If Jesus was alive today, he would be attacked by conservatives

[boedicca]

Untrue. Jesus advocated personal responsibility and private charity, not Big Government Income and Wealth Redistribution.

No, He did not. No where in the Scriptures do we find Libertarian Jesus.

Oh yes we do, bub: Matthew 7:12

Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

That is the epitome of wealth distribution, beodi.

No, it most certainly is not. If one doesn't wish to make charitable donations, one is free not to do so. That is vastly different than forced taxation used to buy votes.

Cutting taxes for the wealthy works much better for the GOP. Money is power. Maybe the Dems should try it, but we'd have another depression like 1929 and 2008.

I suggest you look at who the big backers of hiLIARy and Obama are.

 

[JakeStarkey]

No, He did not. No where in the Scriptures do we find Libertarian Jesus.

Oh yes we do, bub: Matthew 7:12

Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

That is the epitome of wealth distribution, beodi.

No, it most certainly is not. If one doesn't wish to make charitable donations, one is free not to do so. That is vastly different than forced taxation used to buy votes.

Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. He did not tell you to stomp on the tax man's foot.

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

 

[boedicca]

Oh yes we do, bub: Matthew 7:12

Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

That is the epitome of wealth distribution, beodi.

No, it most certainly is not. If one doesn't wish to make charitable donations, one is free not to do so. That is vastly different than forced taxation used to buy votes.

Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. He did not tell you to stomp on the tax man's foot.

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.

Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

 

[JakeStarkey]

That is the epitome of wealth distribution, beodi.

No, it most certainly is not. If one doesn't wish to make charitable donations, one is free not to do so. That is vastly different than forced taxation used to buy votes.

Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. He did not tell you to stomp on the tax man's foot.

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

 

[Penelope]

No, He did not. No where in the Scriptures do we find Libertarian Jesus.

Oh yes we do, bub: Matthew 7:12

Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

That is the epitome of wealth distribution, beodi.

No, it most certainly is not. If one doesn't wish to make charitable donations, one is free not to do so. That is vastly different than forced taxation used to buy votes.

Cutting taxes for the wealthy works much better for the GOP. Money is power. Maybe the Dems should try it, but we'd have another depression like 1929 and 2008.

I suggest you look at who the big backers of hiLIARy and Obama are.

I know who they are, it just doesn't work as well when you have the Corps, Koch brothers, Robert Mercer and deregulation behind you. Lets us not forgot the NRA.

 

[boedicca]

No, it most certainly is not. If one doesn't wish to make charitable donations, one is free not to do so. That is vastly different than forced taxation used to buy votes.

Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. He did not tell you to stomp on the tax man's foot.

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

You make the false assumption that everything that one produces and owns..actually one's very existence... belongs to Caesar. Jesus opposed such slavery. One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs. The individual is equal before and has a direct relationship with God.

Your interpretation completely misinterprets Jesus' meaning.

 

[Penelope]

That is the epitome of wealth distribution, beodi.

No, it most certainly is not. If one doesn't wish to make charitable donations, one is free not to do so. That is vastly different than forced taxation used to buy votes.

Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. He did not tell you to stomp on the tax man's foot.

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.

Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

No wonder, you have misinterpreted the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Maybe all workers should make CEO 's wages, how about that.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. He did not tell you to stomp on the tax man's foot.

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

You make the false assumption that everything that one produces and owns..actually one's very existence... belongs to Caesar. Jesus opposed such slavery. One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs. The individual is equal before and has a direct relationship with God. Your interpretation completely misinterprets Jesus' meaning.

That is your silly assumption. You don't speak for Jesus. He speaks for himself. Follow what He says, boedi, and stop relying on placing personal philosophy before scriptural enlightenment.

 

[boedicca]

No, it most certainly is not. If one doesn't wish to make charitable donations, one is free not to do so. That is vastly different than forced taxation used to buy votes.

Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. He did not tell you to stomp on the tax man's foot.

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.

Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

No wonder, you have misinterpreted the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Maybe all workers should make CEO 's wages, how about that.

Another gross misinterpretation in order to support Big Government tyranny on the pretext of equality of outcomes.

One can only control one's own actions and decisions based upon one's own moral core. What other people do is beside the point.

 

[JakeStarkey]

So boedi throws aside Jesus' explicit instruction to render under Caesar what is Caesar's and create her own religion.

