What would Jesus do if he could vote in the US elections? He would vote for Obama
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. …
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - Dr Dreadful
Cannonshop, I couldn't agree more. (Caveat: I could agree less with some things you said and probably do, but let's not get into that.)
The whole 'Who Would Jesus Vote For?' argument is of course absurd, which is what I was getting at in #25. People see the Jesus they want to believe in - especially if they have their immortal souls invested in him - because they don't want to entertain the idea that they might be wrong.
In this article and its subsequent thread, there are convincing arguments from supporters of both candidates that Jesus would be for their guy - but at root, those arguments are foolish.
Earthly politics were not Jesus' concern - that was why he snubbed Pilate and the Sanhedrin. Whether you believe in his divinity or not, there's no doubt that he saw himself as a unique conduit between God and humankind - hence his often drastic attempts to steer people on the right path. His interferences in secular affairs - intervening in the stoning of the adulteress, trashing the moneychangers' tables in the Temple and so forth - were (almost?) always motivated by concern for human souls.
It's academic. There was no voting in first-century Judea, and if there had been, Jesus would have participated only if it had been compulsory. If he were here in the US today, where he would have the right not to vote, I think he would have exercised it.
27 - Cindy D
Dr.D,
People see the Jesus they want to believe in...
That sounds a lot like what Dan just said about Obama in his latest article.
oh,oh...
28 - El Bicho
"That is like asking if a zombie could be president."
Where have you been the past eight years? [rimshot]
29 - Cannonshop
#31 Agreed, Doc. Jesus likely wouldn't vote, or endorse candidates. Being as he had the idea (delusional or not) that he was the son of the Creator, invested in saving souls, and that his and his followers reward would lie in the afterlife, a sober examination like yours would have to come (if followed along using reason) to the same conclusion you present- Jesus wouldn't endorse, or vote for, either candidate, as the Presidency is an office of the Mortal Coil.
He might, however, counsel both of them (if only on Youtube or some other public forum) to tone down the rhetoric and speak with honesty instead of deception.
The consequence of THAT would be that he would be attacked by the Left as a Right-Wing Tool, and the Right as a Left wing idiot.
It's too bad he was born in Judea, I'd almost suggest he'd be an ideal compromise candidate...
30 - Cannonshop
#33 Bring forth the Zombie Reagan!!
31 - Arch Conservative
Zombie Reagan would be much better than Obama or McCain.
32 - Dan(Miller)
Moon, re Comment #30
Ah yes, well so be it. And you might remember what Sir Winston Churchill said to Lady Astor. I seem to recall that it was reasonably witty, but then he usually was.
Dan(Miller)
hic
33 - Dr Dreadful
No, Cannon and Archie, no good. If Reagan was brought back as a zombie, wouldn't he still have dementia?
34 - Cannonshop
#38 No more than our current crop of Congresscritters, Senators, fundraisers, or pundits, Doc. Think of the money we could save on Secret Service protection (a zombie's by definition impossible to re-kill, just give 'im a kevlar helmet to protect his head...and prevent bites.)
Not to mention having a president we can scare even Al Quaeda with ("Back off, or we'll send Zombie Reagan to your house to bite your family, eat their souls, and possibly their brains!!")
35 - Dan(Miller)
Doc, re Comment #31
Estes Kefauver, he of coonskin cap fame, said it marginally better, as I was told by a former law partner who, in his youth, had worked for the good Senator: I can't agree with that too much.*
Dan(Miller)
*Gosh Darn. What a sentence.
36 - Lisa Solod Warren
Uh, moon, at the risk of unleashing another of your vituprative diatribes (and why you persist in calling me a spinster is beyond me), Dee made a what is easily an anti-semitic remark, just as I thought yours was. You didn't think so, which was what unleashed your first screed against me....so I prepare myself for what is coming.
Not liking people who engage in prejudice hardly makes me schoolmarmish, except to you, or people like you....OTOH you would hate it if people hated Native Americans just because they were, say, Native American, wouldn't you? Or just said they were all drunks and idiots and deserved to live on reservations, deserved to have their land taken away from them. Do I assume too much?
