Did Jesus ever say anything that remotely sounds conservative or 'republican'?

Question

Here are some things he said that sound liberal -
- Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth
- Sell that thou hast and give to the poor.
- How many times should we forgive one who sins against us ? Not seven times, but seventy times seven
-Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also
-Love your enemies, bless them that curse you ... do good to them that hate you
-Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth .... You cannot serve God and mammon
-Inasmuch as you have done unto the least of these, you did it unto me

If he really returns soon, the conservatives who are eagerly waiting for him, will probably try to deport him

Please quote directly form the New Testament (don't make it up or get it from the Old Testament which is totally conservative)

Answer 1

No he didn't say anything that the Republicans spew as Christian. Jesus did mention the Pharisees though, you remember they are the ones that sent him to Pilot to be fledged and nailed to the cross. The Pharisees promoted themselves as Religious too.

Answer 2

Jesus may have been conservative. I don't know. But Republican conservatism is a bastardization of what conservatism should be. It should be about protecting families and tradition values. Republicans do not give a damn about those things. They just want to use religion to add fuel to the gay civil rights debate and the "evil liberal media" so the common Christian family man gets distracted while the Republicans steal money right out of his wallet. Jesus definitely would not have supported them. He would not support the Democrats either. If Jesus was any sort of political, he'd be a Libertarian but mostly he'd just stay out of Earth politics altogether. He was about Love, something that is totally lacking in politics.

Answer 3

As Kurt Vonnegut said in an interview shortly befor he died about those verses, "Doesn't sound much like the Republican platform, does it?" :)

But I don't think the conservatives would try to deport Jesus if He came back now. If you'll recall, it was the Pharisees and Sadduces--the conservatives in Israel--who crucified Him. His followers were a bunch of poor working people/political radicals with revolutionary notions like treating everyone equally, taking care of the poor, and nonviolence.

Answer 4

"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" That doesn't say poor in pocket. It means humble.

"Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth" That is reiterating Humble

"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you ... do good to them that hate you"
"Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also"
"How many times should we forgive one who sins against us ? Not seven times, but seventy times seven"

Yes that says forgive, it doesn't say stand by an let them murder.

He also (Paraphrasing) you should abide by the laws of the land and of god. Allowing a murderer free violates laws of the land.

There is another group out there twisting a holy book to fit their ideals too.

Answer 5

It's been said that man "creates God in his own image". We attempt to interpret scripture to further our own agenda or confirm our own personal viewpoints instead of emulating Christ by applying the principles he taught.

I'm sure we'll continue to assign Jesus whatever characteristics we choose to. We'd rather do anything other than "judge not".

Answer 6

In my opinion, nobody actually has any idea what, if anything, the character Jesus may have said.

I have one quote that I keep handy: when bible thumpers quote Jesus to condemn everything current so called conservatives rant about. It goes something like this by a female intellectual and writer.

‘When you find that god hates the very same people and things you do…you can rest assured that you have created god in your own image’.

I should give literary credit but I cannot recall her name.

I think that if there really were a Jesus and he actually said anything he almost certainly would not have adopted the narrow and hateful Republican and fundie agenda.

Jim D

Answer 7

I'm not sure what makes the Beattitudes "liberal" - they are talking about a spiritual condition, not financial poverty. Nor do I think that the "Love your enemies" is an exclusively liberal position. Well, unless you are Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now. :-)

However, I do see your point and it is QUITE a valid one. Obviously neither political party is entirely altruistic - both regularly lie and are not necessarily trustworthy. As a follower of Jesus, I can no longer blindly vote republican just because it is what I'm supposed to do.

My votes in the future will be based on the individual candidate and their plans for addressing the environment and poverty, not on who my church leaders stump for or who panders to the Evangelical Christian movement.

Answer 8

Ah - a variation of the "Jesus was a liberal" question.

It's hard to transfer what Jesus taught in that day to present times, politically speaking.

Example; Because he saved the woman caught in the act of adultery, does that mean he would be against ALL death penalty cases?

And, if you noticed, while he saved her, he didn't back down on saying she was wrong. ("Go & sin no more.") I can imagine liberals screaming, "Who are you telling her what to do with her own body!"

He obviously wanted the poor to be taken care of, but does that mean he would have wanted the government to be in charge of it? And 50% of the rich man's income being confiscated to pay for it? That sounds more like Robin Hood than Jesus Christ!

He said you have to pay your taxes, but would he have voted for a politician who advocated fixing things by higher taxes?

He taught obedience to the government, but does that mean he wanted a big government?

I can't imagine Jesus being anything but disgusted by mid to late- term abortions, but the Bible is not specific on the subject. The issue of "when life begins" would have to be answered, first.

But as far as issues like trade unions and strong regulation of business, strong environmental regulations, animal rights & gun control, it's hard to say, exactly.

Answer 9

I'm not sure these quotes are really anti-conservative either; they seem pretty apolitical.

Here's why Jesus isn't a liberal. Jesus appeals to others to voluntarily do good works. He seems to favor a change of heart, not a system of laws to enforce his teachings. He never says, "confiscate the property of others to give to those who fall below the mandatory guidelines. If they refuse to pay, sick the IRS on them and throw them in jail."

Answer 10

Um...how is any of that liberal? And how can you judge a whole group like that? Well, I understand - you just ruined the Democrat picture for me. Not that it was already ruined. And let me ask you this...Does God think abortions are okay? And what about his stand on gay marriage? Did he not create Adam and Eve - not Adam and Fred! Get your facts straight. Democrats are far from God. But who am I to judge these people? In time, your day will come.