 

[Penelope]

This is childhood 101: All religions use it as a base, but it takes empathy , which we try to instill upon children, those without empathy, grow up and become greedy and only think of themselves, narcissistic behavior,

1. Practice empathy. Make it a habit to try to place yourself in the shoes of another person. Any person. Loved ones, co-workers, people you meet on the street. Really try to understand, to the extent that you can, what it is like to be them, what they are going through, and why they do what they do.
2. Practice compassion. Once you can understand another person, and feel what they’re going through, learn to want to end their suffering. And when you can, take even a small action to somehow ease their suffering in some way.
3. How would you want to be treated? The Golden Rule doesn’t really mean that you should treat someone else exactly as you’d want them to treat you … it means that you should try to imagine how they want to be treated, and do that. So when you put yourself in their shoes, ask yourself how you think they want to be treated. Ask yourself how you would want to be treated if you were in their situation. John F. Kennedy did that during the controversial days of de-segregation in the 1960s, asking white Americans to imagine being looked down upon and treated badly based only on the color of their skin. He asked them to imagine how they would want to be treated if they were in that situation, and act accordingly towards the blacks.
4. Be friendly. When in doubt, follow this tip. It’s usually safe to be friendly towards others. Of course, there are times when others just don’t want someone acting friendly towards them, and you should be sensitive to that. You should also be friendly within the bounds of appropriateness. But who doesn’t like to feel welcome and wanted?
5. Be helpful. This is probably one of the weaknesses of our society. Sure, there are many people who go out of their way to be helpful, and I applaud them. But in general there is a tendency to keep to yourself, and to ignore the problems of others. Don’t be blind to the needs and troubles of others. Look to help even before you’re asked.
6. Be courteous in traffic. Another weakness of our society. There are few times when we are as selfish as when we’re driving. We don’t want to give up the right of way, we cut people off, we honk and curse. Perhaps it’s the isolation of the automobile. We certainly don’t act that rude in person, most of the time. So try to be courteous in traffic.
7. Listen to others. Another weakness: we all want to talk, but very few of us want to listen. And yet, we all want to be listened to. So take the time to actually listen to another person, rather than just wait your turn to talk. It’ll also go a long way to helping you understand others.
8. Overcome prejudice. We all have our prejudices, whether it’s based on skin color, attractiveness, height, age, gender … it’s human nature, I guess. But try to see each person as an individual human being, with different backgrounds and needs and dreams. And try to see the commonalities between you and that person, despite your differences.
9. Stop criticism. We all have a tendency to criticize others, whether it’s people we know or people we see on television. However, ask yourself if you would like to be criticized in that person’s situation. The answer is almost always “no”. So hold back your criticism, and instead learn to interact with others in a positive way.
10. Don’t control others. It’s also rare that people want to be controlled. Trust me. So don’t do it. This is a difficult thing, especially if we are conditioned to control people. But when you get the urge to control, put yourself in that person’s shoes. You would want freedom and autonomy and trust, wouldn’t you? Give that to others then.
11. Be a child. The urge to control and criticize is especially strong when we are adults dealing with children. In some cases, it’s necessary, of course: you don’t want the child to hurt himself, for example. But in most cases, it’s not. Put yourself in the shoes of that child. Remember what it was like to be a child, and to be criticized and controlled. You probably didn’t like it. How would you want to be treated if you were that child?
12. Send yourself a reminder. Email yourself a daily reminder (use Google Calendar or memotome.com, for example) to live your life by the Golden Rule, so you don’t forget.
13. Tie a string to your finger. Or give yourself some other reminder throughout the day so that you don’t forget to follow the Golden Rule in all interactions with others. Perhaps a fake golden ring on your keychain? A tattoo?
14. Post it on your wall or make it your home page. The Golden Rule makes a great mantra, and a great poster.
15. Rise above retaliation. We have a tendency to strike back when we’re treated badly. This is natural. Resist that urge. The Golden Rule isn’t about retaliation. It’s about treating others well, despite how they treat you. Does that mean you should be a doormat? No … you have to assert your rights, of course, but you can do so in a way where you still treat others well and don’t strike back just because they treated you badly first. Remember Jesus’ wise (but difficult to follow) advice: turn the other cheek.
16. Be the change. Gandhi famously told us to be the change we want to see in the world. Well, we often think of that quote as applying to grand changes, such as poverty and racism and violence. Well, sure, it does apply to those things … but it also applies on a much smaller scale: to all the small interactions between people. Do you want people to treat each other with more compassion and kindness? Then let it start with you. Even if the world doesn’t change, at least you have.
17. Notice how it makes you feel. Notice how your actions affect others, especially when you start to treat them with kindness, compassion, respect, trust, love. But also notice the change in yourself. Do you feel better about yourself? Happier? More secure? More willing to trust others, now that you trust yourself? These changes come slowly and in small increments, but if you pay attention, you’ll see them.
18. Say a prayer. There is a prayer on the Golden Rule, attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea, that would be worth saying once a day. It includes the following lines, among others: “May I gain no victory that harms me or my opponent.
    May I reconcile friends who are mad at each other.
    May I, insofar as I can, give all necessary
    help to my friends and to all who are in need.
    May I never fail a friend in trouble.”

