Actually it was the conservatives who were persecuting Christ. The Pharisees were about as conservative as you get. I’m just agreeing with those above who said that this was a completely ridiculous analogy to make.
So in that respect...they were like liberals of today: Do as I say...not as I do. There is a reason they left from oldest to the youngest when Christ began to write in the dirt. They were GUILTY of the same sin they were charging the woman for.
I take the Pharisees’ manner as a caricature of conservatism. They took scripture and tradition more or less seriously, but they had venal faults, and liked to show off for the sake of worldly pride. It’s kind of like the way that the politically naive tend to see the historical Nazis as rightist. Authoritarianism isn’t the same as conservatism.
No, they were not. The were big government, legislation salvation. All you dealing with God had to be through them and approved by them.
They were similar to current liberals not conservatives. They were only legalistic when it suited their purposes. Just like current liberals when they disagree with conservatives, the Pharisees tried to trip Jesus up with scripture in order to discredit him. They didn't follow scripture when it suited them.
A major example is the trial they had to prove Jesus committed blasphemy. It violated a number of scriptural requirements regarding time and place and proper testimony. In short, just like current day liberals they used the courts to accomplish their purpose and ignored established precedent.
The final act of turning Jesus over to the Romans to be executed is an overt violation of scripture because the law of Moses required that the witnesses and the entire town was supposed to carry out the death penalty.
So, in short there is little conservatives would have in common with the Pharisees but the liberals would feel right at home.
No. The Pharisees were about as close to today’s politically correct ruling class as you can get. They were constantly looking for ways to bend and pervert the law for their own ends.
I am not so sure it was a ridiculous analogy.
If Jesus were alive today, would he be a Republican or a Democrat?
I say He would be a Republican. Do you disagree?
Absolutely false. The Pharisees were liars and frauds. That's why in Matthew 23 Jesus refers to them as hypocrites (seven times), blind guides, fools and snakes.
They weren't "conservatives." Conservatives whether in the religious realm or the political realm, are looking for truth.
From what I’ve read, the Pharisees made up extra rules and demanded others follow them. Sounds pretty liberal to me.