Would Jesus be a liberal or conservative?

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You can’t pigeonhole Him into those kind of poorly-defined earthly political categories. Jesus is neither liberal or conservative or monarchist, or anarchist, or libertarian, or “green.”

He’s Jesus.
 
St_Francis said:
Christ’s Church teaches that government is necessary, so He would not have been an anarchist.

His Church teaches that Socialism is immoral because it violates the dignity of the people, so He would not have been a Socialist.

And His Church teaches that there are times when a persn needs to defend others, so He would not have been a pacifist.

Except of course when He didn’t, like when He overturned the tables of the moneychangers.

Each of which is an admonition to obey the laws and respect the government rather an admonition of non-violence. Elsewhere, He told the Apostles to be sure to take a sword along with them.

**Why **did He criticize the rich? Was it because they had money or because they lept the money and ignored the needs of those “to whom less was given”?

See above.

Not at all. Christ said that in context of one of the masters’ being money, not government. He attitude towards government was much better shown when He said, Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s–that Church and State are supposed to be complimentary, not opposed to each other.

When there is conflict, we must obey God rather than man…

GKC was a founder of Distributism, a far cry from being an anarchist.

After her conversion, Day considered hersefl a Distributist also.
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Well you schooled that persons comment.
 
Brendan said:
Or when he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

That was the same Jesus Christ who did that.
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I agree, and the bible says many times, God is ALWAYS the same, will never change, so this is the same God. It is also the same God who sent 2 female bears to maul and kill 42 young kids for making fun of a balding guy.
 
Jesus would like the church today because the church is the living body of Christ. Depending on the issue and how we look at those terms today. On some issues He would be what we call conservative and on some issues He would be liberal. 🙂
 
I think he would have been a centralist. However I do not think he would have involved himself in politics as he did not when he was here.
 
mikekle said:
I agree, and the bible says many times, God is ALWAYS the same, will never change, so this is the same God. It is also the same God who sent 2 female bears to maul and kill 42 young kids for making fun of a balding guy.
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So sometimes, he’s imploring you to forgive your enemies, other times he’s raining hellfire down on entire cities.

Sometimes he’s summoning bloodthirsty bears to kill children, other times he’s restoring vision to the blind.

Sometimes he’s tending to those in need, other times he’s cursing fig trees.

Sometimes he’s cool with Solomon, other times he’s down with monogamy.

Darn, he’s a really tough guy to get a fix on! 🤷
 
St_Francis said:
Christ’s Church teaches that government is necessary, so He would not have been an anarchist.
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Governance can be achieved in a variety of fashions, it needn’t necessarily include violence.
His Church teaches that Socialism is immoral because it violates the dignity of the people, so He would not have been a Socialist.
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I’ve found no such teaching regarding socialism. I am not a socialist but I have found no such thing. I found a warning by the Pope in regards to the “excesses” of socialism and capitalism, but no blanket condemnation of socialism.

Where did you find this?
And His Church teaches that there are times when a persn needs to defend others, so He would not have been a pacifist.
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Except of course when He didn’t, like when He overturned the tables of the moneychangers.
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This is one of the only (if not the only) instance in which Jesus used physical force in any situation. While by my understanding, that would rule out the idea that he was/is a pacifist, it wouldn’t necessarily mean he was a violent person.
Each of which is an admonition to obey the laws and respect the government rather an admonition of non-violence.
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Is it your contention that the sermon on the mount and the sermon on the plain applies only to one’s interaction with government entities? Why? :confused:
**Why **did He criticize the rich? Was it because they had money or because they lept the money and ignored the needs of those “to whom less was given”?
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Assuming you’re right, does that somehow makes him unconcerned about the poor?
 
Monte_RCMS said:
As a carpenter, He had tools and a workshop that He, no doubt, inherited from St. Joseph. Although being Divine, He could have invented power tools.
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I know this is way off topic, but your point, Monte, caught my eye. I have thought about this before. Can you imagine being Jesus, working your rear-end off in the hot sun, thinking something like, “If I set up shop far away from Nazareth, I just might be able to use a circular saw without anyone hearing it, and work in an air-conditioned building without anyone stopping by and noticing it.”
 
Can we really classify Jesus in this way? Politics is mostly based on personal interests. I’d say he would be a theocrat, no more, no less 😉
 
I think the whole basis for this question is very wrong.

There are far too many Christians who try to ‘use’ Jesus (and the teachings of Church) as some sort of justification for the political views they hold with the Gospel and the teachings of the Church being used as ‘evidence’ to back up their political viewpoint. This, in effect makes, turns secular political viewpoints into ‘gods’.

All that is good in this world comes from God. Anything that is good in any secular political system comes from God, and their is good in left, right, conservative, liberal, socialist etc. political systems. There is also evil in all these systems.