18 Practical Tips for Living the Golden Rule : zen habits

 

[IsaacNewton]

Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. He did not tell you to stomp on the tax man's foot.

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

You make the false assumption that everything that one produces and owns..actually one's very existence... belongs to Caesar. Jesus opposed such slavery. One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs. The individual is equal before and has a direct relationship with God.

Your interpretation completely misinterprets Jesus' meaning.

"One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs."

I mean you have to read that and understand the significance of the backwards nature of saying and believing that. Jesus claimed his father was the only god and must be worshiped. The penultimate statement of divine rights and the absolutism of a monarch. The individual is NEVER equal to god, he is told to be subservient or he will be tortured forever.

This is the bizarre unreality that has gripped conservatives in the US. That anything you believe is the same as what is in the bible, even if it is diametrically opposite. The feeling of being kristian, or on that 'team', overrides all rational thought and up is down, day is night.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The evangelical and fundamentalist and Pentecost far right fit your model, IN, not the great majority of mainstream American Christians.

 

[hobelim]

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

You make the false assumption that everything that one produces and owns..actually one's very existence... belongs to Caesar. Jesus opposed such slavery. One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs. The individual is equal before and has a direct relationship with God.

Your interpretation completely misinterprets Jesus' meaning.

"One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs."

I mean you have to read that and understand the significance of the backwards nature of saying and believing that. Jesus claimed his father was the only god and must be worshiped. The penultimate statement of divine rights and the absolutism of a monarch. The individual is NEVER equal to god, he is told to be subservient or he will be tortured forever.

This is the bizarre unreality that has gripped conservatives in the US. That anything you believe is the same as what is in the bible, even if it is diametrically opposite. The feeling of being kristian, or on that 'team', overrides all rational thought and up is down, day is night.

Of course you are right so what then?

If people like this can get something as important as what constitutes eternal life or death, a holy life or life of pretense and deceit, what is true or false, reality or fantasy, is it even possible that they could be right about any less important social issue?

I think their openly revealed thought disorders and bizarre beliefs disqualify them as ethical, moral, honest, or sane people and they should be summarily removed from any government position of authority, high or low, that requires the public trust and banned from ever owning guns working with children or operating heavy machinery.

 

[jillian]

Jesus never talked about politics. For example, he never took sides in the conflict between the Roman occupiers and the Jewish rebellion. He told Pontius Pilate that his kingdom was of heaven, not of the Earth.

Everything Jesus did and said was politics

And the so-called christians don't do what he said which is take care of the poor and sick and love your neighbor.

That goes against everything the radical right stands for

 

[Vandalshandle]

 

[IsaacNewton]

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

You make the false assumption that everything that one produces and owns..actually one's very existence... belongs to Caesar. Jesus opposed such slavery. One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs. The individual is equal before and has a direct relationship with God.

Your interpretation completely misinterprets Jesus' meaning.

"One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs."

I mean you have to read that and understand the significance of the backwards nature of saying and believing that. Jesus claimed his father was the only god and must be worshiped. The penultimate statement of divine rights and the absolutism of a monarch. The individual is NEVER equal to god, he is told to be subservient or he will be tortured forever.

This is the bizarre unreality that has gripped conservatives in the US. That anything you believe is the same as what is in the bible, even if it is diametrically opposite. The feeling of being kristian, or on that 'team', overrides all rational thought and up is down, day is night.

Of course you are right so what then?

If people like this can get something as important as what constitutes eternal life or death, a holy life or life of pretense and deceit, what is true or false, reality or fantasy, is it even possible that they could be right about any less important social issue?

I think their openly revealed thought disorders and bizarre beliefs disqualify them as ethical, moral, honest, or sane people and they should be summarily removed from any government position of authority, high or low, that requires the public trust and banned from ever owning guns working with children or operating heavy machinery.

