WaPo's 'On Faith': Jesus Would Bless 'Occupy Wall Street' Movement
On Washington Post's On Faith blog, Daily Beast contributor Lisa Miller teased a piece about Occupy Wall Street with a worthy question: "What would Jesus think about Occupy Wall Street?" Her answer was simple, and predictably liberal: "The Jesus of history would love them all."
In a piece titled "Jesus at Occupy Wall Street: 'I feel like I've been here before,'" Miller portrayed the protestors as wretched outcasts, whom God would embrace because of their misery: "Born with little means into a first century world, the historical Jesus might feel right at home with the very aspects of the occupation that so many 21st century observers consider gross: the tents, the damp sleeping bags, the communal kitchen. Jesus would have sympathy, I think, with the campers' efforts to keep a small space sanitary in the absence of modern plumbing."
Poor and wretched outcasts, bringing $5500 laptops to protests.
Miller did concede that the protestors didn't really concern themselves with God or religion. "The protestors don't talk much about Jesus or God. Nor do they offer explicit guidance on transcendent, higher principles."
But according to Miller, actual belief in God doesn't determine whether a person is actually a Christian or not. "A lesson from Jesus might show them that they have moral authority within their grasp - only it won't be conveyed through banners or sound bites. Their most radical act is the company they keep."
No word on what the Savior would have thought about the public sex, drug use, violent rhetoric or criminality on display, or even the crass materialism of the protestors' complaints. Nor did Miller stop to wonder if Christ would approve of making common cause with Marxists, whose philosophy resulted in the murder of 100 million people.
Miller cites "professor of religious studies" Bart Ehrman: "Jesus believed the whole system was corrupt. The people who ran things were empowered by the evil forces of the world and his followers had to work against these powers by feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and caring for the sick."
Ehrman is a non church-going agnostic, who is the author of a book titled Forged: Writing in the Name of God-Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are. In a March 25 article on the Huffington Post, Ehrman charged the New Testament writers with lying: "It appears that some of the New Testament writers, such as the authors of 2 Peter, 1 Timothy and Ephesians, felt they were perfectly justified to lie in order to tell the truth. But we today can at least evaluate their claims and realize just how human, and fallible, they were. They were creatures of their time and place. And so too were their teachings, lies and all."
(Other scholars dispute Ehrman's contention that the Bible is a pack of lies.)
A person who claims that Christianity is a "beautiful myth" may not be the best exponent of Christianity. But to liberals, the "Jesus of history" (or, more accurately, the liberal fantasy of Jesus) is more convenient to liberal tastes, because it contradicts the Jesus of the Bible.
The Christ who sought to befriend and convert tax collectors so that they would give voluntarily of their means and who proposed the parable of the talents bears little resemblance to the demanding, grasping protestors, who seek government handouts and a utopia. His kingdom, of course, was "not of this world."
But the revolutionary character of Occupy Wall Street is clear. And perhaps they will chant from their holy text: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."
Wait, that's not in the Bible.
- Paul Wilson's blog
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Comments
She forgot.
Submitted by wingnut55 on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 3:27pm.
I think she forgot that Jesus was a Jew. He would be trashed for being one at OWS. Yes, Jesus would love them, but He would have a tear in his eye for their sinful ways. "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45
The apostle Paul warns us
Submitted by ricklail on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 3:35pm.
The apostle Paul warns us about another Jesus. That is the Jesus they are talking about. The Jesus they have brought down to the level of man.
...wwJd? Most don't really know
Submitted by vrwc13 on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 3:42pm.
Precisely the problem with most of the world's 'what would Jesus do?' quandaries.
They don't really know Him, who He was and who He is.
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Jesus did throw people out of the Temple "for a reason."
Submitted by Mike Bratton on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 1:11pm.
But not one the reason the liberal fantasy-peddlers would appreciate...
John 2:13-17 succinctly records the event: "And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up."
They were merchants, not bankers, and Jesus forcibly evicted them for reducing the Temple to a shopper's bazaar.
One would think that writers could, at least, be troubled to get their facts right.
--Mike
Hogwash!
Submitted by motherbelt on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 3:40pm.
The Washington Post's "On Faith" feature is, most of the time, despicable. It allows the forum to anyone who wants to twist and distort the teachings of Jesus to fit their own ends.
