Was Jesus a liberal?

Question

To know the answer we must ask: What is a liberal? You can use the dictionary definition, but that won't describe today's modern liberals. It is an outdated word, and actually describes what most conservatives stand for. In fact, in most countries in the world, if there is a political party with the label "Liberal" it actually corresponds mostly with America's conservatives.

But what is a liberal?

1. Liberals believe individuals should doubt their own truths and consider fairly and open-mindedly the truths of others.

Jesus said, “"I am the way and the truth and the life.” He doesn't appear to have doubted his own truth or to have been open-minded to the “truths of others.”

Verdict: Not Liberal

2. Liberals believe government has a fundamental responsibility to help those who are less fortunate.

Jesus believed that “neighbors”, not government, are the ones who have the responsibility to help those in need.

Verdict: Not Liberal

3. Liberals believe that no one should be judged. They quote "Judge not, lest ye be judged" and "Let those without sin cast the first stone."

In fact, after Jesus had dispersed the mob, he went to the woman, and said, "Go, and sin no more." Jesus was not saying that people should not judge, but that we should judge righteously, and by the standards we follow ourselves.

4. Liberals believe that no one should own guns or wage war, citing the quote "turn the other cheek"

Jesus was telling us not to act out of vindictiveness or revenge. He never said that wars should not be waged.

It isn't a matter of who is more compassionate or forgiving. I don't know of any conservative who says that there needs to be more evil and badness in the world. That the poor should just go die. The difference is in what should be done. Liberals advocate using government to do their good deeds for them, and on top of it, using other people's money. Jesus did not go to Caesar and ask the emperor for a loan of swords and soldiers so he could go out and do God's work, forcibly redistributing income from the rich to the poor. That is what liberals do.

Answer 1

Interesting points....have ta consider this...thanks!!

Answer 2

I disagree with your definition of Liberals and your comparison to Jesus. Jesus was a social activist, if you want to look at it that way. Although he was not political.
He preached to "love thy neighbor as thyself", and not to judge others. He preached that we should help others.

I don't see anything wrong with socialism at all. If people work for a government and pay taxes into that government, then the government should help them when its needed. Why not, after all, it helps big business all the time with bail outs and tax breaks.

The term "Liberals" and their history dating back to the Magna Carta stands for individual rights and freedoms. It is for keeping the government out of people's lives.

It's also about open and fair elections, individual rights, and upholding the Constitution, not going around it or disrespecting it.

When people use the term, "Liberals" they are usually referring to an "anything goes" group in society. When in fact this may be true of the advanced Liberal party of our time, but Liberalism in itself is not about that ideology.

Answer 3

Liberalism always adjusts to time, therefore, modern liberals are not relevant to Jesus' time. Jesus was liberal for sure, and because he was, he was a threat to the ESTABLISHMENT and the status quo. Conservative remedy: CRUCIFIXION. Liberal solution: RESURRECTION. Your question should imply as to who killed Jesus, and the proof shows it wasn't liberals. But who speaks of Jesus through megaphones today? You guessed it...Conservatives!!! Jesus, like the good liberal he was, wanted all of us to think and believe in ourselves so that preaching would eventually become obsolete. But some people will never let go...

Answer 4

I'm not saying Jesus would have been a partisan Democrat, but he also wouldn't have been a Republican, if he lived today...

1. WE are not God, so while God obviously knows everything, WE DON'T. I do not call to "doubt the truth"...I want to seek the truth and not rely on assumptions to understand the world.
"Seek and you shall find"...It's not a sin to be open-minded. Jesus also preached against hypocrites and said "Take out the log from your eye before telling your neighbor that he has a speck in his" so he would want us to examine ourselves continuously. "Judge not, lest ye be judged" would fall into looking objectively at people and not acting like you know more than them. Only God does.

2. Why is it either/or? I think it's great if you join charity and help out, but the government is one of the most effective ways to help out everyone in society. By "neighbor" Jesus means everyone, not just whoever is in your town. Unlike in Biblical times, we are not confined to our town. Jesus also said, "Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, visit the prisoner" there was no caveat "but if you use the government to do this, don't even bother"

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but render unto God the things that are God's"
Jesus did not have a problem with taxes or with having a government in principle.