You seem to think all Jews are responsible for Palestine, just like you think all Gringos are awful, no matter if we personally were responsible for what happened to Native Americans or not. I could easily hold ALL Russinas responsible for what happened to my family to make them flee here but that seems, well, counterproductive. And would do me little good in either the short or the long run. You make fun of me for coming from a guilt-ridden culture, but then you want all Gringos to feel guilty for what we did to your people. And the fact is, I DO feel guilty about it. My sister's partner is a Native American. Believe me, I am well aware of what her ancestors and her family and even she has gone through... But you can't have it both ways.
But go ahead, yell, scream, whatever you wish. Have your fun. I can tell the blood sport is one of your entertainments.
37 - Clavos
And you might remember what Sir Winston Churchill said to Lady Astor
Ah yes. I shan't repeat it, but it was particularly applicable to the context in which you brought it up, Dan(Miller).
Clav(os)
38 - Lisa Solod Warren
Oops, Clav, I misspelled vituperative. There, fixed it.
39 - Cindy D
duane,
I wonder who Klaatu would vote for.
New day the Earth Stood Still will be at IMAX in December. I know I can hardly wait!
40 - Jordan Richardson
Jesus would vote Green. Discuss.
41 - Cindy D
And here I thought Obama was Jesus?
42 - Demolishun
Okay, you say the bible does says nothing of abortion. So what! The child is a human being at the moment of conception. Stopping the events that will lead to a birth of this new human is the same as killing the child when it comes out. Oh wait, I forgot. Obama supports killing children that DO survive and live. There is legislation that would allow abortionists (they are not doctors as doctors are sworn to protect life) to let a failed abortion to be left to die alone on a table, in the garbage, etc. Also, to those who don't think biblical events have occurred. Mary, the mother of God, predicted a coming conflict with China at least 30 years ago. Guess what China is doing now, arming, stealing weapons secrets, posturing to local nations. She also appeared in Japan before the atomic bomb was dropped and warned them. Guess what she says about abortion? She says unless the US stops performing abortions China will take the west coast in approximately 2050. You can believe what you want, but God disapproves of murder of any form. To those that they think are enlightened: You don't know what you don't know. Ask yourself why are you never satisfied or complete? Why do you endeavor to continue to fill the void with worldly trappings and pleasures only to feel more and more empty? Nothing in this world can fill the "God-shaped void in our hearts". You can believe what you will, but that does not make it true. Like someone mentioned relating to politics: "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's". I will not give my soul to Caesar as it belongs to God. Compromising on life is the same as selling my soul. Being a fence sitter (pro-choice) is selling your soul.
43 - Richard Saunders
I think Jesus would not vote for Obama because McCain and Palin are pro Joe Six Packs and Joe the Plumbers and I think Jesus would more likely be for those people. I also think that Jesus was a Maverick and Obama is clearly not a Maverick, because the Maverick Police (Palin & McCain) said so. So I think that clearly gives us enough evidence that demonstrates that Jesus would not vote for Obama! lol j/k Thanks for you Blog!
44 - Baronius
Jesus would vote for the pro-life candidate, and probably for the candidate who would most strongly protect Jerusalem.
Darn it, guys, I don't want to vote for McCain, but you're talking me into it.
I believe that Jesus founded my church, the Catholic Church, and his Holy Spirit animates it. My church doesn't typically endorse candidates, but it says that the defense of life (in terms of opposing abortion and euthanasia) is the most grave matter in this election. More grave than matters of war or capital punishment, because it's possible for those to be morally acceptable, but abortion is never morally acceptable.
The only question for me is, is a vote for McCain sufficiently likely to reduce abortion that I'm obligated to do so?
45 - Mark Saleski
your church also covered up the sexual abuse of little boys, so it no longer has ANY moral authority.
signed,
ex-catholic.
46 - Christopher Rose
It's not actually true that Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church, it's just true that this is one of the big lies this particular con relies on. It is based upon an arguably self-serving interpretation of a verse from what we now call the Bible (which just means the book, by the way), no more. It's a key move in creating credibility with the mark (aka believer).
I don't quite know which is the more absurd notion, that claiming to be a moral authority whilst condoning war and state sanctioned murder but opposing the right of people to decide their own life's course or that this gang managed to swing tax exemption for their racket.