"Jesus believed the whole system was corrupt. The people who ran things were empowered by the evil forces of the world and his followers had to work against these powers by feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and caring for the sick."
While He might sympathize with the problems of communal living, Jesus had NOTHING to say about the political system of His time. He didn't preach charity to each other because they couldn't count on the government, He preached it because He believed that's where the charity belonged! On each of us, as individuals; not as a socialist state.
Liberals simply refuse to believe this. They can't believe in a Jesus who doesn't fit their worldview.
What would Jesus ask?
Submitted by CobraMan on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 3:52pm.
Do you know what Jesus would ask these Occupiers? "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?"
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Actually Jesus did say that
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sun, 10/23/2011 - 9:47am.
Actually Jesus did say that government would try to control you and let you down. It was up to the individuals to help each other. And His death proved that government would let us down.
WWJD?
Submitted by CobraMan on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 3:42pm.
What would Jesus think of the Occupiers? I think, after seeing the filth, immorality, and general disrespect for private property, never mind the blatant antisemitism, that the "occupiers" are publicly displaying, he'd turn to the general population and say; "And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one."
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Be Careful What You Believe
Submitted by Saltherring on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 10:51am.
Yes, but Jesus would also call them to repent of their evil, sinful ways. And repentance does not only mean to ask God for forgiveness, but to turn from evil and do what He commands in His Word, the Bible.
Jesus' love for all was...and still is...unconditional, but only those who truly repent and accept Him as their personal Savior shall receive the gift of eternal life and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Unrepentant sinners will be sentenced to eternity in hell. This is what the Bible says. The left, however, has rejected the Biblical Jesus and conjured up their own false doctrines, which the Bible refers to as "doctrines of demons".
No way Jesus would bless commies who only worship...
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 3:42pm.
...at the feet of the great god government.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Dave, we're supposed to take
Submitted by motherbelt on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 3:56pm.
Dave, we're supposed to take the word of a professed, non-churchgoing agnostic about what Jesus thought, or would think.
Since agnostics, by definition, are of the opinion that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable,
Who better to create a portrait of Him based on their own personal earthly standards?
"God" or "Jesus" has to fit their world-view. The operative word being "world." Because they have no view of the Divine and/or eternal.
Mushy, squishy, Lib luuuuuv....
Submitted by Pilgrim1949 on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 4:23pm.
Yeah, sure.
Even in holy anger, Jesus still loved the power/status-hungry religious establishment of his day enough to rebuke them....knowing that a Godly sorrow can lead to repentance, as it did with a few. Mushy, sentimental, oh-so-tolerant-of-anything "love"? Not so much.
Counterpoint that with this twit's idea of permissive luuuuuuv....
Yeah, I know my 2-year-old is trying to juggle a plugged-in toaster and a plugged-in, running electric carving knife along with my straight razor and electric hedge trimmer while standing in a bathtub full of water, but who am I to judge? That's actually pretty ambitious and pretty good performance art to boot.
Besides, if I say "No" it will irreparably damage his little psyche.
Keep on juggling, Junior. That's a good bo--
**ZZZZAP***
"Ye canne change the laws of physics....." but some politicians believe that with the right legislation you can pretend they don't really apply to your own pet projects...
I have listened to and given
Submitted by buddyc on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 4:54pm.
I have listened to and given a lot of thought to this liberal argument. It is a lot like the argument over global warming or that Obama "saved" a lot of jobs. It is subjective and not capable of accurate measurement. Their claims about what Christ would have done, does not hold up for three main reasons:
1. When Christ did something similar to what the OWS people are doing, it was to persons defiling the temple, the house of God because it was the house of God. Chirst was angry and drove the money changers and others from the temple. HE never ever got involved in a similar protest of Rome, the rich, the jewish leadership, and he never singled out any group for ridicule.
2. The night before his cruxification, I believe Mary, washed and put oil on his feet. He had traveled a distance. The oil that was used was expensive. Judas criticized the expenditure and said the money could have been better used for the poor. Christ replied, in essence, that there will always be poor amoung us.
3. Christ taught about free agency. He did not preach collective love of thy neighbor, he preached individual love of thy neighbor. If Christ were there I think he would be there to preach the need for the rich to share directly with those in need, because of their love, not because they were made by a government to give. He would tell the protestors to love those they disagree with and forgive them of any sin.