"It is harder for the camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven"
Would Jesus want supply-side economics; tax cuts for the rich?

Jesus threw out the money changers that were in the Jewish temple. Would Jesus have supported the conservative evangelical televangelists that use their positions to make themselves wealthy?

Jesus forgave a man who was being crucified and who admitted to committing a crime; Jesus stopped a woman from being stoned to death; Jesus was killed by the death penalty himself.
Would Jesus support the death penalty? He seemed against it for those who were guilty.

Jesus cured the sick wherever he went
Wouldn't Jesus want all Americans, all citizens of the world, to have health care?

Jesus told the parable about the good Samaritan, and he was willing to talk to Samaritans, even though they and the Jews were enemies.
Would Jesus support the anti-immigration attitude and the killing of tens of thousands of Iraqis during the War in Iraq?

Jesus said, "put away the sword, for those that live by the sword will die by the sword"
Would Jesus support the pre-emptive strike in Iraq? Would he really support the huge defense budgets and any war except for ones made completely necessary through self-defense?
Would Jesus torture? If Jesus came in modern times and said "gun" instead of "sword" would the NRA have accepted him?

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Jesus said, "In the Law men were told, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But here is my teaching: don't even resist an enemy. If someone hits you on one cheek, present the other. If someone sues you for your shirt, give it to him- and your jacket, too. If someone forces you to go a mile with him, go two. If someone demands something of yours, give it to him. If he wants to borrow from you let him, and if he doesn't return it, don't ask for it." "Love thy enemy" When a man asked if he should forgive his brother a 7th time, Jesus said, "77 times"...Would Jesus have supported the harsh "3 strikes and you're out" approach to criminals, or have been more in tune with rehabilitation?

Jesus criticized those who made a public deal of their faith as hypocrites and told people to pray in private and not make a big show out of fasting. Republicans love to act self-righteous to gain votes; when I saw a CNN forum on religion, all the Democratic candidates said that they did not want to be like the pharisees and "wear their faith on their sleeve"

Jesus fed a group of four thousand that had gone to see him with fish and bread; he did not say, "lazy bums, go out and get your own food"

Jesus had a parable saying that the kingdom of heaven was like a farm where the man who worked all day received the same generous wage as the man who worked a half an hour He told a man who wanted to go into heaven to follow the ten commandments and GIVE UP ALL OF YOUR POSSESSIONS and follow me. (This isn't liberalism though, it sounds more like communism)

Answer 5

I answered a question like this earlier... And as I said then.. In my opinion he was a Conservative Liberal, because he was open minded and accepted everyone as they were, but keep a traditional way of life and lived by strict christian rules.

Answer 6

your ideas of liberal are somewhat twisted and really only describe the most extreme liberals... about 2 percent of the liberal population

and your twisting some ideas pretty hard there... like "neighbors"... what does neighbors mean? only the people living near you?

and if you think the U.S. was founded on Christian principles... shouldn't a "Christian nation" act like Jesus?

Rome, at the time, wasn't Christian, or didn't want to be...

shouldn't everyone want to give to the poor, in a Christian nation?

Answer 7

amen Brother. Plus Christ said that wo unto any of those who offend these little ones for it is better that a mill stone be hung around their necks and they be drowned in the depths of the sea and blessed are children for such is the kingdom of heaven. So I'm pretty sure that he is just fine with the liberal point of view of killing our unborn children is okay.

Answer 8

Jesus Christ gives peace. It doesn't matter where you stand. He gives you to choose whether you want to be as long as you choose right things to do.no matter where you are, look at His example, learn from Him. You get what you deserve.

Answer 9

The word liberal is such a dirty word, and to associate Jesus with that word is just wrong.

Answer 10

Jesus was a-political. I don't believe the Son of God would bother himself with politics.

Answer 11

No he was a socialist, after that bread and fish thing he did.
and no conservative, is going to go away a prepare another place for someone to live, and come again to take them to a place where everything is provided for them, for eternity.