The scale of influence enjoyed by organised religion at the highest levels of secular society and government is cause for concern. When there is a conflict between the will of the people and the will of "god", can a faithist be trusted?
As to the premise of this odd article, it doesn't matter who Jesus would vote for. As the existence of any gods from any era is entirely unsubstantiated, JC was, at best, a key figure in his brief time. Which way he would vote is no more relevant than any one of thousands of other historical figures.
Which way would Plato vote?
Obviously, being English, I don't get to vote next Tuesday, but based on the media exposure of the candidates themselves, which is pretty extensive, I mostly hear Obama talking positively and McCain talking negatively and hope that the US citizenry will choose positivity.
47 - Winston Apple
Behold! I bring you glad tidings. Jesus appeared to me in a vision this morning and cleared this whole issue up for me.
He says that He does prefer Obama to McCain and Palin (whom He referred to as “Bible Spice), but that if He were able to vote on Tuesday, He would cast a “righteous write-in vote for Paris Hilton.” (His words, not mine.)
He said that he reached this decision after repeatedly viewing the Paris for President video. He further instructed me to “tell His people” to check out the video before voting and to “consider carefully the wisdom of voting in accordance to His will.”
48 - Baronius
Mark, the Catholic Church always claimed teaching authority, but never claimed to be filled with sinless people.
Christopher, I disagree completely, but anything more than that probably doesn't belong on a Politics thread.
49 - Dan(Miller)
Winston Apple,
Amen, brother. Amen! Now She is Hot!
Dan(Miller)
50 - Lisa Solod Warren
If you like them skinny,titless, and shallow, Dan. Oh, I forgot, you're old and she's young. Guess that's enough.
51 - Dan(Miller)
Lisa, re Comment #50:
Perhaps. However, according to Brother Apple, Jesus loves her and wants her to be President. That's good enough for me. I love
cheesesJesus.Dan(Miller)
52 - Lisa Solod Warren
Danny boy:
I believe Brother Apple was just a teasin' you.
I believe, in ma heart a hearts, honey bear, that you wuz mostly serious. I woulda thought you wuz more of a Sophia Loren kinda man....
Ah guess I wuz wrong....
(they ain't no way, no how, Jesus wouda chose Paris for Prez.... I have it on good authority, he bein' one of us originally after all, that he don' like blonds all that much, them not be bein' natural an' all......)
Peace out.
53 - Savo Heleta
I’ve been reading lately about these self-righteous conservatives claiming that Jesus is on their side, that they know what Jesus wants us to do… so I decided to write something quite opposite and see how many of them would jump on it.
Well, I can see above that many did jump on it.
Somebody commented that I “obviously don’t know Jesus” and attempted to explain how they know him and know what he would do. Somebody said that “Jesus is not an American citizen.” Thanks a lot on clarifying this, I didn’t know.
By the way, I’m neither religious nor will I be voting in these elections.
54 - Dan(Miller)
Lisa,
Gosh Darn! I just loves that there Southern accent. Please, please, use it mo often. And, I am confident that Mr. Apple was just as serious as I was.
Dan(Miller)
55 - Lisa Solod Warren
Alas, I am far too old for you, Dan.
And far far too liberal.
I'm jes sayin'.
Dear Mr. Apple: Please tell me you were not serious.
56 - Dan(Miller)
Lisa,
Alas, too bad. I shall go immediately to a monastery and pray. If I can find one, that is. Oh, by the way. You might want to read my comment again. I didn't say that Mr. Apple was serious, only that he was just as serious as I was.
Danny Boy*
*The pipes, the pipes are calling me; from glen to glen and down the mountain side. I hope the pipes are not bongs. I only smoke tobacco.
57 - Lisa Solod Warren
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
It's all becoming clear to me now. Must be all that pipe smoke foggin' up me haid.
Such subtlety...such aplomb. Such.........................................
I must away.(nothing left out here)
When I find that I am the commenter with the most comments in the past 24 hours it frightens me.
58 - Dr Dreadful
@ #53:
I suspected as much, Savo. Good job of pointing up the ridiculousness of it all.
