Posted on 11/24/2009 6:41:13 AM PST by Walter Scott Hudson
There is a charge among some left-leaning professed Christians that conservative social policies neglect Christ's commission to minister to the poor. Does the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 imply Christians should petition their government to enforce "redistributive justice?" Jack Clark thinks so. We excerpt Clark's podcast, Blast the Right, and consider his "equivalent alternative solutions challenge;" it is fine to oppose government programs which provide for the poor, Clark says, but only if you can present an equivalent alternative solution which will help just as many people, in the just the same way, just as fast. Otherwise, by Clark's reading of Matthew 25, you are going to hell. Is he right? Was Jesus a socialist? Consider the arguments in this week's show.
(Excerpt) Read more at fightinwords.podomatic.com ...
Our Lord did not advocate the ownership of the means of production by the State; therefore, He was not a Socialist.
Jesus never lobbied the Roman senate to help the poor. HE helped the poor and exhorted other people as individuals to do likewise. That’s not a socialist, despite what liberal douchebags **coughEdSchultzcouth** might want to think.
What I have read and understood from the Bible is that God and Jesus wants us to help each other by using our own time, treasure and talent and to give from our hearts (”Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:7). Nowhere have I found anything along the lines of “Go out and institute huge bureaucracies that will take money from some people at the point of a sword and give that money to other people as a politician sees fit.”
There is a huge difference between a “cheerful giver” and a “greedy taker”.
Jesus was not a Socialist.
Many people base this on Acts 4:32-35...
Keep in mind, the early church members willingly gave to fellow believers whom they knew personally, whom they knew didn’t use their property to promote an ungodly agenda.
Matthew 25:22-30 "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.'"
Doesn't sound very socialist to me.
The level of ignorance is pretty astounding...
..bad exegesis of the Bible has given birth to many twisted forms of thinking—Liberation Theology is one of them...
Jesus would be ashamed of the giant bureaucracies that call themselves churches who have captured the soles of millions of poor people by helping them. Give them a crust of bread, some old shoes, turn them over to a huge land owner and then ask them for part of their meager earnings.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2243243/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1276645/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2329525/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174662/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/597213/posts
Been done to death already.
So this asshat of a Christian wants govt to enforce giving..How Christian. lOl!!
Exactly. Taking money from a disfavored group and giving it to a favored group isn’t biblical. That may be why those who are doing this hate the scripture. They are practicing their own secular religion which has nothing to do with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
wasn’t it Jesus that said “If I give you a fish you’ll eat for a day, if I teach you to fish you’ll eat for a life time.” Doesn’t sound socialist to me
I know of no evidence that Jesus even went so far as to specifically condemn slavery which was common at the time.
It is hard therefore to argue he is or would have been a supporter of liberal causes.
Was Jesus a Socialist?
Being the God of Israel, he told Moses to write down these words: Thou shalt not steal.
So no, he was not a Socialist.
Jesus never said this. But I think Nero said “If you give a man a fire, he’ll be warm for the night; but if you set a man on fire, he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.”
I'll have to think on this for a while.
Jesus was a royalist.
“So no, he was not a Socialist.”
He wasn’t/isn’t a capitalist either. I am sure he is equally disappointed in both.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.