People who get jobs at the NY Times and WaPo lack the ability to really understand Christ's life. They make me sick when they, who really dispise christianity, lecture others on "what Christ would have done". They don't have a clue. Had they a clue they would be exposing the charitable contributions of people like Biden, Obama, the Kennedy's and the Clintons who historically give nothing to charity.
A little bible lesson....
Submitted by suburbanite on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 5:22pm.
Exodus 20:17: You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male slave, or his slave-girl, or his ox, or his ass, or anything which belongs to your neighbor.
Proverbs 12:27: The slacker does not start after his game, but the wealth of a working man is precious.
Proverbs 13:11: Wealth from vanity shall be diminished, but he who gathers by labor shall increase.
Proverbs 28:22: A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, but he does not know that poverty will come on him.
It's your only way" Triumph
I don't know if Jesus would bless them....
Submitted by dlwoltmann on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 6:45pm.
But he would pray for them. He would urge them to change their wicked ways and think of others. He would remind them to not covet their neighbors possessions.
My $0.02
"But he would pray for them.
Submitted by jcrapes4 on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 8:24pm.
"But he would pray for them. He would urge them to change their wicked ways and think of others. He would remind them to not covet their neighbors possessions"
Well said. I believe he would also instruct them to put their faith in Him not in wall street or money. He would remind them you cant serve mammon and God.
My first thought was
Submitted by FastEd on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 8:23pm.
"give unto Caesar . . " and then wonder, these folks want Caesar to give unto them -
Here's an idea - Lets have all the 1% give ALL their money to the govt, this year, so it can be redistributed - that would make EVERYONE, (especially the libs) happy!
Unintended consequences - what happens next year? Probably too complex for the minds of the demolibs.
"We the People . . " Hey, congress - I'm one of the people - start listening!
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
Jesus Would Reject These Liberal Radicals
Submitted by Blue Collar Todd on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 9:20pm.
What do you think would happen to Jesus if He was alive today and preaching against sin? Particularly a sin like homosexuality? In a place where Christians are called bigots, “homophobes”, intolerant and close minded, Jesus would no doubt be called the same. An old post by Herman Cainz is getting some attention for saying that Jesus would be the “perfect conservative“. I would not word it that way, but Cain is clearly onto something. I would say the say the revolutionary politics of Jesus require us to reject Liberalism. For Liberalism stands in total antithesis to biblical Christianity. Here is a previous post of mine that deals with this. It is about the political implications of Jesus’ teachings
http://www.bluecollarphilosophy.com/2011/10/herman-cain-is-right-about-j...
Didn't Jesus
Submitted by coin of the realm on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 10:46pm.
Gain his fame by giving poor and repressed people hope for a better future in heaven? This united people as his followers but it also encouraged the advocates for change among them to try and get Jesus to use his position to lead a rebellion against the Romans and their puppets. Jesus shunned the efforts to politicize or militarize his followers and instead preached peace, love and acceptance. He practiced those principles by working with those who nobody would accept. He took in anyone who wanted love or needed help. He took as a close friend/partner/whatever a notorious prostitute who was basically an outcast.
those things strike me as a bit on the liberal side, accepting all without judgment. Although he was offered opportunity to lead revolution against the powers that be, he refused. That could be considered conservative except for he want trying to keep things the same bc they were good, but bc he taught that those who did good deeds and obeyed the laws of God now would have a place in heaven while those who sinned would not.
He certainly had the conservatives of the day scared it seems. I think parts of his teaching were liberal and parts were about conservative principles like self reliance.
Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes her laws. Mayer Amschel Rothschild
Good evening coin
Submitted by cocodrie on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 10:54pm.
You have no understanding of scripture, Jesus's mission here, or what He expects of us. You also have no understanding of His relationship with his followers or the leaders of His day.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Read Your Bible
Submitted by Saltherring on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 11:01am.
Jesus loved sinners but commanded them to repent. He did not "accept" them unconditionally. Read your Bible and you won't have to make up stuff (based on your 'feelings') about Jesus.
If Jesus was a liberal he
Submitted by ant on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 1:26pm.