Some homework for everybody:
Write comments explaining, rationally and without flippancy, why Jesus would vote for Sarah Palin, Joe Biden, the zombiefied Ronald Reagan, the zombiefied John F. Kennedy, Paris Hilton, Alec Baldwin, Mickey Mouse and Smokey the Bear.
59 - Clavos
Who's "Jesus???"
60 - Baronius
Gosh, I've been tricked into revealing that I take my faith seriously. Savo, what kind of Christian wouldn't try to understand and follow God's will?
61 - Winston Apple
Lisa,
I was not serious. Much like the author of this piece (see #53) I felt the urge to poke fun at those who claim intimate knowledge of the unknowable.
I must tell you, however, that were the race not so tight here in Missouri, I would be tempted to cast a write-in vote for Ms. Hilton.
This is why: I first saw the Paris for President video when my daughter sent it to me in an e-mail along with some quotes from my four-year-old grandson, comments he made while they watched the video together for the first time:
“She’s really pretty.” And towards the end of the video, “Do you see how pretty she is?”
From the mouths of babes, eh Dan?
Also, props to Alec Baldwin. I lifted the “Bible Spice” reference from his appearance on Letterman.
62 - Lisa Solod Warren
Winston, Dan, I was not serious, either.... I just have a very unusual sense of humor, which sometimes does not come across on the written page.
But I DID hope neither of you thought Paris was remotely attractive. I am sorry that your grandson's tastes are not more.....developed. You will have to help him with that, Winston.
I KNOW you stole the Bible Spice line but that is what writers do. And usually we don't tell.
I liked her video, too, but was disappointed when I found out how much her parents had given to McCain....
And I still maintain that Jesus, being a Jew and all, can tell one shicksa from another...and would have better taste. OTOH maybe not.
That is, if he exists at all, outside of myth (see post #21 which actually sort of took Savo's orginally opinion piece sort of seriously, I admit)
(And I believe that secretly in his heart Dan does think Paris is hotter than he is willing to admit!:))
63 - Clavos
And I believe that secretly in his heart Dan does think Paris is hotter than he is willing to admit!
Paris IS hot, but so is damn near every model and Hollywood starlet; it's their stock in trade, so why wouldn't Dan(Miller) or any other male think they are?
Palin's also pretty hot, but that's not why I voted for McCain.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
64 - Cindy D
As Sarah Palin has said about the election outcome, "I'm going to know, at the end of the day, putting this in God's hands, that the right thing for America will be done."
I think I finally agree with her on one thing. Because it looks so far like the right thing for the U.S. will be done.
65 - Dr Dreadful
Dan @ #56:
Never mind 'Danny Boy': I'm astonished that nobody has at least alluded to this one on the thread yet.
66 - voter2008
As someone who is a real-life American Socialist, who will I be voting for? You know, don't you? Every crazed left-wing nutjob with a blog or a poll seems mighty pleased with this Barack Obama guy and his supposed lead in the race.
I'm NOT voting for Obama. And I'll tell you why.
Barack Obama is no more a "socialist" than John McCain. Hanging out with dangerous terrorist types who proclaim the virtues of anarchy and violent revolution does not make him anything other than a hypocritical fool. His "redistribution of wealth" rhetoric that scares so many hardcore capitalists is nothing more than old-school left-wing jargon that never amounts to anything. Wasn't Clinton a Republican all but in name once in office? Didn't he sign the welfare bill that threw thousands off it's rolls while conducting the same little wars here and there that every other president has? What will make Obama and his team of self-impressed egoists any different? Well, his anti-American friends, for one.
We know nothing about Obama except he knows too many loons. That is essentially ALL we know. He is dangerous, friends, and not to capitalism and certainly not to Republicans. Some, who have seen past Obama's crowd pleasing but empty sounds-good-but-means-nothing rhetoric and steady mugging assume he'll make the transition from capitalism to Whatever Comes Next smoother than McCain. He will not. In fact, if Obama is elected, the economic woes destroying the country will only get worse. Why? Because his ever-defensive administration will do so much vapid posturing and senseless
muttering that the GOP will grow stronger in opposition and, in four years, we'll be right back to an all-Republican government. And do you really want an administration that - forget all the nutjobs he'll have in for a moment - will spend a lot of their time calling opponents "racists" and censoring real debate on the grounds that, well, if you don't like Obama and his ideas (if there are any) you must not like blacks? I'm sure someone reading this will think I'm a racist for saying that. And here we go, don't we? is that what you want? Think about it...DO YOU?
