Thursday, November 12, 2015

Did You Know Jesus Was... American AND Republican?




American's have a long history of idolizing their nation, and as it turns out, they are even willing to go as far as making Jesus into their own image. Americans are a funny breed of people (of course, I am speaking in terms of a "sweeping statement"). They claim that their foundations are built upon the Bible, and therefore, everything American must be Christocentric... right? Well, as it turns out, a lot of what America prides itself on is actually the opposite of what Christ envisioned. A capitalist economy which prides itself on making the rich richer at the expense of the poor; a strange hunger for war; always going bigger, better, faster--leading to most Americans actually being obese; and of course, the abuse of freedoms which are actually leading to the degradation of human development. Now, of course, most conservatives do not side with things like same-sex marriage or abortion, but nonetheless, they are part of what is become the moral fabric of America.

Republicans, arguably more so than any other political party, pride themselves on their Republican economic structure. While Jesus Himself did not establish an economic system, I do believe that some principles were made quite clear. Things like: clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the jailed, take care of the widows and orphans, and so on. Now I understand that these things are ultimately the Church's mandate, and not the responsibility of the government (especially with all the corruption that has involved our tax dollars), but if a nation claims to be Christian, should not everything then flow from a Christian worldview? This leaves us with two options. 1) America's claim at being a "Christian" nation is actually a desperate attempt at justifying their actions, or 2) America is not actually a Christian nation. There is nothing wrong with the latter, just be honest with us. If you want to have an economic system that allows for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer, then fine. It is not the nation's mandate to follow biblical principles, especially when the church has done such a poor job at doing it herself. Here in a Socialist nation (Canada), we depend on the government to take our tax dollars and do those things for us, which those with a Capitalist mindset would call "theft." I do agree to a certain extent, but if you are allowed to keep your tax dollars (especially as a wealthy individual), as a Christian, you should fulfill your biblical mandate.

When it comes to war, I do respect America for fighting for human rights and freedoms worldwide. This a position they have been thrust into by the UN, but nonetheless, they are responsible for their actions. With that being said, there is an unhealthy pride that comes with their military endeavors, to the point of glorifying war. This, I believe, is not healthy. Again, if you choose this, just admit you are not a Christian nation, and all is well.

Finally, obesity. While this is a touchy subject, I will just address the issue of gluttony. America is known as gluttony-central. While I will admit that most people are obese due to poor eating habits (and really poor food quality), that does not negate the amount of food Americans have. Again, the gluttonous nature of America is actually condemned in the Bible, especially in light of not taking care of the poor. This argument is very basic, and would require a much more thorough fleshing out, but I will leave it at that.

The point is, Jesus is not American, and quite frankly, I do not believe that He agrees with much of America's values. I find it rather insulting, to be quite honest, to attach Jesus to a nation, especially one that is known for the things listed above. I do not believe that Jesus would identify proudly as an American, and I don't think He would identify as a Republican either.

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