Jesus: Democrat or Republican?

[Bio-logical]

I was having a discussion with a friend specifically about why Christians (devout ones) always seem to vote republican. Both parties pander to them during election time but no matter what they are almost exclusively single issue voters, and that issue is of course abortion. This lead to the following question:

Would Jesus be a Democrat or a Republican if alive in America today?

Of course the logical statement would be neither, he would be independent because neither party follows his word exactly, but the question really is designed to weed out if Christians are doing the right thing by voting Republican, if that party more closely resembles what Jesus taught or not.

I will get the ball rolling by offering the dissenting opinion, I think he would be a Democrat. Jesus was, according to the bible stories, sort of a bleeding heart liberal. He gave food and healthcare to even the most downtrodden in the society, He did not believe in making personal wealth more important than the welfare of others and he was very much against violence in favor of talking it out instead.

What do you think?

[East of Eden]

"Sixteen months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less charitable than conservatives."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articl ... l_giv.html

Seems to me the message from that article, and Obama's administration, is that liberals love to give, but mostly WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY.

Sorry, but there are lies, damned lies and statistics, and there's no getting around the fact the Brooks-Kristoff hypothesis is biased in peculiar ways. Their measure of 'generosity' seems to be only tax-deductable individual monetary donations to organised charities. It discounts a.) time spent actually working with charities and volunteer NGOs and b.) any charitable contributions made that are not tax-deductible. It also biases in favour of the rich (who have more money to give in the first place, and tend to be more heavily apolitical or conservative), a bias which Jesus certainly did not share.

Jesus was liberal in His ethos, but conservative in His theology.

[McCulloch]

Jesus was liberal in His ethos, but conservative in His theology.

What do you mean by that? Not the ethos part, but the theology.

Conservatism is a political attitude that advocates for established institutions and traditional practices and emphasize stability and continuity. Extending this term to theology, I would think that a conservative theology would be one that supports established institutions, traditional practices and interpretations. Jesus was not that.

Do you mean to say that Jesus himself agrees with the theology now being expressed by Evangelical Conservative Protestants?

[East of Eden]

What do you mean by that? Not the ethos part, but the theology.

Conservatism is a political attitude that advocates for established institutions and traditional practices and emphasize stability and continuity. Extending this term to theology, I would think that a conservative theology would be one that supports established institutions, traditional practices and interpretations. Jesus was not that.

He was conservative in that He was a Bible-believer, and quoted it often when correcting the Pharisees, saying "Have you not read.......?" He was not a defender of the man-made systems the Pharisees had set up, and said in Matthew 15:4-6 for example "Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition."

Do you mean to say that Jesus himself agrees with the theology now being expressed by Evangelical Conservative Protestants?

As far as their high view of Scripture, yes.

[cnorman18]

Jesus was far more conservative on matters of divorce and adultery than even the strictest rabbis and teachers of his time. Jewish law allows divorce for a number of reasons, but Jesus permitted divorce only in case of adultery; and on that matter, he also condemned having THOUGHTS of adultery as being tantamount to committing the actual sin, which is something entirely alien to Judaism, then and now.

[East of Eden]

Jesus was far more conservative on matters of divorce and adultery than even the strictest rabbis and teachers of his time. Jewish law allows divorce for a number of reasons, but Jesus permitted divorce only in case of adultery; and on that matter, he also condemned having THOUGHTS of adultery as being tantamount to committing the actual sin, which is something entirely alien to Judaism, then and now.

Proverbs 6:24-25

24 keeping you from your neighbor's wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.

[McCulloch]

He was conservative in that He was a Bible-believer, and quoted it often when correcting the Pharisees, saying "Have you not read.......?"

Read the context. His formula was often You have heard that it was said, [...] followed by but I say to you. He was not a theological conservative in that sense then. He was extending and interpreting the scripture beyond what they said and beyond what the religious leaders of the time taught.

Do you mean to say that Jesus himself agrees with the theology now being expressed by Evangelical Conservative Protestants?

As far as their high view of Scripture, yes.

By high view do you mean literal interpretation?

[cnorman18]

Jesus was far more conservative on matters of divorce and adultery than even the strictest rabbis and teachers of his time. Jewish law allows divorce for a number of reasons, but Jesus permitted divorce only in case of adultery; and on that matter, he also condemned having THOUGHTS of adultery as being tantamount to committing the actual sin, which is something entirely alien to Judaism, then and now.

Proverbs 6:24-25

24 keeping you from your neighbor's wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.

That's good advice, but it doesn't say it's equivalent to committing adultery.

[JoeyKnothead]

Proverbs 6:24-25

24 keeping you from your neighbor's wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.

Well ain't that a fine how do ya do. Make women pretty and then get on to us for looking.

What a cruel, cruel god.

[East of Eden]

Read the context. His formula was often You have heard that it was said, [...] followed by but I say to you. He was not a theological conservative in that sense then. He was extending and interpreting the scripture beyond what they said and beyond what the religious leaders of the time taught.

The idea found in Matt. 5:38 ("You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.') where Jesus says to turn the other cheek can also be found in Lamentations 3:30 'let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
and let him be filled with insults.'

By high view do you mean literal interpretation?

I mean high view. I hestitate to use the term literal as some of the Bible is obviously metaphorical.

[East of Eden]

Proverbs 6:24-25

24 keeping you from your neighbor's wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.

Well ain't that a fine how do ya do. Make women pretty and then get on to us for looking.

What a cruel, cruel god.

That's what your wife is for.