If Jesus Christ could vote in the upcoming elections in the United States, I'm sure he would vote for Barack Obama. And not only because of the same skin color.
Jesus would admire the fact that Obama, like Jesus himself, came out of nowhere to inspire millions in his country and around the world.
Jesus would vote for Obama because of his message of hope. He would find today's world a very disturbing place, with conflicts, greed, and global warming threatening our future, and he would vote for someone who wants to "repair" it.
He would admire Barack Obama for speaking out against the Iraq War that was based on lies and manipulation even when opposing it was very unpopular for a politician in America.
Jesus would definitely support Obama's willingness to sit down with the adversaries and talk about ways to solve conflicts around the world through negotiations, instead of waging wars for the next 100 years and trying to kill all of the enemies (and many innocent people as "collateral damage").
He would support Obama for his plan to help the poor even if that message is unpopular among the rich. According to the Bible, Jesus himself promoted helping the poor and disadvantaged: "Sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven (Luke 18:22)."
Jesus would vote for Obama because he wants to break away from lobbyists and money from big businesses that would have to be returned in favors often at the expense of the poor.
Jesus would despise the messages of hate and the ugly lies from the McCain campaign that are intended to create a sense of fear and gloom among the voters.
He wouldn't like the hypocrisy of the "pro-life" people, many of whom support killing of innocent civilians around the world for oil, power, and greed. He would remind them that "You shall not murder" also includes the already born children in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries who are often killed by American "smart bombs."
So, if Jesus was around and if he could cast a ballot next week, I truly believe he would vote for Obama.
Of course, no one knows if his vote would be counted due to his skin color, as many reports claim that black people are still "being unjustly stricken from voter registration rolls" across America.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Demolishun
No, Jesus would not vote to elect an individual with an agenda to kill millions of innocent human children. I am not sure Jesus would want to vote for either candidate. Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.
No matter how you spin it, this election is not about race. This is about a power move to control all of the government power centers with media support. This is a dangerous combination as it represents a single party being able to do whatever they want and they can make it look good. There is even a push to remove opposing media view points which is an affront to free speech and the first step toward a fascist despotism.
To Obama supporters: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
2 - moon
Defintely a WRONG take! The US imperialist war-mongering genocidal agenda is alive and well in the plans of BOTH major candidates.
BTW: Hugo Chavez said that Jesus was the first REAL socialist.
He did not say that Jesus voted for HIM, however.
3 - Methuselah
Jesus Christ is not an American citizen. Your hypothetical falls apart right there. That is like asking if a zombie could be president. It's like saying that Alec D'Urberville would not be convicted of raping Tess D'Urberville in the modern American judicial system because he would have the money to hire a better lawyer. Why is this something that was given serious thought?
4 - Dr Dreadful
Jesus would not vote. He was not concerned with the affairs of this world, but on preparing people for the next.
5 - duane
I wonder who Klaatu would vote for.
6 - Dee
Agreed... Jesus most definately would vote for the Democrat because they at least pretend like they give a shit about the poor and middle class unlike the republican party... and Jesus would of course give the jew girl toys
7 - Dave Nalle
Yes, but...Jesus was a delusional socialist hippy love-child who heard voices, lived with a prostitute, associated with known terrorists and taught philosophy without a license.
Simon Magus for Messiah, 0028!
Our Candidate Can Fly! Let's See Your Lame Nazarene Bastard Do That!
Dave
8 - Dan(Miller)
Back when we were sailing* in the Caribbean, our last stop before "swallowing the anchor" and moving permanently ashore in the highlands of Panama was an anchorage in the bay between Isla Linton and Puerto Lindo. We often passed (usually on a "chicken bus") through Portobello, Panama on the way to Colon or Panama City. Portobello is the home of El Cristo Negro.
