Republican Jesus or GOP Jesus is a meme satirizing Republican socially conservative and libertarian Christians whose values appear antithetical to the Gospels,[1] a Jesus who "loves borders, guns, unborn babies, and economic prosperity and hates homosexuality, taxes, welfare, and universal healthcare",[2] and for whom the Ten Commandments take precedence over the Beatitudes.[3] Republican Jesus memes "often spotlight contradictions between Christian values/beliefs and Republican policies/ideals".[4]
A viral video titled "GOP Jesus" portrayed Jesus as if he had adopted Republican policies.[5] It referenced well-known passages including Matthew 25:35-40, satirised as "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. And behold, now I’m all lazy and entitled. You shouldn’t have done that". In one scene satirising the parable of the good Samaritan, GOP Jesus is approached by a woman asking for healing, and responds: "but who would pay for it?" the woman has no money so GOP Jesus responds "Yes, it’s a sad story, but it does not make me responsible."[5][6]
It has similarities to the Who Would Jesus Bomb? slogans used during the early 2000s.[1][7][8]
See also
edit- Supply-Side Jesus, a similar concept drawn by Don Simpson for comedian and former United States Senator Al Franken in his 2003 satirical book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
References
edit- ^ a b Duerringer, Christopher M. (2016-01-06). "Who Would Jesus Bomb? The Republican Jesus Meme and the Fracturing of Ideology". Social Media + Society. 2 (1): 205630511663709. doi:10.1177/2056305116637095. ISSN 2056-3051.
- ^ Keddie 2020, cover.
- ^ Hitt, Jack (2005-04-26). "Jesus Was No GOP Lobbyist". LA Times. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- ^ Campbell, Heidi A.; Arredondo, Katherine; Dundas, Katie; Wolf, Cody (2018-04-01). "The Dissonance of "Civil" Religion in Religious-Political Memetic Discourse During the 2016 Presidential Elections". Social Media + Society. 4 (2): 2056305118782678. doi:10.1177/2056305118782678. ISSN 2056-3051.
- ^ a b "Jesus Putting Children in Detention Centers? Viral 'GOP Jesus' Video Mocks Trump and GOP". Christian Post. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- ^ Briggs, Megan (2018-11-06). "'GOP Jesus' Takes Satirical Look at Christian Republicans". churchleaders.com. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- ^ Mikulan, Steven (2003-01-23). "Who Would Jesus Bomb?". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- ^ Berger, Knute (2006-10-09). "'Who Would Jesus Bomb?'". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
Reference bibliography
edit- Keddie, G. Anthony (2020). REPUBLICAN JESUS : how the right has rewritten the gospels. Oakland, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-35623-8. OCLC 1143359822.