Utah Free Press

Your Own Socialist Jesus!

By Richard Okelberry (Note: This essay was written in response to a post made by Cliff Lyon, proprietor  www.oneutah.org.)

REF:  Republican Jesus

Once again, Cliff Lyon seems all too willing to forgo even the most basic understand of Christianity and replace it with a broad bigoted whitewashing of Christians as nothing more than hypocrites that fail to live up to the tenants of their own faith.  In essence, Cliff Lyon by republishing this anti-Christian diatribe seems to believe that the vast majority of Christians are gun totting, NASCAR watching hicks that fail to have even a basic understanding of the teachings of Christ.  Of course as usual, in doing so he exposes his own inability to understand Christ’s teachings.

 “The biblical Jesus preached at length about renouncing worldly possessions and giving to the poor. Republican Jesus believes that such handouts merely encourage the poor to be lazy, and that Christian charity is better practiced through massive tax breaks for the wealthiest citizens, who could then be expected to let the money “tinkle down” to the poor in the form of honest, if low-paying, jobs at upright Republican institutions like Wal-Mart.”- Cliff Lyon

 This statement is a perfect example used by many who regularly attack Christianity.  It implies that a faithful Christian should be more than happy to hand over his/her earnings to the government to help the poor.  It simultaneously implies that Christians see the poor as undeserving of compassion and charity.  Both of the assumptions on the part of Mr. Lyon are completely false.

In reality, the far majority of Christians are very giving when it comes to the poor.  In fact the far majority of non-profit efforts to feed and cloth the poor in this country come from Christian efforts.  Even when Mr. Lyon criticizes the LDS Church; saying, “If the LDS Church gave away even 10% of its annual income to feed the poor, I would be surprised. It seems to me a really, really true church would give away 100% and its flock would demand it” he fails to recognize that following Katrina, it was primarily Christian organizations and faiths, with the LDS Church chief among them, that were first on the scene providing for the most basic needs of the victims. (This is not to say that non-Christian organizations also helped)  In fact the LDS response to the catastrophe ultimately led to FEMA consulting with the LDS Church on ways to better improve the distribution of supplies during such a tragedy.

Ultimately, Cliff Lyon is making the same mistake that so many that have come before him have made when attempting to describe “true” Christian beliefs as supporting “Socialism.”  

“Jesus WAS a socialist and his teachings ARE socialism, therefore, if Jesus’ teachings are sacrosanct for you, then you accept, however distasteful, the sacrifices and the generosity required to live his teachings.” – Cliff Lyon

 Just as when Obama tried and failed to express biblical teachings when he declared, “I am my brother’s keeper,” Mr. Lyon has failed to understand that there is a major difference between calling on people to be charitable out of their own heart and using the long arm of the government to take from the rich to give to the poor.  He has missed the fact that if we as Christians enact laws designed to take an uneven amount from the Rich in taxes for programs that we might benefit from or so that we might not have to give as much, we are essentially stealing money from that person and in violation of God’s commandment and theft.  The reality is that Socialism and its eventual result, Communism is fueled by greed and a covetous hearts.  It uses slogans of class warfare to convince people that those with wealth are undeserving of it and therefore are deserving of having it taken from them by force if necessary.  Does anything about this idea sound Christian at all?

The irony is that the true hypocrite here is Cliff Lyon.  I have in the past and will again ask him to put his money where his mouth is and donate ALL of his wealth to the government so that it may provide for the poor.  If he truly believes that it is our duty to provide for the poor through the government because, “The cycle of poverty in this country is chronic,” then why is he waiting for everyone else to be forced to do so first?  As a Christian, I am asked by God to be charitable and provide as I may for my fellow man as part of my spiritual life.  I am told to give unto Caesar’s what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God.  As such I will continue to give to God what is his, including my charity.

How strange that a man, Cliff Lyon, who regularly speaks out against those who would even consider crossing the line between church and state would now be advocating that religious tithing and charity be turned over to the government as a “true” expression of faith.

“I’m interested in decapitating people who think their religious opinions belong in government.”- Cliff Lyon

If anyone would like a better understanding of the relationship between Socialism, Communism and Christianity, you can read my essay, “Was Jesus a Communist?” fromr 2006.