It does disqualify them from rational thought but it's like trying to get someone out of a cult who believes completely that the cult is their only salvation. You can't do it without heavy duty intervention. All one can do on a message board is put reality out there in hopes a few will still have a windows or sidedoor open in their mind where it can get in and make them THINK.

 

[boedicca]

Caesar doesn't own one's productivity, bub.

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

You make the false assumption that everything that one produces and owns..actually one's very existence... belongs to Caesar. Jesus opposed such slavery. One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs. The individual is equal before and has a direct relationship with God.

Your interpretation completely misinterprets Jesus' meaning.

"One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs."

I mean you have to read that and understand the significance of the backwards nature of saying and believing that. Jesus claimed his father was the only god and must be worshiped. The penultimate statement of divine rights and the absolutism of a monarch. The individual is NEVER equal to god, he is told to be subservient or he will be tortured forever.

This is the bizarre unreality that has gripped conservatives in the US. That anything you believe is the same as what is in the bible, even if it is diametrically opposite. The feeling of being kristian, or on that 'team', overrides all rational thought and up is down, day is night.

You are looking at this according to 21st century culture.

The reality in 33 AD was that most humans were slaves of totalitarian-god rulers.

It was quite radical and liberating for Jesus to separate government authority from God. And that is what he did.

 

[IsaacNewton]

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

You make the false assumption that everything that one produces and owns..actually one's very existence... belongs to Caesar. Jesus opposed such slavery. One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs. The individual is equal before and has a direct relationship with God.

Your interpretation completely misinterprets Jesus' meaning.

"One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs."

I mean you have to read that and understand the significance of the backwards nature of saying and believing that. Jesus claimed his father was the only god and must be worshiped. The penultimate statement of divine rights and the absolutism of a monarch. The individual is NEVER equal to god, he is told to be subservient or he will be tortured forever.

This is the bizarre unreality that has gripped conservatives in the US. That anything you believe is the same as what is in the bible, even if it is diametrically opposite. The feeling of being kristian, or on that 'team', overrides all rational thought and up is down, day is night.

Of course you are right so what then?

If people like this can get something as important as what constitutes eternal life or death, a holy life or life of pretense and deceit, what is true or false, reality or fantasy, is it even possible that they could be right about any less important social issue?

I think their openly revealed thought disorders and bizarre beliefs disqualify them as ethical, moral, honest, or sane people and they should be summarily removed from any government position of authority, high or low, that requires the public trust and banned from ever owning guns working with children or operating heavy machinery.

It does disqualify them from rational thought but it's like trying to get someone out of a cult who believes completely that the cult is their only salvation. You can't do it without heavy duty intervention. All one can do on a message board is put reality out there in hopes a few will still have a windows or sidedoor open in their mind where it can get in and make them THINK.

Rational thought is not exactly your core competency, bub.

Please Percy, you saying this to anyone is laughable. And the thing is you know it.

 

[JakeStarkey]

bubette, that is not the point that Jesus was making. Do what Jesus tells you to do, and you will be better off than if you don't.

Your cognitive abilities aren't exactly up to snuff.Try rereading the Golden Rule and thinking about the implications of living by it. I realize that such reflection overloads your circuits, but perhaps one synapse will make the correct connection.

Render unto Caesar's. There is nothing cutesy about it, shoog. You can be libertarian Christian as Foxfyre, and you will be as crazy wrong politically as Foxfyre. You can't make the words mean something else.

You make the false assumption that everything that one produces and owns..actually one's very existence... belongs to Caesar. Jesus opposed such slavery. One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs. The individual is equal before and has a direct relationship with God.

Your interpretation completely misinterprets Jesus' meaning.

"One aspect of his historical significance was to undermine the concept of the divine rights of monarchs."

I mean you have to read that and understand the significance of the backwards nature of saying and believing that. Jesus claimed his father was the only god and must be worshiped. The penultimate statement of divine rights and the absolutism of a monarch. The individual is NEVER equal to god, he is told to be subservient or he will be tortured forever.

This is the bizarre unreality that has gripped conservatives in the US. That anything you believe is the same as what is in the bible, even if it is diametrically opposite. The feeling of being kristian, or on that 'team', overrides all rational thought and up is down, day is night.

You are looking at this according to 21st century culture.

The reality in 33 AD was that most humans were slaves of totalitarian-god rulers.

It was quite radical and liberating for Jesus to separate government authority from God. And that is what he did.

Only in the mind of those who do not understand that time period. Jesus would tell the libertarian and Christian right that "you all really screwed the pooch, younkers.""