Was Jesus a socialist? (3 Viewers)

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Dude, he offended someone in the thread about shampoo(or was it the one about soap?) and they have decided to seek vengeance. Is this your first day?

ha, ur probably right.


Jeff Miller and i disagree on a lot, but i will + rep anyone when i think it's deserved.

 

[IowaSaintsFan]

every single viewpoint imaginable can be taken from the Bible. it just depends on what you're looking for.

please stop. you're boring me.

We're boring you? Do you have a definite meaning behind what you said, or is it up for interpretation?

 

[Cam71090]

From what i understand from several history channel specials dealing with Jesus the man, its more then likely that Jesus was heavily influenced by Budism.

IMO, the man named Jesus was Jew who accepted the principles of Budism and made his own message out of the two.

Well since I believe that Jesus is God, I would say Buddhism was probably influenced by him.

 

[IowaSaintsFan]

Selling ALL your possessions and giving it to the poor is not charity, that's socialism

In this case as in many others, it is not the act itself that determines what it is (charity or socialism), but the motivation behind the act. Socialism makes giving your possessions to the poor compulsory, a requirement. Charity (an old English word for love) means it is done freely and out of love. Both look the same on the surface, but they are two very different things.

 

[IowaSaintsFan]

Jesus wasn't a politician or an economist. Think in spiritual terms.

I think Jesus would not make such a distinction between spiritual things and other thing like politics and economics. The whole point of Jesus' arrival on the scene was to show people that God is personal and practical, and He wants to exist and work in our everyday lives. Our spirituality should not be kept in a separate box from other things. It changes us and how we live our lives, working it's way from the inside out. God is as much alive and active in the plumber's business or the economist's weekly column as he is in the preacher's preaching.

 

[B-Train]

I never understood how a lot of conservatives are very religious but despise socialism so much, when Jesus himself preached socialist ideals.

no.

 

[IowaSaintsFan]

The eye of the needle is a narrow gate. He's trying to form a picture of a rich man having to shed himself of much baggage before entering heaven. That said, don't be so narrow yourself. This thread is clearly an attempt at trolling. Pretty boring and lame.

To be clear, the context of the Scripture then reads something like this:

People: "If a camel can't fit through the eye of a needle, who then can be saved?"
Jesus: "With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible."

 

[dagimlet]

To be clear, the context of the Scripture then reads something like this:

People: "If a camel can't fit through the eye of a needle, who then can be saved?"
Jesus: "With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible."

except that there' s historical evidence that shows that there was, in fact, a gate to the city of Jerusalem commonly know as "the eye of the needle". otherwise, cucumber would have been just as good.

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

Thats interesting since "christianity" didn't exist untill after his death.

IMO, the man named Jesus was Jew who accepted the principles of Budism and made his own message out of the two.

There are certainly a lot of similarities, and if you read some of the gnostic texts, it is even more similar. However, there are similarities in lots of religions, and the common theme of detachment from earthly things is hardly unique to Buddhism or Christianity.

There isn't a lot of evidence of Buddhism being practiced in the Middle East, and I'm not sure how much trade and interaction with Buddhists was going on at the time, so I'm not sure what kind of opportunity a Nazerene would have to study Buddhism.

Well since I believe that Jesus is God, I would say Buddhism was probably influenced by him.

Except Buddhism pre dates the birth of Christ by several hundred years.

no.

How profound. Let me offer a rebuttal.. maybe.

 

[Bleu Raeder]

<!-- capitalism -->

Matthew 25:14-30 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Talents
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

 

[Bleu Raeder]

LOL at the URL - http://www.right-wing-pseudo-christians.com/ Maybe someone else could put up the http://www.left-wing-socialist-kooks.com web site.

Anyhow, the web site is much too long a read and is particularly biased but the author does attempt to demonstrate on many levels that Jesus embraced socialism.

 

[Bleu Raeder]

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258938/posts

The assertion that Jesus was a socialist is misguided and incorrect because the premise is grounded in the liberal ideology of American politics, not in biblical exegesis.

 

[V Chip]

except that there' s historical evidence that shows that there was, in fact, a gate to the city of Jerusalem commonly know as "the eye of the needle". otherwise, cucumber would have been just as good.

http://www.biblicalhebrew.com/nt/camelneedle.htm
http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/2006/03/filtered_camels.html
http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/18_24-34.htm

 

[Cam71090]

Except Buddhism pre dates the birth of Christ by several hundred years.

Again, I believe hat Jesus Christ is God. So.....

While Buddhism predates the birth of Jesus Christ as a human,
Jesus/God predates everything, including Buddhism. Therefor, Buddhism, IMO, could possibly be influenced by God(Jesus).

 

[mister pc]

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258938/posts

While I don't consider free republic as a credible source for anything, I do agree with that quote. Jesus never attempted to frame his philosophy in terms of government so the label socialist is not quite accurate. he was a pacifist, took a vow of poverty, advised the wealthy to give away all their possessions to the poor, provided free food to the hungry and free healing to the lame, etc. I dont think it's a stretch to say Jesus was a radical leftist, and much more radical than say president Obama.