Is Jesus Christ a Socialist?

Summary: "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."

Jesus live under the corrupt rule of Rome. He certainly didn’t expect Rome to take care of the poor.

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Whenever some socialist tells me that I need to advocate a socialist takeover of the government because Jesus was a communist I tell them that ... if they really wish to do that ... takeover the government with socialism because Jesus was a socialist ... then EVERY PERSON IN POWER HAS TO BE A CHRISTIAN AND HAS TO BE DEVOUTLY SO AND TESTED FOR IT EVERY MONTH.

That shuts them up pretty quickly.

--- Socialists telling him that as a Christian he needs to advocate a socialist uprising? Where the hell does this guy live?

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charity is not socialism. O, for gawdsakes...this is reality 101.

"Thou shalt not steal" is an affirmation of property rights, which socialism denies, iirc.

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Although Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar, that which is Caesar’s”, He never said that folks shouldn’t work for a living.

Joseph worked as a carpenter. Jesus didn’t condemn him for working for a living. To the contrary, if anything Jesus benefited from hard labor and a meager living on what his earthly father could provide for him and Mary.

Jesus did say it would be harder for a rich man to enter heaven, than it would be for him to enter through the eye of a needle. Even that could be interpreted several ways, because there was an entry way into Jerusalem (or some city in the area) know as the needle.

I have always thought that he was trying to say that the temptations for people of means, was very strong.

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.

The left loves to screw with religious concepts. They don’t respect religion, and it’s fair game to them. They don’t worry about judgment day nearly as much as they should.

Hardly any of us do, but I try to be respectful about religious matters. They don’t. They would use Jesus to jaundice people about good values. Shame on them.

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Show me even one government program that Jesus ever supported, and then I will consider the argument.

The ironic thing is, to the Left, government IS their religion.

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The comparison is a non sequitor.

Christ is not limited...is neither...and is both.

These are distinctions necessary because man is a flawed being incapable of governing himself.

Capitalism cannot survive without being tempered and regulated (outside of government) by Him. Socialism fears truth and therefore Him
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But in my opinion, He is the ultimate (l)ibertarian.

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Jesus didn’t get into politics, since his kingdom isn’t of this world.

He didn’t do anything to either go for or against Rome. When pressed, he gave a coin out of a fish’s mouth for taxes.

Jesus was generally against lying, theft, murder and the oppression and killing of his followers. Socialism, being iniquity in state form, is probably not the way he rolls.

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My own take on the matter is that Jesus saw people who got rich out of a sense of obligation and who really didn't desire wealth. By telling them to sell their goods and donate the proceeds to the poor, he was freeing them from a false value system (i.e., propitiating Mammon as an obligation.)

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Jesus never said “Steal or take from your neighbor so you can help the needy”.

He did say “GIVE”.

Socialists BELIEVE in the TAKING. Conservatives much more in the GIVING.