• ArmedHostage [none/use name]
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    4 years ago

    Can you give us a run-down of christian socialism?

    When Jesus said "Render unto caeser what is caeser, and unto God what is God's" some Christians have historically taken this to mean "dont take part in real political struggle, focus on spiritual development" (in addition to the more literal "pay your taxes and pay tithe") How do you interpret that?

    Similarily, how do you feel about Jesus saying "my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were my servants would have been fighting..."

    This one is a layup question, but I thinj it might help for it to be spelled out to anyone curious. Where do you root socialism in Christianity? Jesus gave many commands to take care of the poor, to love and aid your neighbor (including people youd normally hate), and in the time of Acts Christians claimed no property as their own. What about you?

    • REallyN [she/her,they/them]
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      4 years ago

      All of the gospels pretty much state that some of the Pharisees were essentially trying to ask him a gotcha question, to get him in trouble with Roman authorities.

      Bring me a denarius[b] and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”

      It's been awhile since I was in sunday school, so don't quote me, but it seems to me Jesus is almost being a bit snarky.

      "If Caesar wants the piece of metal with his face on it back, then return it to him, it is just money. Everything else, the things that matter, those are God's."

      but again, I could be wrong.

    • Zackxs [he/him,comrade/them]
      hexagon
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      4 years ago

      "Render unto Caesars what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's", even though it might be interpreted as that, I don't really think it's that, and it seems pretty farfetched. Some Christian leftists interpret that as a separation of Church and State, which seems more probable. Even if it's not that political, it's definitively separating worship and spirituality, from political matters, which doesn't specifically prohibit political struggle. Regarding Jesus saying “My kingdom is not of this world", I don't think that's a political statement. His kingdom is not of this world because he doesn't have any royal titles. Yet, he is a "king" because in Christianity he is literally God. And regarding Socialism's rooting in Christianity, the examples you cited are the ones that everyone uses, besides Jesus driving out the merchants from the Temple and Jesus saying that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. On a sidenote, early Christianity was kinda communist. Engels wrote about that