"Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus"

[texastoast]

The results from a recent poll published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Tea-Party-and-Religion.aspx) reveal what social scientists have known for a long time: White Evangelical Christians are the group least likely to support politicians or policies that reflect the actual teachings of Jesus. It is perhaps one of the strangest, most dumb-founding ironies in contemporary American culture. Evangelical Christians, who most fiercely proclaim to have a personal relationship with Christ, who most confidently declare their belief that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, who go to church on a regular basis, pray daily, listen to Christian music, and place God and His Only Begotten Son at the center of their lives, are simultaneously the very people most likely to reject his teachings and despise his radical message.

Jesus unambiguously preached mercy and forgiveness. These are supposed to be cardinal virtues of the Christian faith. And yet Evangelicals are the most supportive of the death penalty, draconian sentencing, punitive punishment over rehabilitation, and the governmental use of torture. Jesus exhorted humans to be loving, peaceful, and non-violent. And yet Evangelicals are the group of Americans most supportive of easy-access weaponry, little-to-no regulation of handgun and semi-automatic gun ownership, not to mention the violent military invasion of various countries around the world. Jesus was very clear that the pursuit of wealth was inimical to the Kingdom of God, that the rich are to be condemned, and that to be a follower of Him means to give one's money to the poor. And yet Evangelicals are the most supportive of corporate greed and capitalistic excess, and they are the most opposed to institutional help for the nation's poor -- especially poor children. They hate anything that smacks of "socialism," even though that is essentially what their Savior preached. They despise food stamp programs, subsidies for schools, hospitals, job training -- anything that might dare to help out those in need. Even though helping out those in need was exactly what Jesus urged humans to do. In short, Evangelicals are that segment of America which is the most pro-militaristic, pro-gun, and pro-corporate, while simultaneously claiming to be most ardent lovers of the Prince of Peace.

What's the deal?

snip

Full article at link.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-zuckerman/why-evangelicals-hate-jes_b_830237.html

[hifiguy]

1. If Jesus appeared tomorrow, the fundies

would have him crucified within two weeks and that is a lead pipe lock.

[hatrack]

3. The Parable of the Grand Inquisitor - perhaps more true today than ever

nt

[JuniperLea]

5. I just told a Fundy TeaBagger cousin much the same...

He would have been a lazy freeloader, a dirty hippie socialist scumbag... they are judging like Jesus told them NOT to and they are being greedy like he told them NOT to be. Weak and feeble minded I say... sucks.

[peace frog]

8. To quote Commander Codpiece: "Take it to the bank"

Nor would Jesus claim them as his own.

[FiveGoodMen]

9. Fully agree.

OR...

(If he was real) he'd have them all rotting in a brand new wing of Hell within two weeks.

It's almost too bad there isn't a hell so these motherfuckers could be consigned to it.

[Uncle Joe]

11. And Westboro Baptist Church would be protesting at his funeral because

he hung around with or defended prostitutes and adulterers.

[fishwax]

18. as Woody Guthrie sang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDS00Pnhkqk

Jesus Christ was a man who traveled through the land
A hard-working man and brave
He said to the rich, "Give your money to the poor,"
But they laid Jesus Christ in His grave

Jesus was a man, a carpenter by hand
His followers true and brave
One dirty little coward called Judas Iscariot
Has laid Jesus Christ in His Grave

He went to the preacher, He went to the sheriff
He told them all the same
"Sell all of your jewelry and give it to the poor,"
And they laid Jesus Christ in His grave.

When Jesus come to town, all the working folks around
Believed what he did say
But the bankers and the preachers, they nailed Him on the cross,
And they laid Jesus Christ in his grave.

Now the working people followed him around
Sing and shouted gay
But the cops and soldiers nailed him in the air
And they laid Jesus Christ in his grave

And the people held their breath when they heard about his death
Everybody wondered why
It was the big landlord and the soldiers that they hired
To nail Jesus Christ in the sky

This song was written in New York City
Of rich man, preacher, and slave
If Jesus was to preach like He preached in Galilee,
They would lay poor Jesus in His grave.

[JuniperLea]

24. Come back Woody Guthrie!

Come back to us now! Avert your eyes from paradise, and make it back somehow...

~ Steve Earle

[fishwax]

27. nice!

:thumbsup:

[JuniperLea]

28. Check out Joan Baez' rendition of that tune if you can...

She made me cry the first time I heard it. Then she and Steve Earle spoke together about the song on the American Masters Joan Baez documentary... I cried again. Just getting sappy in my old age:D

[JuniperLea]

2. It gets worse...

I've been talking to my Fundy, TeaBagger cousins about unions and healthcare and how Jesus told us to have faith and take our three fishes and five loaves out to the multitudes and feed the hungry and to have faith that God will provide... now I'm some sort of anti-Christ to them... there's some meme going around that in the end times heathens (such as myself, apparently) will use God's words to try and confuse the righteous. Uh huh... wow.

See my sigline... it's more true today than it was yesterday.

[texastoast]

7. Sending that tagline off

Spot on.

[CJCRANE]

10. Tell them it's their preacher

who's working for the anti-Christ...

:crazy:

[RandomThoughts]

13. You didn't make it all the way back through his blockers

while explaining it to him.

So when you said something that conflicted with what is most comfortable for him to believe, a blocker jumped up to call you some label that he has an attachment of thought of meaning.

He could not rationalize what you were saying as wrong, so he took something bad, and then mentally attached it to your concept of thought when he thinks about it.

