If Jesus were alive today...
"If Jesus were alive today, I think it's likely he'd be a socialist," said my professor offhandedly, in the course of a discussion only tangentially related to Christianity.
On this point, my professor is full of self-congratulatory shit.
Jesus as depicted in the Gospels had exactly zero interest in the exercise of worldly power. Politics is the pursuit of worldly power. Claiming Christ for your political camp is asinine.
Moreover, there is no Gospel in which Jesus goes around Galilee confiscating the ill-gotten gains of the wealthy fat cats to distribute them to the proletarians. He did not go to Pilate or Herod demanding that other people be forced to help the downtrodden. He did not advocate the use of force (even in self-defense, which is just nuts) and his extraordinary efforts to see that the hungry were fed and the naked clothed were all accomplished exclusively through persuasion and voluntary giving.
Compulsory sharing does not qualify as agape. Whether you think it's a good idea or not, it's got nothing to do with Jesus.
I'm an atheist. I don't think having Jesus on your side lends any weight to your argument either way. But it's annoying to hear a professor say, "If Jesus were alive, he would agree with me." You're name-dropping God for cheap self-flattery.
On this point, my professor is full of self-congratulatory shit.
Jesus as depicted in the Gospels had exactly zero interest in the exercise of worldly power. Politics is the pursuit of worldly power. Claiming Christ for your political camp is asinine.
Moreover, there is no Gospel in which Jesus goes around Galilee confiscating the ill-gotten gains of the wealthy fat cats to distribute them to the proletarians. He did not go to Pilate or Herod demanding that other people be forced to help the downtrodden. He did not advocate the use of force (even in self-defense, which is just nuts) and his extraordinary efforts to see that the hungry were fed and the naked clothed were all accomplished exclusively through persuasion and voluntary giving.
Compulsory sharing does not qualify as agape. Whether you think it's a good idea or not, it's got nothing to do with Jesus.
I'm an atheist. I don't think having Jesus on your side lends any weight to your argument either way. But it's annoying to hear a professor say, "If Jesus were alive, he would agree with me." You're name-dropping God for cheap self-flattery.