I am a Liberal Because I am a Christian

[mcarans]

Here are a few to start with:

Matthew 25:31-46 (the sheep and the goats)

Luke 6:20-26 (Luke's version of the beatitudes. It's not the whole of what the Bible has to say about wealth and poverty, but it does suggest whose side God is on when the rich and the poor collide.)

Luke 6:27-28 and Matthew 5:38-48 (love your enemies)

Luke 1:46-55 (the Magnificat, which speaks of God siding with the hungry and the lowly)

Amos (The whole book is a condemnation of those who oppress the poor, though much of the book is listing the various disasters that are coming as punishment. See 2:6-8, 4:1, 5:11, and 8:4-6 for what the prophet is so mad about; most of it is about mistreating the poor.)

Those are good examples. They also illustrate that Jesus focuses on the economic axis more than the social one (if you split the simplistic to the point of being unhelpful left right divide that I outlined earlier).

 

[GodLovesCats]

I don't know about that. The second commandment is "Love your neighbor as yourself."

It is ironic that we talk about "the left" (symbolized by the color blue) being more like Jesus than what we call "the right" (symbolized by the color red), which is often referred to as "the Christian right." Why don't our beliefs sit on the right/red side of the political spectrum?

 

[mcarans]

I don't know about that. The second commandment is "Love your neighbor as yourself."

It is ironic that we talk about "the left" (symbolized by the color blue) being more like Jesus than what we call "the right" (symbolized by the color red), which is often referred to as "the Christian right." Why don't our beliefs sit on the right/red side of the political spectrum?

To be on the economic right is to be against helping the poor on the grounds that as individuals it is up to them to help themselves. The Christian right are joined by others who call themselves left (often along with labels like centrist or moderate) but are only left on social issues like gay marriage not so much on economic issues - you could call them libertarian. Those who are both economically and socially progressive I think are closest to what Jesus and the Prophets call for in the Bible.

 

[GodLovesCats]

That specific command, of course, is the basis of the Democratic Party. While conservatives want the rich to get richer and poor to get poorer, Jesus tells us to give our money to those who do not have enough to live according to God's plan for them, which is never to be freezing cold and starving on the streets.

 

[bekkilyn]

To be on the economic right is to be against helping the poor on the grounds that as individuals it is up to them to help themselves. The Christian right are joined by others who call themselves left (often along with labels like centrist or moderate) but are only left on social issues like gay marriage not so much on economic issues - you could call them libertarian. Those who are both economically and socially progressive I think are closest to what Jesus and the Prophets call for in the Bible.

I guess this is one reason why I tend to think of Libertarians as being very conservative and on the right despite their looser stance on a few social issues. That whole Objectivism Ayn Rand point of view I suppose.

A while ago I was on another site and saw a picture of what looked like hundreds of immigrants (including small children) being crammed together like sardines, many of them lying nearly on top of each other, in a wire pen at one of those border detention centers. I'll just never understand the right-wing point of view that anything even approaching what I saw is remotely okay or Christ-centered.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Conservatives think there should be no immigrants in America. Jesus says otherwise:

"Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you."

Interpreted literally, Jesus favors immigration.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Now Christians are debating in General Politics whether Christianity is like socialism or not. I say the faith is liberalism by every meaning of the word. The word "liberal" means "free" and we pay nothing for what God gives us. How is it anti-God to let homosexual and bisexual partners marry and live together without having children? How is it anti-God to give poor people who are physically able to work food stamps while they are waiting for employment opportunities? I want to know why conservatives disagree, but most are unwilling to get past the aboriton issue IME.

 

[bekkilyn]

Now Christians are debating in General Politics whether Christianity is like socialism or not. I say the faith is liberalism by every meaning of the word. The word "liberal" means "free" and we pay nothing for what God gives us. How is it anti-God to let homosexual and bisexual partners marry and live together without having children? How is it anti-God to give poor people who are physically able to work food stamps while they are waiting for employment opportunities? I want to know why conservatives disagree, but most are unwilling to get past the aboriton issue IME.

I've come to the belief that there are a number of Christians who agree to *believe* whatever they think they need to believe in order to avoid "hell", but aren't all that interested in the *practice* of the *way* of Christ.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Conservative Christians truly believe sexual orientation is always a choice and can never be blamed on an individual's DNA, which is simply not true. It is not just about whether they practice beliefs or not but the mistaken beliefs that they have about some issues like that one.

Many Christians say if you don't practice your faith you will lose your salvation. The Bible does say, "Faith without works is dead." But it is all about the heart, which God knows better than ourselves.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Is it true that Jesus opposes taxes to benefit poor and disabled people?

 

[St. Helens]

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[SkyWriting]

The is the Liberal Christian faith forum, not one for evangelical attacks on progressive Christians.

I'm not and I didn't. Think again.

 

[SkyWriting]

Is it true that Jesus opposes taxes to benefit poor and disabled people?

Local law is the will of the Father. So no.

 

[SkyWriting]

We have the worse income inequality since 1929. The Trump admin has grown a 1.3 trillion dollar deficit over the trailing twelve months. There is evidence Trump evaded taxes in the State of New York. Billionaires claimed taxes are unfair and demanded government services. It is far from Jesus teaching the rich should help the poor. They would rather enslave them. Liberals might do some good.

If you consider that factory work created the huge middle classes.....then consider where most factories have gone....look at the gap.....then think about the inequality numbers. You want equality? Then build a new car factory in your neighborhood. Let us know how that goes for you.

 

[SkyWriting]

It would take a long time to list all of the Bible verses that suggest Christians should be liberals politically.

Not at all:

Romans 15
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Galatians 5
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Proverbs 3
Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.

Matthew 7
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them,
for this is the Law and the Prophets.

What Does the Bible Say About Neighbors?

 

[dqhall]

If you consider that factory work created the huge middle classes.....then consider where most factories have gone....look at the gap.....then think about the inequality numbers. You want equality? Then build a new car factory in your neighborhood. Let us know how that goes for you.

If I were to build a new car plant, I might build it in Mexico. Labor is too expensive here.

 

[SkyWriting]

If I were to build a new car plant, I might build it in Mexico. Labor is too expensive here.

Exactly my point. That is why the increase in income disparity. Henry Ford paid his workers double the common wage for labor. With open borders, that's not practical.
The US doesn't even make enough parts to build a US sourced car.

The Tesla factory built in China cost 65% less to build cars than the California plant.

 

[Anglican Liberal]

I became a Christian in 2003. I was conservative evangelical for a long time, but as my understanding of the Gospel grew I moved to a more liberal position. I now describe myself as a liberal Christian and don't regret how I got here.

 

[JohnOCAW]

My faith is what has shaped my political beliefs. It has been a long long trip from Fundamentalist Baptist to where I am today. I don't regret it, except for those days I was too lazy to learn and instead believed I understood God's will without seeking it.

 

[SkyWriting]

I became a Christian in 2003. I was conservative evangelical for a long time, but as my understanding of the Gospel grew I moved to a more liberal position. I now describe myself as a liberal Christian and don't regret how I got here.

I also have zero regrets. I love those hard liners too.
But I'm no longer with those issues they hold dear.