"Jesus is a Liberal" welcomes all Peoples of All Liberal Faiths!
Jesus, His life, philosophy and creed mean many things to many people. We have countless friends
of all faiths - Jewish, Unitarian, Islamic, and more - who believe in the teachings of Jesus. We at Jesus
Is A Liberal acknowledge, celebrate and embrace people of all compassionate, inclusive, tolerant,
liberal and peaceful faiths. Whoever you are - you are welcome!
Why did we add this page to the Jesus is a Liberal website? Well, to quote Jonathan Sacks, Chief
Rabbi of the British Commonwealth - "Nothing has proved harder in civilization than seeing God or
good or dignity in those unlike ourselves. There are surely many ways of arriving at that generosity
of spirit, and each faith may need to find its own way. I propose that the truth at the heart of
monotheism is that God is greater than religion, that God is only partially comprehended by any one
faith... What would such a [broader] faith be like? It would be like being secure in my own home and
yet moved by the beauty of a foreign place knowing that while it is not my home, it is still part of the
glory of the world that is ours. It would be knowing that we are sentences in the story of our people
but that there are other stories, each written by God out of the letters of lives bound together in
community. Those who are confident of their faith are not threatened but enlarged by the different
faiths of others. In the midst of our multiple insecurities, we need now the confidence to recognize
the irreducible, glorious dignity of difference."
Fundamentalists creeds of all sects and religions seek to portray all humanity with an eye towards
maximizing our differences and making those who are different out to be wrong, dangerous, evil
and untrustworthy. These dark, misguided forces seek a sense of control in their own lives and so
dive deeper into that which makes them different and "right" - gaining adherents in the young, in the
fearful, in the culturally, socially and economically stressed and marginalized.
How do we reconcile this condition and rehabilitate this trend? Comenius who died in 1670 said,
“The sun sends its rays upon us directly, paying no heed that we look askance at one another.
The rose smells sweetly to both the Jew and the Christian – and to the Muslim too. And so God
is God of all, and whatever he says, he speaks in the same manner to all that are ready to listen.
If then we look to our own rules, books, and works, which we have made ourselves and which differ
in many thousands of ways, we are irreconcilable. But if with due attention and honor we accept
God’s ideas regarding our lives…reconciliation is possible.
We must, then, dig deep to the very foundations of our liberal faiths, to the very basis of our sense
of life - to God, and to those teachings of the prophets and texts that bring forth our highest, best
beliefs, morals and actions. What are those? They are peace, democracy, fairness, equality
(regardless of faith, age, race, gender or nationality), justice, freedom, trust, liberty, compassion,
generosity, and above all, love.
If we expect to stem the tide of fundamentalism, if we expect to create a better world, we must
recognize and feel and live the universal and Holy truth that every man - where ever he may live -
is our brother, and every woman, our sister. As Dorothy Day put so eloquently: "We are trying to
make the point, by our lives, by our work, that personal responsibility comes first. We are born
alone, we die alone, we must each of us do what we can for God and our brother—not God and
country, but God and our brother, as Christ put it."
Here is a wonderful quote that represents our core liberal beliefs and tenant as applied in the real
world today: "Laying the foundations for one world is the most important task of our time. These
foundations are not negotiated statements and agreements. These foundations are, rather, in the
stockpiling of trust through dialogue and the creation of relationships that can sustain both
agreements and disagreements. Moving forward... in dialogue with those other faiths we will create
the foundational relationship of One World. Moving forward alone, we will not." - Diana Eck, of the
Harvard Divinity School
This page - and more - will be dedicated to a discussion of how Liberal Christians can better
connect and relate with other people of Liberal Faiths! Please come on back again!
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Peacemaking, not War Making: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. [Matthew 5:
9] Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. [Matthew 5:39] I say
unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despite-fully use you, and persecute you; [Matthew 5:44]
The Death Penalty: Thou shalt not kill [Matthew 5:21]
Crime and Punishment: If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her. [John 8:7] Do not
judge, lest you too be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you. [Matthew 7:1 & 2.]
Justice: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. [Matthew 5:6] Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy [Matthew 5:7] But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses. [Matthew 6:15]
Corporate Greed and the Religion of Wealth: In the temple courts [Jesus] found men selling cattle, sheep and doves and
other sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both
sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. [John 2:14 & 15.] Watch
out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
[Luke 12.15.] Truly, I say unto you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 19:23] You
cannot serve both God and Money. [Matthew 6:24.]
Paying Taxes & Separation of Church & State: Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto
God the things that are God's. [Matthew 22:21]
Community: Love your neighbor as yourself. .[Matthew 22:39] So in everything, do to others as you would have them
do to you.[Matthew 7:12.] If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. [Matthew 19:21]
Equality & Social Programs: But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be
blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. [Luke 14:13 &14.]
Public Prayer & Displays of Faith: And when thou pray, thou shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward. But thou, when thou pray, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father
which is in secret… [Matthew 6:6 & 7]
Strict Enforcement of Religious Laws: If any of you has a son or a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you
not take hold of it and lift it out? [Matthew 12:11] The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. [Mark
2:27.]
Individuality & Personal Spiritual Experience: Ye are the light of the world. [Matthew 5:14]
Follow the Truth.....wherever it leads you!
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