This is Reverend Jack Zylman's response to the above subject line. The original article is below it. I felt this was one of the best historical outlays that also reflect what is happening in the bit of the world today, we can extract from what the media does allow us to know about.
I am forwarding this along with Reverend Zylman's permission. Scott This is my answer to What would Jesus Protest? In first century Israel, the nations leader was not King Herod, who was appointed by the Roman Emperor, but the priesthood of the Temple of Jerusalem, led by the Chief priest, Caiaphus. With his disciples and other followers in a remarkably democratic movement, including many women, gathered at Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, he led a great march South upon Jerusalem and the Temple, to tackle what was to them the basis of the economy, for the Temple was Israels Wall Street! The most powerful instrument in the Israel economy was the sacrifice industry, and industry it was. The peasant farmers of Israel contracted with the Temple to raise animals for sacrifice, for they had to be specially raised, being blessed, for pay, at every step of the process. To do this, the poor peasant mortgaged his tiny tract of land, his small farm, to the Temple, which would be repaid when and if he got his money at the end of the process. If he couldnt pay, it would be foreclosed on and repossessed! Yep, Wall Street Israel and the Temple were one had the same. The economic dominators have never changed! We know from the story that his aging mother, at the end of her days at 50 or older (life expectancy was about 50) was with him on this long and arduous march. I suspect that she wasnt home because it had been repossessed! And where had Jesus been when he disappeared from the story from the age of 12 until he was 30? Very possible sold into slavery to help her maintain possession of Josephs bit of land. Its easy to see why Jesus was marching on the Temple; it was the same reason that Wall Street is today occupied by young people and their supporters. Indeed, when this band of revolutionaries arrived at the Temple, they occupied the outer court, where commerce, including banking (money exchange) and the sale of the sacrifice animals took place. Jesus and his band were not violent, and they did not attack anyone. Instead, they released the animals from the cages, in what may have been the first animal liberation movement in history, and used whips to drive the animals out, destroying the basis of the economy! Not only were the animals free, but they were made impure and couldnt be used for sacrifice!!! No wonder the Chief Priests wanted this revolutionary dead! This was a non-violent revolution, which Occupy Wall Street can become! Caiaphus held a trial and convicted him, of course, but execution wasnt enough for Jesus he wanted it a huge public execution, so he called in Pontius Pilate, because only the Emperor could crucify and make the execution public. Of course he agreed, without caring, and the revolutionary was beaten and marched off to carry his own cross and die upon it a Roman execution ordered by an Israeli high priest! The situation on Wall Street is remarkably similar, with mass arrests and violent attacks by the police was there a centurion named Tony Boloney? While the main stream media carefully ignores the occupation, The last week of Jesus life is being enacted before us! And we must stand with the movement as well as we can, wherever we are. This mass resistance can be the beginning of the public struggle that can bring Wall Street down, bring down corporate capitalism the system we have that rules the world and that was copied by a collaborationist Jew, Milton Friedman, from an Italian dictator this is the Roman Empire of our era! Do not fear a collapse of the economy, it is necessary to free the people and bring us in equality to rule by all. The depression the banks may well impose on us, as they did in 1929, will not be brought by the Occupation or by the people, but the very banks that dominate the world now! We must, like the people of Jesus time, free ourselves and the human race from the dictatorship of the banks and corporations, and carry us all to freedom and human unity! Rev. Jack Zylman 1321 16th Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35205-6020 cell: 205-821-0650 Occupy Wall Street! Occupy Birmingham! When I feed the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why so many people are poor they call me a communist. - Dom Helder Câmara _______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ > From: > To: > Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 3:09 PM > Subject: [libertyundergroundtalk] What Would Jesus Protest? > > >  > What Would Jesus Protest? > By Reverend Anthony Wade > > It started as most age-defining movements do, somewhere in the wind. Some > unrest, some recognition of what is right and wrong. Some people willing > to take a stand against rampant injustice. And then some more people join. > And then some more. Next time we look it is in another city, then another > country. Sweeping across the globe the civil unrest known as Occupy Wall > Street has started to capture the attention of everyone, despite the > attempts of the machine and their media conglomeration to pooh-pooh it, > discredit it, and lie about it. > You have to realize that there is a cabal of ultra-powerful people that > control the vast majority of wealth in this world and in particular this > country. They have fed us fat on American Idol while they tampered with > voting rights, stole elections, repealed sensible regulations designed to > protect us, and enacted laws while shipping jobs overseas with a specific > goal in mind. That goal is the redistribution of wealth and consolidation > of power to the 1-2% elite while squeezing the once proud middle class > into the new working poor caste. You can already hear the screams of > "class warfare!" Absolutely