The complexity of label trap makes it difficult to explain that Orwellian teachings use reverse labels in many things. So the person may have reversed labels with meanings, if an Orwellian trap can do that, then they can follow the opposite of what they think.


I don't claim to know for sure, or say what view is always correct, each person needs to decide that.

But to discuss those topics with someone, watch for when they get angry, and when they begin to repeat things in rote fashion. That is usually a blocker. Be nice to them till they calm down, then try to get them to explain why they think that, to get them past the label trap, and into the meaning of what they think something means. Sometimes people have things backwards. And many groups have been programming backwards thoughts into people in many ways.


Agree with the point that some groups do that, but ask him to have a thinking feeling conversation to find out which group is doing that. What is the intent, what is the goal, what is the feeling. Since most people have both good and bad in thoughts, if you can find a way to actually have a conversation on what is felt and done, then the person may have to think and feel on it.

Each time a blocker pops up, be really nice, sometimes you have to go all the way back to the beginning of the conversation, after you chase away the blocker by being kind.

On a side note, both sides have some valid points on how to help many people, and problems with different systems, but using labels, mostly from fear, is an error most have. Some are so scared that God might abandon them, that they are afraid to think and feel on what is best.


There are some conversations that can be on the strengths and weaknesses of public, private, unions, and other things like that, but the response you speak of is something else.


And I am due beer and travel money and many experiences.

[TrogL]

14. That's an excellent explanation

Never thought of it in those terms.

And I've had to deal with plenty of authoritarians in my time.

[JuniperLea]

15. Thanks for this, RT...

It makes a hell of a lot of sense... pardon the pun, I think:D

That is exactly how it goes... the anger is really odd. Anger and goalpost moving seem to go hand in hand. And the clear deviation from what we all learned in Sunday school... same church, same teachers, same preachers... I feel like I'm the only one who remembers, and I'm the very least religious of the bunch! But probably the more spiritual when all is said and done.

Thanks again for this... I'm saving it because it just makes too much damn sense.

I hope your compensation comes in soon!

[RandomThoughts]

17. Beer and travel money is not compensation, it is due.

And your use of phrasing is funny, but not how I would think of it. Since while defending it as a good idea, you use words in spirituality that are opposite of that.

I might suggest try to listen to his points of view also, since that is part of a discussion.


On a side note, in another post someone made a comment with a loaded label, I don't think of it that way. It is about everyone having some good and some bad, and getting them to pull their mind and heart above the part of them that is not thinking or feeling, or the part that is blocking thinking and feeling.

And thanks for the nice comment on the comment.

[JuniperLea]

20. I do listen...

And one cousin is a union member, so he is really torn right now. I listen, and agree and make sure he understands that I am agreeing with him on many points.

You are absolutely correct about the good and the bad. I try to remember to speak to the good in a person. Mom always said if you speak to the good, the good part will hear you and you will touch them with your words. She always said there is good in all of us. I didn't get it until I raged against people for a while. When you rage, you get the bad going in others too. It's not easy, this being human.

[RandomThoughts]

22. Didn't mean to imply that you do not listen.

Although I know in some conversations, I don't always listen, so was probably speaking of an issue I focus on when in conversations.

And that is a good way to phrase it, speak to the good in someone.

[JuniperLea]

25. I didn't mean to suggest you did...

But I see how it could be seen that way. The written word, though static, has a lot of power too.

I don't always listen either, and I hope that by recognizing that fact I'm on the path toward changing the habit.

[texastoast]

29. OMG

You and RandomThoughts having a discussion that reminds me of the "good old days" on DU. Civil, intelligent, non-hostile, differing.

It makes me just want to moonwalk.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Because Jesus was, in reality, a Jewish Liberal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.jesusisaliberal.org/

http://liberalslikechrist.org/index.htm

http://www.right-wing-pseudo-christians.com/jesus-liberal-conservative.htm

[DesertFlower]

6. i agree. nt

[Matariki]

12. They're not worshiping who or what they think they are.

They've built up a rather nasty egregore and named it Jesus.

[Bluenorthwest]

16. The entire organized religion rejects the teachings fully

To make the point that it is not just the extremes, let's use the Inaugural, in which Obama needed Rick Warren to pray on TV prior to an oath before God, as an honor to Jesus. Fact is, Jesus forbade both public prayer and oaths of any sort. He said only hypocrites pray in public, and all oaths come from evil, in fact. And yet, to make a stink about being Jesusy, they had a public prayer by a bigot, prior to an oath before God. Say what you will, they are not following Jesus, but their own desires, needs, wants and prejudices. They bow to their own egos, call that God, and that is the whole of it.

[JuniperLea]

23. Spot on...

And that's what I call using the Lord's name in vain. They spout off all sorts of dogmatic rubbish.

I'm seeing a clear, straight line between the golden calf of Moses' time, and the one used in the Merrill Lynch ads...

[Zebedeo]

19. Well . . .

This analysis is not objective. The author has a dog in this hunt. As did D. James Kennedy when he wrote How Would Jesus Vote?

[Bake]

21. Simple. Organized religion ALWAYS gets it wrong.

Inevitably. Always. Gets it 100%, completely WRONG.

Bake

[Kurovski]

26. What is all y'all tawkin' about? Jaysuz taday ain't no kinda tired lil pinko!

he kan wrastle yer scrawny ass while pluggin the a-rabs in eerawkee town! he don't want you feedin off no loafs ner fishes y'all dint' bye yersefs!! Dint y'all listen to what george bush tol you when he waz tawkin right strait ta Lord Jaysuz, and Jaysuz spoke unta him...RIGHT INTA THE PRESIDENTS EAR!!!?