this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2025
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Anon questions the KKK (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Quite frankly, Christianity can be used as a motivator for left wing philosophies helping the poor. If you actually read what Jesus' said, it's pretty good and damning for many self proclaimed american "christians"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Sort of, but you need to remember that his teachings were an individual philosophy and he didn't want anything to do with government (render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, render unto God that which is God's).

Jesus taught that you should give all you have to the poor and follow God. Failing that, you should be generous in helping the poor. So I think he would advocate for charities, not taxation, since charitable giving is a choice and he wants people to choose to do the right thing. He would also criticize the very wealthy because they obviously have more than enough to share with the poor.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Good point, especially with 2 Corinthians 9:7

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Thanks.

IMO, just paying your taxes doesn't make you a good person, giving what's left does. Ebenezer Scrooge's big transformation wasn't adopting progressive policies or anything, but giving abundantly.

Christianity doesn't say anything about politics, it's an individual thing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Exactly, Paul tells Christians to leave those outside of the Church to be dealt with by God as well.

1 Corinthians 5:12-13

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I agree with your point generally (limit judgment to those within the church), I just urge caution about how far to take that.

ContextPaul is talking to a fledgling church (not ready for meat: see chapter 3), so they need to be extra careful about getting led astray. Corinth was known for sexual deviance, yet the Christians were accepting of something even the local non-Christians would see as wrong (sexual relationship with step mother), yet the Christians there seemed to accept it. Tolerance of that behavior is destructive to the church, so they need to actively push against it. Pushing the individual out of the church would encourage them to repent and also protect the church from further compromising their principles.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I know to urge caution, but what do you mean? Like we should punish murder because society sees it as bad as well. But when it comes to a topic such as same sex marriage, I think if it's what the majority of society want, it should be legal and not hurting anybody, even if it's not something that the Church should accept within religious life.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

I agree with that.

The caution I'm talking about is twofold:

  • church being judge and jury - especially dangerous in majority Christian areas, since excommunication can be very severe - the Church in Corinth was very small vs the rest of the population
  • being too strict can be counter productive by pushing people away from the very community that can help them - the situation in 1 Corinth was the church tolerating grievous sin, perhaps in a prominent member (otherwise why would Paul have heard about it?)

My caution is about understanding the context to avoid just pulling random verses. Perhaps you won't do that, I just like to be extra clear in case someone else finds the conservation. I've seen people do terrible things in the name of religion, and this feels like a passage that could get misused.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Heard of Christian Marxism?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Marx generally opposed religion so it sounds like an oxymoron