but I didn't start the war, they did. You have > to understand that the ones screaming class warfare the loudest are the > ones who are waging the war. Their goal is not an even America. It is not > a fair America. It is an America essentially of two classes. One George > Bush once referred to as "his base" and the other is the rest of us -- > which is now becoming > known as the 99. > I think when the OWS movement first started it didn't register with the > power elite. They probably misunderstood the outrage. In their arrogance, > they could not imagine that people had caught on to the scheme. But as it > has grown to pandemic levels, they are faced with a need to marginalize > the movement until such a time that the people simply go home in > frustration. They tried to ignore them at first and the movement grew. > They tried to intimidate them by sending in their police squads in full > riot gear with pepper spray but that backfired on them too as it only > served to garner more sympathy for the cause. Next up was an attempt to > mock the group and pretend they were somehow uneducated and clueless about > why they were protesting at all. Armed with the talking points the fake > media machine went into action only to find that in the age of the > Internet, the truth is more difficult to contain. Turns out the group did > know why they were protesting. If you > want it simplified. They do not think that they should have to go into > hock for $100,000 to get a Bachelors Degree only to be offered jobs that > require a paper hat when they get out. They do not think that > billionaires with golden parachutes should get bailed out while their > parents get evicted. They do not think that 1% of the population should > control 98% of the wealth in this country -- and they are right. > The next step, which is still in action now, is to try and discredit the > movement. They have sent infiltrators in -- people pretending to part of > the movement -- but only really there to cause trouble and thus make the > movement look bad. The fake media machine has their new marching orders > and talking points and is beating the drum of how the protesters are > unruly, lawbreaking, urinating in public places, having sex in the open, > doing drugs, breaking the law, and recently alleged to be anti-Semitic! > Anything to try and pull support away from them. Just throw a bunch of > stuff up against the wall and see what sticks. > But the 1% always has one glaring problem in trying to control the 99 and > that is that they are severely outnumbered. So their efforts must always > center on trying to co-opt portions of the 99 to their side. One of the > easiest targets they always find is my brethren, the Christians. Recently, > I have read several articles by Christian authors siding with the 1% and > demonizing the 99. While I have faith that this is merely politics > infecting Christianity again, I find it troubling that even well intended > Christians can turn our Lord and Savior into a Corporate CEO on a whim. So > what would Jesus protest? > Would Jesus protest merciless treatment of the neediest people? He already > has: > Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said, > "Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around > in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in > the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues > and the head table at banquets. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of > their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in > public. Because of this, they will be severely punished." -- Luke 20: > 45-47 (NLT) > In fact, throughout the Bible the number one theme after salvation is > taking care of the least in society. It always amazes me that we can > dismiss evolution yet embrace social Darwinism so readily. The Old > Testament prophetic books are rife with stories about how Israel had grown > cold toward God and toward the needy. God's answer was never -- get a job! > Now I know that some of the Christian writers I have seen are apparently > in love with verse that says a man who will not work shall not eat but > they avoid the remaining context of that verse: > Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: "Those unwilling to > work will not get to eat."  Yet we hear that some of you are living idle > lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people's business. We > command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to > settle down and work to earn their own living. As for the rest of you, > dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.  Take note of > those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them > so they will be ashamed. Don't think of them as enemies, but warn them as > you would a brother or sister. -- 2Thessalonians 3: 10-15 (NLT) > The context reveals that these verses do not apply to the OWS people. > These verses deal with people who do not want to work. The people > protesting want to work, that is why they are protesting! They are not > protesting so that the government can exempt them from working. You may be > of the opinion that they are "lazy" or somehow not trying hard enough but > I actually try to help people find work for a living and I can attest to > how brutal it is out there. The true unemployment rate is probably closer > to 20%. The jobs being offered are simply not enough to live on, come with > no health insurance, and are often temporary or under hours. The other > truth revealed from the context of these verses however is how WE should > act. The Apostle Paul does not say that we should treat these people with > contempt, lie about them, or sneer at them. He says we should treat them > not as enemies but warn them as if they were a brother or sister. It says > never tire of doing GOOD. > But the bash OWS crowd seems to never tire of pointing their fingers and > criticizing. Here is the Word of the Lord: > I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a > burden to me. I cannot stand them! When you lift up your hands in prayer, > I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for > your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves > and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn > to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. > Fight for the rights of widows. -- Isaiah 1: 14-17 (NLT) > The churchians are pretty good and the pomp and circumstance of > celebrations and festivals. They have no problem lifting up hands in > pseudo-piety. What God is saying here is to check your hands before > raising them to Him to see whose blood you have on them. Give up your > sins. Learn to do good. And then what does the Lord say is doing good? > Seeking justice. Helping the oppressed. Defending the cause and fighting > for the rights of the needy. Do you still think Jesus would be on Sean > Hannity's great American panel? If you honestly think that there is no > injustice in our current system then forget your soul, you have no heart. > If you honestly do not believe that there is oppression for the lowest in > our society today then I advise you to stop watching Fox News. There is a > world out there and it is hurting. > Even the fledgling Christian church in the Book of Acts made sure everyone > was taken care of: > All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what > they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The > apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and > God's great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among > them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the > money to the apostles to give to those in need. -- Acts 4: 32-35 (NLT) > Gosh, that sounds downright socialist! Gasp! The people at OWS don't want > socialism, they want social justice. They want the same thing God speaks > about throughout the entire Bible. They want the same thing Jesus taught > about. Once Christ told a parable about the Good Samaritan. Most of us > know the story. A man is mugged essentially and left for dead on the > street. He is passed over by a Temple Assistant and a Priest. But a > Samaritan stopped and helped him, bandaged him, and paid for him to > recover at a nearby inn. But the context of this parable is the point. > Jesus told it because He was asked the question -- "who is my neighbor?" > The Samaritan was chosen as the hero of this story by Jesus because there > was much hatred towards them by the Jewish people then. Who is my neighbor > I think is the question we need to ask ourselves today as well. We need to > ask it when we hear the hate merchants on TV and radio trying to stir up > our darker side. We need to ask > it when we think that we know the motives of people we never even met. We > need to ask it when we start to use God to defend things He obviously > would never defend. Jesus finishes the Parable of the Good Samaritan with > these words: > "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was > attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed > him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same." -- Luke 10: > 36-37 (NLT) > You see to the teacher of law that asked the initial question here, only > fellow Jews were his neighbor. Anyone else was not looked upon the same > way. We have that same spirit infecting this country too. To republicans, > only republicans are their neighbors. To democrats, only democrats. The > other side is presented only for the purpose of blame and hatred. Those > who find themselves on the right look upon the OWS crowd negatively > because they are not their neighbors to them. They are somehow unworthy of > mercy. They are somehow to blame not only for their own plight, but for > the plight of the country as a whole. > But Christians? Dear Lord how easily we forget. God requires something > from us and He spells it out very plainly through the Prophet Micah: > No, O people, the L ord has told you what is good, and this is what he > requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly > with your God. -- Micah 6: 8 (NLT) > > As Christians we believe in absolute truth. There is black and there is > white. There are no shades of grey. The world sells shades of grey to hide > the truth, spin the truth, and disguise the truth. The truth is that if > somehow you think Jesus would support a system where over 40 million > people are homeless while the ultra rich clothe their dogs, then I suggest > that maybe you do not understand what "doing what is right" truly means. > If you think that Jesus would support a system where 16,000 children die > every day from hunger while the world's top 1% gets fatter, then I am not > so sure that you understand the concept of loving mercy. Not just being > merciful -- loving mercy. > And walking humbly with your God. I want you to think the next time > someone is trying to sell you on the notion that the OWS people are this > or that. Ask yourself what is their motivation? If you have the social > opinion that the OWS folks are lazy, fine. If you have the social opinion > that they should go home and find a job, fine. But those are not Christian > arguments. They are not Biblical arguments. And there is certainly no > humility in them. > > > Author's Bio: Anthony Wade, a contributing writer to opednews.com, is > dedicated to educating the populace to the lies and abuses of the > government. He is a 43-year-old independent writer from New York with > political commentary articles seen on multiple websites. A Christian > progressive and professional Rehabilitation Counselor working with the > poor and disabled, Mr. Wade believes that you can have faith and hold > elected officials accountable for lies and excess, regardless of party. > > Anthony Wade's Archive: > http://www.opednews.com/archiveswadeanthony.htm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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