27 thoughts on “Random Mormon Poll #5: Jesus and political parties”
I think its crazy to think that the Lord would align himself with a political party.
Maybe so, but at least 6 people (as of this comment) believe differently. 😉
The question is then, which party platforms are most in line with the principles the Nazarene taught? I think he would be against the Left’s hand in my wallet, and the Right’s nose in my personal life. That leaves the Libertarian. While I am unsure if he would register large “L” libertarian, he is definitely a small “l” libertarian.
Really, Bo? Small “l” libertarian? What about rendering unto Caesar (taxes)? That comment definitely showed his pro-tax position. That is definitely not libertarian, in my book. 😉
Oh, sure it is. There are quite a few minarchist libertarians.
To me, it is not absurd to think of the Savior voting and associating Himself with a political party. ISn’t that what the prophets have encouraged us to do? TO stand for what is right and to excersize our free agency? Of course He would vote.
I voted “none of the above.” I guess I don’t have much imagination, but I can’t imagine him voting for the people we have in office now. He might have voted for Reagan, though. (JOKE!)
The complete absence of Republican votes definitively proves that the Bloggernacle is not mainstream Mormonism. As Martha would say, “It’s a good thing.”
Ardis, I’m not naive enough to think that the Savior favors one political party over the other, much less would chose to align himself with any one party. I would hope the majority of the ‘Nacle shares that same view.
Wow, Geoff B. and I vote the same way on something.
Silly post Brian.
Oh, by the way, Brian, I hope you have your tongue firmly planted in your cheek when you imply that all Libertarians are tax evaders/avoiders.
Personally I don’t think it’s that silly. People of both parties love to invoke Jesus as voting the way they would, yet when faced with actually thinking about it, I simply can’t imagine him getting out a ballot and voting for any of the jokers we have in public office. I think it’s a useful exercise for people to think about that, and it’s interesting that despite the rampant partisanship everywhere a lot of people are voting “none of the above.”
“People of both parties love to invoke Jesus as voting the way they would”
They are silly, too.
It’s not silly to ask “For whom would Jesus cast his ballot?” and pick that person. If he wouldn’t cast his vote for any on the ballot (lest he sin), why should I?”
“We engage in the election the same as in any other principle: you are to vote for good men, and if you do not do this it is a sin: to vote for wicked men, it would be a sin.”
No implication made, Bo. But if it makes you feel better, my tongue is usually in my cheek.
I think Christ might like some things that each party offers, but probably wouldn’t care to align himself with the leadership of either party (including Harry Reid and Mitt Romney).
Bo,
“It’s not silly to ask “For whom would Jesus cast his ballot?” and pick that person.”
Sure, but my quess is that you and I would come up with very different answers. I might be a useful thing for us to contemplate, but I would call anyone silly who would claim to actually know the answer to that question.
Brian- there, now we can be friends again ;p“`
Chris, I agree with your last statement. That’s how major league wars get started. My old dad used to say, “There is not persecution like religious persecution, and there’s no war like a holy war.” It’s a good point, I think, to observe of the folks that always think that Jesus is on “their” side. To what ends would they go to prove it?
I just want to ask “Who would Jesus pick?” when I think about candidates. I think that is in the spirit of Brother Hyrum’s quote, above.
Bo, when have we not been friends? Btw- I drive by Hollywood Alley every weekend. Perhaps you can bring the band back for a reunion tour? 😉
Chris, you sure do use the word silly a lot. That’s silly!! 😛
Bo, I think we have a good bit of common ground of this one.
Brian, “silly” might just some up how I feel today.
Hate to state the obvious, but when Jesus returns there will be no political parties in the sense we have them today. The current parties are full of people who would rather see the country fail than the other party in power. Lots of Democrats wanted us to fail in the war and lots of Republicans want the economy to fail. To deny this truth is to expose your bias or ignorance. Sure they both try and couch their desire in an attack on the method the party in power was using, but nevertheless they wanted the current president to fail and in both cases that was bad for the country.
I look forward to the time when we will be able to affirm leadership by the King of kings. Don’t know if there will be a vote or a party, but I will be on the Lord’s side.
HeLi,
You are no fun.
According to Brigham Young, during the Millennium there will still be religious denominations, and government during the period will be representative in nature. I guess that makes the Savior sort of a constitutional monarch during the period, and I can’t imagine that there wouldn’t be political parties under such conditions.
Of course, even if he implicitly agreed with most of the platform of one particular party or another, I wouldn’t expect a constitutional monarch to align too closely with any party. Parties align with monarchs, not the other way around.
I voted for “None of the above.” Any other choice demeans the fact that Jesus is God and is thus far, far above our petty squabbling.
I came across this quote recently. It seems apt: If you are about to vote for a candidate because he or she says they have faith in God, then just take ten seconds before you actually put pen to paper to ponder if God has faith in them. 🙂
“Parties align with monarchs, not the other way around.” -Good comment Mark D. #23. Thanks.
John 18: 36
36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
None of the above, it seems to me.
Mark N., The key word in that passage, it seems to me, is “now”. I don’t how you can interpret scriptures such as the following in any other way:
And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Micah 4:2-3)
Now unless this is all metaphor for a process that Jesus Christ is absent from, I don’t think one can escape the idea that he will be a “temporal” ruler at some point. There is a long list of other passages that imply the same thing.
