WWJVF? Who Would Jesus Vote For? by Cindy Sheehan

Are you a Marxist? Or Jesusist?

WWJVF?

by

Cindy Sheehan 

I was recently in a Gubernatorial debate with, among others, three mega-conservative candidates who each were convinced that they were God’s chosen candidate and if any one of them were elected, Jesus Christ would really be the governor of California. I am not kidding.

But, what brings about this essay: WWJVF? (Who Would Jesus Vote For?), is a dream I had last night. I dreamed that I was addressing a crowded restaurant about my campaign. Most people were pounding on their tables and cheering in agreement at my statements, but one table was booing and glaring at me and for some reason, I knew that it was a family of very conservative Christians, so I started to lead a chant: “Who would Jesus vote for!”

Of course, most conservative “values” are quite far away from what the Jesus of Nazareth of the Christian Testament taught and stood for and I believe if there were a Jesus and he cared about who was governor of California, that actually, I would be his choice.

Consider this, Jesus said (in what the Catholic Church labels as “Corporal Works of Mercy):  “Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”(Mt 25: )

In a socialist (root word: “social” we care about and work for human needs {the least of these} and happiness) planned society and economy we (like the Christian’s Jesus of Nazareth) believe that healthy food, clean and accessible water, collectives, adequate clothing, access to good and comprehensive healthcare and prisoner rights are human rights; not like in capitalism (root word, “capital” it cares about profit), where all of the above things are privileges that must be begged for from the Capitalists.(Usually we get slapped down, or are thrown scraps from master's table).

My platform calls for a synergy between the state and communities to work together to provide or strengthen access to these human needs, which are paramount over human/corporate greed. Capitalism and empire are avaricious philosophies that abuse the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth to claim that if an individual is hungry, naked, sick, or in prison, then he/she must have “sinned” somehow, or does not otherwise deserve the “grace” of god.

Unconscionably, California has the absolute highest poverty and homeless rate in the nation and one of the highest unemployment rates. My platform calls for many things that would “house the homeless,” one of MY Corporal Works of Mercy, and alleviate poverty. Foreclosures and evictions would be halted and homeless people would be housed in one of the millions of empty housing units in this state. Believe it or not, but believe it because it's true: the wealth of this state belongs to 100% of the people 100% equally, not to be concentrated in the hands of the few.

The Peace and Freedom Party, of which I am a member, calls for full employment through “40 hour wages for 30 hours of work.” Among other things, we also advocate for a Basic Guaranteed Income that would allow mothers to stay home with their children, if they like; artists to do art; writers to write; intellectuals to think; people to eat. Allowing ¼ of our state to wallow in poverty or one million people to sleep outdoors every night are not real Christian values.

Also, most Republican neocons are totally in love with war and the increasing violence and oppression of the police state. When Jesus of Nazareth was reported as saying in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Mt, 5:9)," I don’t think he was talking about the Inter Continental Ballistic Missile of the New Rome (Pax Romana? Pax Americana?), but people that actually and actively work for solutions to problems (large and small) without resorting to violence. The claims are that he also told us that the “greatest commandment” was “love thy neighbor as thyself,” and like the bumper sticker said, “When Jesus Said: ‘Love thy enemies, (Mt, 5:43)” I think he probably meant, ‘don’t bomb them.”

Naturally, my platform calls for a complete end to all current wars and the closure of all of the military bases around the world with the cleanup and healing of the communities where the US Legions occupied being funded by the Empire as a means of reparations and healthy jobs for those communities.

Also, as Governor of California, there will truly be “No Child Left Behind.” Instead of being at the bottom of education standards for this nation, California will again blossom with free education from Pre-University that is fully funded and encourages freedom of artistic expression and gives an excellent education in the basics like we did before. The Empire will not be allowed to send its predators into our schools to prey upon our young children to entice them to enlist in its killing machine. Our young people will feel like they have “Golden” opportunities in our Golden State and being sucked into the flesh-grinder of war and Empire will not be one of them.

It’s my impression when Christians think of being “stewards” of the Earth, that they have been given free license by "godduh" (can I get an "amen") to destroy the earth and kill all of the species (including the human ones) in the effort to drain this world dry of resources. I believe, and I think the Jesus of Nazareth of the Christian scriptures would agree with me, that it means that we leave this planet better than we found it. That we stop the encroaching and rapidly approaching catastrophic climate change by working with a compassionate government to get to zero emissions and a heroic effort for locally grown organic farming as much as possible. Jesus said “Let the little children come to me,” (Mt, 19:4) and how can we continue to destroy the very Earth that gives our children and us life? I shudder to think that there really is a God and how I don’t really think that it would appreciate the destruction of its creation.

The Jesus of Nazareth that I learned about when I was a practicing Christian ate with tax collectors (at that time, the epitome of sinner) and prostitutes. He did not shun lepers, but healed them and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in a fit of righteous anger. My platform demands that student debt and all consumer debt, which is based on criminal practices and immoral interest be forgiven.

The early Hebrews (Old Testament, Leviticus) had the right idea of “Jubilee:” a clean slate every 50 years: Debts are forgiven, slaves and prisoners are freed. Well, the fat cats have grown fatter under the recent Brown regime and we on the other end are being starved.

It’s way past time for our Jubilee Year of Healing and time to vote for a New Way and New Day in California.

WWJVF?

This piece is written by someone who comes out of the Christian tradition (I now call myself a “Recovering Catholic) that is in strict dichotomy with the Religion of State here in the USA: A bastardization of what Jesus purportedly taught and what Imperial Capitalism actually does. I think religion is something that Jesus of Nazareth would oppose, but what the establishment uses to get mostly good people to buy into (literally, with tax money and silent acquiescence) its profound crimes against humanity. I.e., the only good Christian is a war-loving, Wal-Mart shopping, McDonald’s eating, SUV driving Christian, can I get an “amen and hallelujah,” brotha? 

Well, I believe that if Jesus (formerly of Nazareth, but probably Jesus of Berkeley or Humboldt County, today) were a registered voter in the great state of California, I can with the utmost faith and certainty make the claim that he would vote for me.

PS: Jesus of Humboldt County says, “Legalize hemp and cannabis for recreational use, and let gay people marry and love each other in peace, for my sake!"

www.Cindy2014.org