Even though we walked through the church and were taken with the ruins of the old Spanish fortifications, we didn't make it to the 21 October festivities; the streets are jammed with thousands of people, and it is virtually impossible to get through. Therefore, I won't presume to suggest how the Black Christ would vote; however, as the linked article notes, he is the patron saint of beggars and thieves. Honest. I kid you not. Anyone in Portobello will confirm it.Dan(Miller)
*Damn, sometimes I wish we were sailing again.
9 - wdufkin
You obviously do not know Jesus. Since he himself claimed to be one with the father doesn't it disgust you to know that God wanted all the Canaanites destroyed including children? He’s not civilized, sophisticated, and democratic as you suppose that the God of modern people should be. Jesus commanded the "church" to care for the poor, the widow, and the orphan. This was said to be "true Christianity". All that aside I don't know of another country that takes better care of their poor than we do, not that we are perfect. "Sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven (Luke 18:22)." was directed towards the rich young ruler and is a lesson to individuals who might love money more than God. It is not an edict for every Christian or every person to give away everything that they have.
Nope, I'm pretty possitive Jesus would not vote for Obamo but I know another prophet would!
10 - Glenn Contrarian
Jesus wasn't overly concerned with politics - "Render unto Caesar", etc. This also equates to "pay your taxes and don't gripe about it because Jesus said to obey the law".
Jesus obviously didn't have anything against military service - he deeply complimented two centurions for their faith.
Jesus didn't seem to support the death penalty - for according to Mosaic law, the adulteress should have been stoned to death...but Jesus stopped the stoning.
He wouldn't have supported Blue Laws either (but these are largely a thing of the past), for He pointed out that work is unavoidable even on the Sabbath.
Jesus believed in religious freedom, for when the apostles pointed out the woman who was praying but who was not a true Christian, Jesus forbade them from reacting to her, saying, "He who is not against us is for us".
Jesus wouldn't support a war, and certainly would not support a 'pre-emptive' aggressive war against those who posed no real threat. Remember, He even stopped Peter from defending Him against the Roman soldiers coming to arrest Him. "Turn the other cheek", remember?
In other words, Jesus - were He walking the earth - would have had the same values as a peace-loving Democrat.
11 - jp
Responsibility
I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.
-- Helen Keller
I want to live in a country where work, initiative, innovation, creativity and determination are rewarded, where the able and willing can earn what they can, and keep what they earn. No government should ever reward those unwilling to carry their own weight. And those who take money by fraud should be held accountable for their actions. Taking more (higher taxation percentage rate) from the "rich", those who know how to produce, to give to the "poor", and those who can only consume, is not freedom or liberty. JFK once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." He almost had it right. What should be said is, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do to take responsibility for your own welfare." Only this can be the foundation for a truly free society. In the United States, anyone who wants more money is perfectly free to go out and earn it, to the extent of their talent and perseverance.
I want to live in a society that doesn't expect the government to take care of all its problems. I want to live in a society where people freely help those in need. But voluntarily, not as government mandate. I believe that if we were not taxed so heavily, if we could keep more of what we earned, then people would want to be more helpful, and would be able to be more helpful. We would then more freely give to charities and churches, so our neighbors in need, whether next door or across the country, can get help that is actually helpful. This can only be done with a smaller, less intrusive, government. It can not be accomplished with a socialist welfare system that helps perpetuate the problems of vast numbers of the needy, and brings the overall standard of living down to the lowest common denominator.
Good parents teach their children how to provide for themselves and to spend no more than they have. The Liberal Left policies of Senator Obama would be like bad parenting, in essence telling society they don't have to provide for themselves, they can just get what they need from those who do. In no way could this possibly be construed as true freedom or liberty. While the Liberal Left's policies sometimes sound good on the surface, deeper scrutiny shows they cannot possibly work in the long run (over-taxing those who produce jobs can only lead to fewer jobs; over-taxing everyone can only lead to economic stagnation). Senator McCain wants to lower both taxes and spending. This is the only way America can keep its place in the world as the economic leader.
Let's get America back to basics: where each citizen carries his or her own weight and does not expect their neighbors to do for them what they should do for themselves. Let us not be a burden to each other any more. Let us not allow socialism any more into the fabric of our society.
Florida, USA
9/24/2008
12 - Dr Dreadful
Dan @ #10:
In the cathedral at Cusco, Peru, there is also a black Christ, called by the locals 'El Negrito'. (He started out as a typical white Christ-figure, but turned black from years of candle smoke.) He is also known as 'El Señor de los Temblores': during the catastrophic earthquake of 1650, he was paraded around the town by the terrified citizens - whereupon the quake promptly stopped. He has been revered as Cusco's patron saint ever since.
13 - Glenn Contrarian
Oh - and one more thing, for all those who want to impose their religious values and beliefs on those who are not of the same faith. Remember "Judge not, lest ye be judged"?
Paul also pointed out that he judges those within the Church, not those outside the Church.
In other words, we Christians are NOT to judge those who do not believe as we do, who may have radically different beliefs or practices from us...so long as they do not break the law.
And that means that since we are NOT to judge others outside the Church, then we are NOT to discriminate against them.
So YES, I do believe that while Jesus may not allow GLBT within the Church, Paul's statement makes it obvious that WE who walk the earth today would not be allowed to discriminate against others outside the Church...and that includes GLBT.
14 - Jordan Richardson
He was not concerned with the affairs of this world, but on preparing people for the next.
Interesting, Doc. I believe pretty much the exact opposite of this.
15 - R.C.
Jesus would vote for McCain, not because He particularly liked McCain, but in order to help defeat Obama.
Jesus would vote against Obama because, although Jesus loves Obama, the policies Obama supports would hurt many of Jesus' other children, especially the poor and unborn.
Jesus would not care that "Obama came out of nowhere"; Jesus knew where Obama was when he hadn't yet been born and found Obama utterly unsurprising.
Neither would Obama's "message of hope" impress Jesus. Jesus, who brings real hope, is unimpressed with secular messiahs bringing false hope, even when they have good intentions.
Jesus would not "find today's world a very disturbing place": He would find it to be exactly as it always has been: Full of human beings who decry imagined coming apocalypses because of an emotional need to avoid the reality that they themselves, when they sin, are the conduits of evil into the world.
Jesus would know that the Iraq War was a noble but mistaken effort, and that winning it now that we're there is a noble and not-mistaken effort. Jesus, no pacifist, was friendly with Roman soldiers and didn't decry their profession. Look it up.
True, Jesus would definitely support Obama's willingness to sit down with the adversaries...but only adversaries willing to talk honestly. Jesus told His followers to be "harmless as doves, but wise as serpents" and that there were times when "he who hath not a sword, let him buy one." Look it up.
Jesus would hate Obama's plan to help the poor, despite loving both Obama and the poor. Most don't notice what Jesus, God Incarnate, with All Authority In Heaven and on Earth, did when the "rich young man" refused to sell all he had and give it to the poor. Jesus did not force him. Instead, Jesus let the young man go.
In short, Jesus only authorized his followers to advocate **voluntary** charity to the poor. In fact, He said that we should give over and above what we think we can spare (which is why I do exactly that). But Jesus never said, "If your brother giveth not, hold a sword at his throat until he does." That's not Jesus' way; it's Mohammed's. (And Obama's.)
Jesus would vote for McCain because he wants to break away from lobbyists and money from big businesses that would have to be returned in favors often at the expense of the poor, in contrast to Obama, who is crooked or compromised in all those areas.
Jesus would despise the messages of hate and the ugly lies from the Obama campaign and supporters that are intended to create a sense of fear and gloom among the voters.
Jesus is not a third grader; he is not too stupid to know the difference between those killed accidentally in a just war, and those killed intentionally in the womb. He knows that both are sad, but only the latter is a human rights violation.