I think its crazy to think that the Lord would align himself with a political party.
Maybe so, but at least 6 people (as of this comment) believe differently. 😉
The question is then, which party platforms are most in line with the principles the Nazarene taught? I think he would be against the Left’s hand in my wallet, and the Right’s nose in my personal life. That leaves the Libertarian. While I am unsure if he would register large “L” libertarian, he is definitely a small “l” libertarian.
Really, Bo? Small “l” libertarian? What about rendering unto Caesar (taxes)? That comment definitely showed his pro-tax position. That is definitely not libertarian, in my book. 😉
Oh, sure it is. There are quite a few minarchist libertarians.
To me, it is not absurd to think of the Savior voting and associating Himself with a political party. ISn’t that what the prophets have encouraged us to do? TO stand for what is right and to excersize our free agency? Of course He would vote.
I voted “none of the above.” I guess I don’t have much imagination, but I can’t imagine him voting for the people we have in office now. He might have voted for Reagan, though. (JOKE!)
The complete absence of Republican votes definitively proves that the Bloggernacle is not mainstream Mormonism. As Martha would say, “It’s a good thing.”
Ardis, I’m not naive enough to think that the Savior favors one political party over the other, much less would chose to align himself with any one party. I would hope the majority of the ‘Nacle shares that same view.
Wow, Geoff B. and I vote the same way on something.
Silly post Brian.
Oh, by the way, Brian, I hope you have your tongue firmly planted in your cheek when you imply that all Libertarians are tax evaders/avoiders.
Personally I don’t think it’s that silly. People of both parties love to invoke Jesus as voting the way they would, yet when faced with actually thinking about it, I simply can’t imagine him getting out a ballot and voting for any of the jokers we have in public office. I think it’s a useful exercise for people to think about that, and it’s interesting that despite the rampant partisanship everywhere a lot of people are voting “none of the above.”
“People of both parties love to invoke Jesus as voting the way they would”
They are silly, too.
It’s not silly to ask “For whom would Jesus cast his ballot?” and pick that person. If he wouldn’t cast his vote for any on the ballot (lest he sin), why should I?”
“We engage in the election the same as in any other principle: you are to vote for good men, and if you do not do this it is a sin: to vote for wicked men, it would be a sin.”
-Hyrum Smith.
@Bo
No implication made, Bo. But if it makes you feel better, my tongue is usually in my cheek.
I think Christ might like some things that each party offers, but probably wouldn’t care to align himself with the leadership of either party (including Harry Reid and Mitt Romney).
Bo,
“It’s not silly to ask “For whom would Jesus cast his ballot?” and pick that person.”
Sure, but my quess is that you and I would come up with very different answers. I might be a useful thing for us to contemplate, but I would call anyone silly who would claim to actually know the answer to that question.
Brian- there, now we can be friends again ;p“`
Chris, I agree with your last statement. That’s how major league wars get started. My old dad used to say, “There is not persecution like religious persecution, and there’s no war like a holy war.” It’s a good point, I think, to observe of the folks that always think that Jesus is on “their” side. To what ends would they go to prove it?
I just want to ask “Who would Jesus pick?” when I think about candidates. I think that is in the spirit of Brother Hyrum’s quote, above.
Bo, when have we not been friends? Btw- I drive by Hollywood Alley every weekend. Perhaps you can bring the band back for a reunion tour? 😉
Chris, you sure do use the word silly a lot. That’s silly!! 😛
Bo, I think we have a good bit of common ground of this one.
Brian, “silly” might just some up how I feel today.
Hate to state the obvious, but when Jesus returns there will be no political parties in the sense we have them today. The current parties are full of people who would rather see the country fail than the other party in power. Lots of Democrats wanted us to fail in the war and lots of Republicans want the economy to fail. To deny this truth is to expose your bias or ignorance. Sure they both try and couch their desire in an attack on the method the party in power was using, but nevertheless they wanted the current president to fail and in both cases that was bad for the country.
I look forward to the time when we will be able to affirm leadership by the King of kings. Don’t know if there will be a vote or a party, but I will be on the Lord’s side.
HeLi,
You are no fun.
According to Brigham Young, during the Millennium there will still be religious denominations, and government during the period will be representative in nature. I guess that makes the Savior sort of a constitutional monarch during the period, and I can’t imagine that there wouldn’t be political parties under such conditions.
Of course, even if he implicitly agreed with most of the platform of one particular party or another, I wouldn’t expect a constitutional monarch to align too closely with any party. Parties align with monarchs, not the other way around.
I voted for “None of the above.” Any other choice demeans the fact that Jesus is God and is thus far, far above our petty squabbling.
I came across this quote recently. It seems apt: If you are about to vote for a candidate because he or she says they have faith in God, then just take ten seconds before you actually put pen to paper to ponder if God has faith in them. 🙂
“Parties align with monarchs, not the other way around.” -Good comment Mark D. #23. Thanks.
John 18: 36
36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
None of the above, it seems to me.
Mark N., The key word in that passage, it seems to me, is “now”. I don’t how you can interpret scriptures such as the following in any other way: