live their lives according to how dictates, not how government dictates. Perhaps that is why they get so riled up against government infringing on how they live their lives?

Look, I'm an atheist but I find the religious belief system interesting. I have no idea how or why people believe the way they do, but I don't think mocking, condemning or force does anything but create further division.

[Missycim]

27. +100000

nt

[uponit7771]

33. FALSE! "..they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all..

...as the NEEDED" Acts 2:45

The first CHURCH gave not just the individual, Jesus Christ DID believe in ORGANIZATIONAL redistribution and the organization being the "government" is a goper red hearing to the false statement that giving was only on an individual level.

Render on to Caesar of course but don't act as if the US government doesn't take Judea Christian values as a moral yardstick.

[tama]

9. 1To emperor

what is emperors." Emperors picture on piece of metal, give that back to the emperor. Is that "redistribution" or imperial "wealth"? Not.

Kicking down the bankster tables in Temple? Is that redistribution of imperial wealth? No, it's fuck you and get the hell out from Temple of life to Imperialist Banksters.

What about wealth, what is real wealth? "Like birds in the sky..."

[HopeHoops]

10. The Republican "Bible" is about eight pages of excerpts, many of which are from Leviticus.

[MariaM83]

19. hahahaha

[HopeHoops]

25. That wasn't meant as humor.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

30. I hear you...

Their god is a nasty piece of work....

[kestrel91316]

13. "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." Translation: Pay your effing taxes!!

[dkf]

17. Did Caesar's government provide welfare? Or was it all for war, roads, and to pay the politicians?

[kestrel91316]

18. It's beside the point. An order from on high is an order.

But carry on with your habit of trying to change the subject to deflect attacks from your little RW politician friends.

We know full well that you are opposed to all government programs that help the poor, sick, and needy.

[dkf]

21. I'm actually curious if that is what Jesus meant.

I've often heard the render into Caesar quote but have no idea if that provided for the kind of assistance we associate with the government.

[MariaM83]

20. Caesar's government was not a democracy (if you were an Israelite, anyway) nt

[cr8tvlde]

15. Jesus was the original Christian Fundamentalist. Few qualify today.

See Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount. "By their works ye shall know them." pretty much sums it up.

One of my favorites that makes me proud to be a Democrat..."Even as you have done it unto one of least of these, you have done it unto me."

[Prophet 451]

16. The GOP have created their own Christianity

Remember when everyone was worried that the Religious Right would take over the GOP? Well, what actually happened was rather more complicated. Instead of one subsuming the other, the agendas merged and an entirely new belief system was born. Rather than a religion which was dragged into politics, this new belief system exists to be political. It's very reason for being is to give a divine imperative to ultraright policies.

In this belief system, Jesus was pro-business, anti-gay, anti-government. In short, their Jesus agreed with the GOP on every issue. The theological contortions they go through to justify all this are quite entertaining if you're into that sort of thing but the important point is that they genuinely believe it. They genuinely believe that the Jesus of the Bible (class warrior, proto-socialist, long-haired Jewish peacenik) was and is best represented by the GOP platform and they can come up with all kinds of creative Scriptural interpretations to justify it.

I call this new belief system Christopublicanism. Like Mormonism, it grew out of Christianity but is distinct from it. The important bit here is that this belief system exists to stamp "Jesus approved" on GOP doctrine and to demonise political opponants as not just a differing opinion but anti-God.

[HereSince1628]

22. That's not in the Authoritative Plutocratic Version of the bible...you're cherry picking editions!!

Just sayin it cuz it's so true.

[TheManInTheMac]

23. That is SO 33 AD.

[Honeycombe8]

24. In fairness, tho, the Bible and Jesus are speaking of giving, not others taking. nt

[HangOnKids]

31. Jesus Loves You n/t

[Honeycombe8]

32. This I know. nt

[Cali_Democrat]

28. Jesus at the Republican Convention