Posted on 08/17/2011 8:52:17 PM PDT by lbryce
As the debate over the government’s debt and its role in assisting the poor intensifies, some on the far left have begun to claim that Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible advocate socialism and preach against capitalism.
While this notion gives many conservative Christians angst, it is an ideal that is quickly gaining steam among atheists (and some left-leaning believers) who find themselves more on the fiscally-liberal side of the political spectrum.
Last week, atheist Gregory Paul, a freelance researcher, author and illustrator, penned a piece for the Washington Post in which he claims that socialism has its roots in the Christian Bible. In his article, Paul questions why Christians have abandoned the socialistic inclinations espoused by Jesus Christ to embrace capitalistic beliefs that contradict, in his view, Biblical principles.
Paul contends that “a set of profound contradictions have developed within modern conservative Christianity.” These contradictions are so perplexing, he says, that they “set one’s head spinning.” In Paul’s eyes, Christians who denounce Darwin’s evolutionary science, yet espouse social Darwinism (i.e. capitalism) are doing so without examining the antithetical nature of their thinking. He writes:
Many conservative Christians, mostly Protestant but also a number of Catholics, have come to believe and proudly proclaim that the creator of the universe favors free wheeling, deregulated, union busting, minimal taxes especially for wealthy investors, plutocrat-boosting capitalism as the ideal earthly scheme for his human creations.
In citing examples straight from the Bible that he calls “outright socialism of the type described millennia later by Marx,” Paul pleads his case. The first example he gives is focused upon Jesus’ warning to the wealthy that they may not inherit the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24, which reads, ..
(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...
it wasnt the money— it was the love for money. jesus says that it is easier for a rich man to pass through an eye of a neddle than a rich man to enter the kindom of god— meaning= a rich man wont hummble himself and repent before god to be saved, because he thinks he dont need anything, cause money has secured him above everthing else
I think that Jesus is too smart to subscribe to any politics and those whom try to sign him up are destined for a very warm future.
Notice that with this parable, Jesus illustrates two simple principles: 1) God will entrust to us certain resources such as responsibilities, material possessions, family, etc. based on our ability to use these resources responsibly; and 2) God will require an accounting of how we have managed the resources that He has entrusted to us. This application calls us to make a concerted effort to be faithful stewards with every precious gift that God bestows upon us and make sure that we use those gifts to further His Kingdom.
On the first point, Jesus states pretty plainly that the Kingdom of God is based on a system that is the antithesis of socialism/communism. Marxist socialism says "from each according to his ability and to each according to his need," but Jesus says that in the Kingdom of God, people are given "to each according to his ability". Notice also, that rather than taking a redistributive approach of taking from "wealthy" to give to the "poor", the lazy unproductive servant loses even what little he had and it was given to the most successful servant that had the most money.
In all of Christ's teaching, He calls on individuals to be generous toward each other and especially those in need. He also stresses the freedom of employers and workers to enter into agreements via a free market rather than some collectively enforced arrangement. (Matthew 20:1-16) He also teaches about the importance of evaluating costs, value, and available resources before undertaking a project or investment. (Luke 14:27-33 and Matthew 13:44-52) Clearly the teaching of Jesus regarding money adheres to a market-based capitalist philosophy much more than a socialistic viewpoint.
It always amazes me how atheist who do not believe in God profess to be such authorities on the bible.
See post 63.
Some people are economic idiots; some people are theologial idiots; Gregory Paul is both. His first mistake is in characterizing capitalism as "social darwinism", but that is necessary for him to get to the supposed contradiction in his thesis.
Only a person who knew absolutely nothing about the New Testament would even try to make such a claim. Certainly no one who had actually read all of the Book of Acts (of the Holy Spirit).
He turned water into wine and made limited bread and fish feed many.
He didn’t propose progressive tax rates on the rich to create social programs.
Jesus calls us to life. He actually calls it abundant. Hopefully, you’re all finding it.
Ask Barry.
That’s above my pay grade...
God, Jesus, Holy Ghost are 3 differ in persons —
jesus says that if you blasphem against me it will be forgiven, if you blasphem against the father it can be forgiven, but if you blasphem against the holy ghost, IT SHALL NOT BE FORGIVEN.. - the old testiment peeps had to kill animals and shed there BLOOD for a sacrifice to god so god could forgive there sins- jesus came and died and shed his blood for the worlds(mans) sins before god (gods son)- god demands a blood sacrifice for sins, so thats why jesus did what he did.. so you have to go through jesus to get to the father (jesus says)no one goes to the father unless you come through me first-after your saved the holy ghost protects you and dwells within you the bible says
I don’t recall Jesus telling us to build prison camps-and in the real world, that is what every socialist system winds up being. I guess those who would place Jesus’ name on their schemes forget that His blessing shows on the outcome-not the intent.
There is never support for communism/socialism. There is no “force” in the concept of charity, ever. It ceases to be charity, when it is government force.
Socialism/Communism is always forced confiscation from the producers...and it rewards evil with the money—sloth, bad behaviors, etc. It is immoral by Christian standards and Natural Law Theory.
He didn't condemn tax collectors or centurions for doing their jobs, but He spoke pretty strongly against the Pharisees.
Play Video:
Did Jesus endorse capitalism, weapons?
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=334573
Huuuuh errrrr....He is unique, believe it or not ,he claims to be a special embodiement of God revealing people the face , the person,of the hiden “God” who created everything and that nothing can see. And that’s what christians believe.
About his doctrine and teachings anyway some parabols like the one about the talents or also the 11th hour’s worker...are not at all “socialists”.
On a more foundamental level it appears that , according to the Holy Gospels, that each one is seen as an individual person and will receive grace according to hese needs and capacities “ad modum recipientis”....which is very far from the flat notion and dangerous socialist fantasy of a strict equality.
So this point is pathetic and laughable but shows well, once again, that socialism has always, since the beginning, pretended to be a kind of new (fake) religion, parody of religion, with hese fake dogma and true fanatic ideologues which tried to replace christianism
“When it came to the poor, and the tradition of allowing the poor to reap the chaff, or leftovers in the field, Jesus never said that the poor should get everything.”
There is a another very important point in this quote. The left-overs were not delivered to the poor in food-parcels. They had to “work” for it.
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