If Jesus was a liberal he would have constantly worried about the racial representation and sex of his apostles and went around telling everyone that there was no God. Sorry, nice try. Jesus did not 'gain his fame' by giving to the poor. He gained followers for everything he said and did, not the least of which was giving up his life as a sinless sacrifice so that anyone who believes in Him may be counted as righteous before the judgement of God. Please read sometime, then you would know that it was taught that 'good deeds' alone do not get you into heaven and obeying the laws of God are not possible for sinful mankind (old covenant), thus the necessity for Jesus (new covenant).
This is ridiculous, '..there is no God, but the protesters own (fallible) moral authority is some standard of Jesus..'? "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven...". Not seek ye first the wealth of others. Not seek ye first to hand power to earthly authority. Not seek ye first a free college of your choice.
A Rag called "The Daily Beast"
Submitted by exLib on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 10:54pm.
Is going to talk about Jesus? Can this be taken seriously?
The Beast, aka Satan, will be thrown into the lake of fire and tormented night and day for eternity.
This is the same Lisa Miller that wrote heretical articles for Time or Newsweek before they sold it for $1.00.
While she can still repent and be saved, right now she is destined for the most utter of dungeons in hell.
If Jesus went down to Occupy he would be immediately put on a cross and crucified while these kids who are seeped in anti-Christian dogma would cheer and jeer him endlessly.
Jesus Believe in Theocracy.
Submitted by exLib on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 10:56pm.
What is the thing liberals seem to fear the most? That Republicans want a Theocracy, based on Christianity.
What environment did Jesus grow up in and what will Jesus bring when he comes back? Actually what does Jesus advocate for his followers?
A Theocracy.
I think it's incredibly stupid of any liberal to think that Jesus would support any of their political efforts.
Now he would support their lip-service to helping the poor and needy, but in a personal, NGO type of way.
Well, it's a good thing I read the article!
Submitted by DumbCanuck on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 11:32pm.
No word on what the Savior would have thought about the public sex, drug use, violent rhetoric or criminality on display, or even the crass materialism of the protestors' complaints. Nor did Miller stop to wonder if Christ would approve of making common cause with Marxists, whose philosophy resulted in the murder 100 million people.
Exactly my reaction when I read this headline.
Thanks, Paul... for stating the obvious. You saved me the trouble of posting a comment!
Oh wait...
"There... Are... Four... Lights!"
Lisa Miller wrote very craftily
Submitted by TheHistorian on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 8:47am.
Lisa wrote about the "historical Jesus" whenever she wrote his name in the part of this which I could stomach to read. The problem is, that if she is going to try to use his words, he is God Jesus or Brother Jesus, not "historical Jesus". A demonstration of how a liberal is trying to use something that she doesn't understand to try to buttress an argument based upon her own misconceptions.
One other question when she wrote about sanitation: Is defecating on a police car a new method to keep an area sanitary? If that person was not thrown out bodily by the OWS crowd, they accept his behavior and his attitude. These are typical liberals; you can believe and do anything you want and it is OK.
Dennis Prager
how would you know
Submitted by misterbee241 on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 9:31am.
what Jesus would do if you dont know what Jesus did?
WWJD?
Submitted by NJRightWinger12 on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 11:51am.
He's kick all their lazy, radical asses, like he threw out the money changers at his temple! Plus, like the Romans, the mob would go after him and make him the scapegoat!
WWJD?
Submitted by NJRightWinger12 on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 12:09pm.
He's kick all their lazy, radical asses, like he threw out the money changers at his temple! Plus, like the Romans, the mob would go after him and make him the scapegoat!
Yea, like WaPo knows anything
Submitted by jessieH on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 4:46pm.
Yea, like WaPo knows anything about Jesus.
I think the big question is
Submitted by Kenny Bunkport on Sat, 10/22/2011 - 10:53pm.
I think the big question is "Would Jesus carry an iPhone or a 'Droid?
Jesus's message
Submitted by cocodrie on Sun, 10/23/2011 - 10:23am.
Jesus's message to OWS: Matthew 4:4 "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
OWS' message to Jesus"Stuff it! We will do as we please. We don't need no stinking commandments. We are going to keep on lying, stealing, killing, raping, and whatever else we please. YOU BETTER CHANGE BECAUSE WE DEMAND IT."
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you