The very attempt to pigeonhole Jesus as being of the left, or of the right, as liberal, conservative, socialist etc. is in itself very wrong. Christ is goodness and truth in its entirety. He does not fit into our grubby, flawed, sinful, political systems.
 
VeritasLuxMea said:
Governance can be achieved in a variety of fashions, it needn’t necessarily include violence.
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And if I define “candy” as “everything I like to eat,” then i can go around the country advocating that people eat nothing but candy, too.

“Governance” is achieved by “government.” If you re-define government to be “that which I do not like about a particular government at a particular time and place,” then yes, you can call yourself and anarchist and say that Christ Himself was an anarchist, but by twisting the language in this way you are equivocating, which is a fallacy in debate.

From the CCC: 1882 Certain societies, such as the family and the state, correspond more directly to the nature of man; they are necessary to him.

[However]1883… Excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative.

2266 The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harmful to people’s rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense. When it is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to defending public order and protecting people’s safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party.67
I’ve found no such teaching regarding socialism. I am not a socialist but I have found no such thing. I found a warning by the Pope in regards to the “excesses” of socialism and capitalism, but no blanket condemnation of socialism.
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From Encyclical Quadragesimo Anno, May 15, paragraph 117: Socialism, if it remains truly Socialism, even after it has yielded to truth and justice on the points which we have mentioned, cannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth.
This is one of the only (if not the only) instance in which Jesus used physical force in any situation. While by my understanding, that would rule out the idea that he was/is a pacifist, it wouldn’t necessarily mean he was a violent person.
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Well, since what I was doing refuting your idea that Christ is a pacifist, and not the idea that Christ is violent, I guess we agree.
Is it your contention that the sermon on the mount and the sermon on the plain applies only to one’s interaction with government entities?
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Why would you ask this? I was referring to the two quotes you brought up, not to other things Christ said.
Why? :confused:
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From Cap. Significasti, De Homicid. volunt. vel casual: “…it is lawful to repel force by force, provided one does not exceed the limits of a blameless defense.” From Summa Theologica, II-II 64 Q7
Assuming you’re right, does that somehow makes him unconcerned about the poor?
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What is it about my saying that Christ criticized the rich for “ignoring the needs of the poor” which indicates that Christ was unconcerned about the poor?
 
triumphguy said:
Jesus Christ destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah?

Jesus Christ?:confused:
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Well, God is three Persons in One God. Jesus Christ, God made Man, had an earthly appearance from say 4 BC- AD 29 (more or less) and now exists eternally in His glorified body, but the Second Person of the Trinity certainly is the same God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Third Person(the Holy Spirit) is the same as well. The First Person (Father) didn’t act alone.
 
Jesus would be neither liberal nor conservative. Jesus will have a far easier time separating the sheep from the goats when judgement day finally arrives. Today there is no clear distinction between liberal and conservative. The only thing clear are the contradictions, and the violations against Gods Word.

Jesus would be sinful to be affiliated with either since both political affiliations, including both parties, Democrat and Republican repeatedly contradict themselves.

Democrat - Against capital punishment (Only God can take away what he created)
Pro Abortion (Well maybe just this one time or (million times in the US/year) we can take away)

Republican - Pro Capital punishment (Let him fry, Eye for an Eye, let him die)
Pro Life (All life is precious, unless that life is a murderer refer to Pro Cap above
extenuating circumstances apply)

Democrat - Pro Gay Marriage (No, no and never)
Provide for the poor ( Very Catholic, nice 👍 )

Republican - Marriage(Man and Woman Only) and only if none of your gay relatives come out and want to get married.
Provide for the poor - (pending until election day)

The good news. Both sides find common ground. A sort of “reaching across the aisle” so to speak. Both sides agree to destroy and devalue the US Dollar. This will allow our great nation to be competitive around the world. Other great things destroying our Dollar will do.
  • Allow our Government to pay less interest on the near 17 trillion in debt it owes
  • Force responsible people who save, to have to risk their savings because they make messily, 1% interest on their savings account.
  • Allow foreign entities to gobble up the rest of the little physical wealth America has left, companies, real estate, innovations.
God bless this great country.
 
Tantum_ergo said:
Well, God is three Persons in One God. Jesus Christ, God made Man, had an earthly appearance from say 4 BC- AD 29 (more or less) and now exists eternally in His glorified body, but the Second Person of the Trinity certainly is the same God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Third Person(the Holy Spirit) is the same as well. The First Person (Father) didn’t act alone.
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God was only known and only revealed as one God in the OT.

Same God different person.

Jesus Christ was not born until the Old Testament prophets had been dead for hundreds of years.
 
Christ was a humanitarian, neither liberal or conservative.
 
triumphguy said:
God was only known and only revealed as one God in the OT.

Same God different person.

Jesus Christ was not born until the Old Testament prophets had been dead for hundreds of years.
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Theologically, I am under the impression that Jesus has existed since before the dawn of time, if that makes any sense.
 
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