Ft. Worth Frog said:
Wow, this thread has taken some serious twists and turns since it began. I am sure that I will say some things that have already been said, but oh,well.
It seems to me that Jesus was little concerned about political structures in his own time. He acknowledged the Roman presence, but did not advocate its overthrow like many were hoping (probably a part of Judas Iscariots disappointment with him). He said "My kingdom is not of this world" and told the disciples to focus not on earthly political systems, but on "laying up treasures in heaven." How did he say to do this-by denying oneself and taking up the cross by following his commands. What were his commands? Some seem to fall in the Right wing camp, others the left. We cannot just pick and choose what we want out of his sayings and say "Oh these look good. I'll use these for my argument but ignore the other things he said." Both sides are guilty of doing this. However, I do notice that the conservatives (count 'em on one hand) generally acknowledge the whole spectrum of his sayings but disagree that government should be as involved in taking care of the poor. The left/liberal crowd on the other hand generally shoves aside sayings they do not like-What did Jesus say about adultery (simply by lusting in one's heart) or divorce (only in case of adultery)? To sum it up, we must look at the whole of Jesus' teachings if we are to use them for support and not pick and choose like it is a great Golden Corral Buffet (a nasty place I know, but it just came to me).