Republican Jesus

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Christ by Heinrich Hofmann, 1889, digitally edited to include a MAGA Cap. Tyler Merbler-JesusMagaHatPosterAtCapitol facsimile placard (cropped).jpg
Christ by Heinrich Hofmann, 1889, digitally edited to include a MAGA Cap.

Republican Jesus or GOP Jesus is an Internet meme satirizing Republican socially conservative and libertarian Christians whose values appear antithetical to the Gospels. [1]

Contents

Overview

Republican Jesus memes "often spotlight contradictions between Christian values/beliefs and Republican policies/ideals". [2] In nearly all cases, the meme is built on traditional Western depictions of Jesus Christ superimposed with conservative talking points. Christopher M. Duerringer notes that the memes "often feature Jesus reversing course on his prior position", such as Jesus refusing to heal someone's blindness due to it being a pre-existing condition. Firearms are a frequent subject of the meme, with images of Jesus often being edited to show him wielding them. [1] G. Anthony Keddie states that, to Republicans, "Jesus loves borders, guns, unborn babies, and economic prosperity and hates homosexuality, taxes, welfare, and universal healthcare", [3] while Jack Hitt contrasts Republicans' promotion of the Ten Commandments with Jesus' updating of the Commandments in the Beatitudes. [4] The meme has similarities to the Who Would Jesus Bomb? slogans used during the early 2000s. [1] [5] [6]

A viral video titled "GOP Jesus" portrayed Jesus as if he had adopted Republican policies. [7] It referenced well-known passages including Matthew 25:35-40, satirized 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 a scene satirizing 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." [7] [8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 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.
  2. ↑ 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.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  3. ↑ Keddie 2020, cover.
  4. ↑ Hitt, Jack (2005-04-26). "Jesus Was No GOP Lobbyist". LA Times. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  5. ↑ Mikulan, Steven (2003-01-23). "Who Would Jesus Bomb?". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  6. ↑ Berger, Knute (2006-10-09). "'Who Would Jesus Bomb?'". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  7. 1 2 "Jesus Putting Children in Detention Centers? Viral 'GOP Jesus' Video Mocks Trump and GOP". Christian Post. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  8. ↑ Briggs, Megan (2018-11-06). "'GOP Jesus' Takes Satirical Look at Christian Republicans". churchleaders.com. Retrieved 2020-05-29.

Reference bibliography

  • 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.
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