And, by the way, as a man of Hebrew lineage in 1st Century Palestine after the return of the exiles, chances are that if Jesus were to be ethnically classified, it would not be as "black" or even "Hispanic" but as something "Levantine," or, simply "Jewish." Not that it would matter; it's not as if the minority vote is being in any way suppressed this year, except in the minds of the paranoid and those that commit vote-fraud.
16 - Dan(Miller)
Doc, re #17
Perhaps they should get together and discuss the coming election. The Portobello Black Christ resides at sea level, but I have no information as to the elevation of El Negrito. With global warming and the rise of the oceans, perhaps they will be able to meet.
Having saved their respective constituents form an earthquake and cholera, perhaps they might condescend to intervene and save us from both the Democrats and Republicans.
Nah. Won't happen. Earthquakes and cholera are a whole lot easier.
Dan(Miller)
17 - moon
R.C. [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
Nowhere is it written that Jesus was against abortion.
The Catholic Church hijacked Jesus a long time ago to grease their capitalist fascist gears.
18 - Sam
Jesus doesn't like politics!!!
Plus Obama wants to withdraw from Iraq and leave it in a civil war that the US contributed in. This alone will result in thousands of deaths!!!!
19 - Dr Dreadful
Dan,
Cusco is at approximately 11,000 feet. I don't think there's enough water in the world to make your scenario feasible. It's probably just as well. I've no idea whether El Negrito has pockets in His loincloth - they won't let you get close enough to check - but I've a feeling that if he did, El Cristo Negro would probably pick them.
20 - Dr Dreadful
P.S.,
My liberal Jesus can beat up your conservative Jesus.
21 - Lisa Solod Warren
OTOH, some of us believe Jesus WAS a secular messiah. If that is, he existed at all outside of myth.
Whoops, ducking now........
And, I notice no one took Dee to task for her ugly remark. Oh well.
22 - Cannonshop
#26 Roman tax records (IIRC) seem to think he existed-at least, that the man existed. Whether he actually performed "miracles" or was just a compelling public speaker remains an item of some dispute-as it ought to.
#26 But, drunken, bitter jesus can disregard both HIS conservative jesus, and your Liberal Jesus Doc, and win any brawl with the power of drunken divine rage with his little brother Jihad Jesus.
OTOH, some of us don't need "saving" or "Salvation". If I'm damned, it's for who I am and what I do, not because someone else's invisible, imaginary friend says so.
Though I have to agree-Jesus would probably (if he voted) be a Democrat and vote for Obama, after all, his reward is in Heaven, not earth.
23 - moon
The poster LIsa seems to feel that anyone who disagrees with her should be "taken to task"--yet refuses to acknowledge her "spinsterly schoolmarm" attitude.
Jesus was a myth.
Just like Quezalcoatl was here in Mexico.
In a small village about half an hour from here, Amatlán, Quezalcoatl supposedly took his first steps in his Golden Sandals.
I guess that makes it The Holy Land of Mexico.
It has never failed to amaze me how folks can kill each other century after century in the name of folks who never existed.
Sort of like the belligerant folks on this site mud-wrestling each other to the death for two nonentities contesting for the right to represent Big Oil and Big Guns and be named Big Bully.
Big Fucking Deal.
24 - Dan(Miller)
Doc,
My liberal Jesus can beat up your conservative Jesus. I ain't got no
dogJesus in this fight. But if I did, my Jesus could whip your Jesus tan pronto and beat your dog while doing it.Dan(Miller)
Sips a tot of sacramental rum and stumbles off to bed.
25 - moon
Dan,
You must be quite a drinker if you hit the hammock this early.
I will keep that in mind when I read your posts.
For those of you still awake, I will post something I just posted on another thread:
When Simón Bolívar was close to death in Santa Marta, Colombia, he said to his doctor:
"The three greatest fools in history have been Jesus Christ, Don Quixote...and me".
Bolívar is buried in the Panteón in Caracas.
Where are the other two jokers?