McCain should win. We know him, we trust him about as much as we've ever really trusted any of them in four decades; we know that his administration will not bring forth any real progressive ideas for change but also won't stall at every crisis to "understand" the problem; they'll just deal with it. And a McCain administration will manage the death throes of capitalism a lot more efficiently, allowing for *real* ideas to develop. With Obamarama in full circus, there will be nothing of the sort coming from the progressive thinkers.
Just more defensive bull---- and handwringing. And just to be clear, Frank, McKinney, Gore, and yes Obama are *not* progressive thinkers. Just angry pessimsists who love the ol' blame game. Who to blame if Obama wins?
I'd like the GOP to keep the White House because only if they do will anything approaching socialism be possible. They are not the boogiemen the Democrats say they are. They are capitalists who at least aren't hypocritical about it.
67 - troll
so voter...why not moore - ?
68 - voter2008
Moore is an entertainer. If he even really believes in all his excessive liberal crap isn't a proven fact to me. Thats the problem! I may not be a Democrat, but nor am I one of those left-wing types like Moore who give all of them a bad name. Name-calling, taunting and unfounded allegations that are the stock in trade of "progressive" thinkers have given all progressives a very bad (and sadly deserved) reputation. Not enough of us can actually see why we're considered buffoons.
And thats why I've never voted for a Democrat. They not only act like ill-considered buffoons but seem to delight in it.
69 - who?
The Communist Party of the USA wants to see Obama elected. They don't say anything about who a Deity would support, but they are pretty twisted.
70 - voter2008
Yes, they (the Communists) do. In fact, I'd go so far as to bet that every left-wing party wants the same thing, even the ones who nominate their own candidates (which are very few). (All but one, that is). I'm sadly accepting that many and probably most US leftists are just plain crazy in how they see most things, not just Obama. It's sad that an obviously second-rate comic filmmaker like Michael Moore is lionized by many of the people who should see right through him. As a longtime Socialist I'm embarrassed and ashamed by what the leftists have become; they are more dangerous than any of the politicians they continually slag (like Bush) because they genuinely hate what America stands for and can find things to like about, say, Castro. To like anything about Kim Jong-il or Stalin is to be very wide of the mark when it comes to humanity, much less socialism or any other political or economic philosophy worth anything. I do not want people like that in our government. It doesn't take a Republican or right-wing nut to feel that way, it takes common sense. And I don't want to feel I'm endorsing McCain by saying what seems so frighteningly obvious about the Obama crowd. McCain is not going to work any miracles or generally be any different than any of our past presidents. But at least I can trust what he's about and who he associates with. Palin may seem inconsequential, but she's not as scrambled as Biden is. She would probably operate by committee, and while those people wouldn't win any prizes in any local craft show, at least they won't be someone who praises the work of the 9-11 terrorists. And Biden is so ...out there, let's be honest, he'd be entertaining for four years, but likely he'd screw something up royally by running his mouth and we can't afford that. He's a good guy basically but not someone to be entrusted at that level of power. If a Republican nominated someone like Biden for vice president, the left would be screaming about upcoming nuclear holocaust; remember Reagan?
So if you vote, think about who we really want to see in the White House. It is very serious that so many people appear to want the wrong guy; this Obama is definitely the wrong guy. I hope that enough of us wake up and look at this before they vote.
71 - troll
uh....Brian Moore - candidate SPUSA
72 - Dr Dreadful
Some socialist...!
73 - collegeparkmdman
Brian Moore cannot win. That is an impossibility. Which basically makes his name at this stage of the game superfluous. It's questionable how much of a socialist he even is.
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74 - Dr Dreadful
On the subject of Biden, this is my favorite cartoon of the campaign so far.
75 - Dan(Miller)
Doc,
I thought the Biden cartoon was very funny as well. Thanks. Some humor is necessary these days.
Dan(Miller)