AOC Flips the Religious Freedom Argument on Its Head - brilliant

[misanthrope]

72. Well said by AOC but hardly new

Glad she did so, but folks have been pointing this out for a long time. Here's what one downtrodden fellow from the Oklahoma boonies penned nearly a century ago.

Jesus Christ by Woody Guthrie

Jesus Christ was a man who traveled through the land
Hard working man and brave
He said to the rich, "Give your goods to the poor"
So they laid Jesus Christ in His grave

Yes, Jesus was a man, a carpenter by hand
His followers true and brave
One dirty coward called Judas Iscariot
Laid poor Jesus in His grave

He went to the preacher, He went to the sheriff
Told them all the same
"Sell all of your jewelry and give it to the poor"
So they laid Jesus Christ in His grave

When Jesus come to town, all the working folks around
Believed what he did say
The bankers and the preachers, they nailed Him on the cross
And they laid Jesus Christ in his grave

And the working people followed him around
Singing and shouting gay
But the cops and soldiers nailed him in the air
And they laid Jesus Christ in his grave

Well the people held their breath when they heard about his death
Everybody wondered why
It was the landlord and the soldiers that they hired
To nail Jesus Christ in the sky

This song was made in New York City
Of rich man and preachers, and slaves
If Jesus was to preach like He preached in Galilee
They would lay Jesus Christ in His grave

Yes, Jesus was a man and a carpenter by hand
His followers true and brave
One dirty coward called Judas Iscariot
As laid poor Jesus in His grave


Any student of history will nod along with the sentiment. Purely spiritual pursuits aren't what get you in trouble; it's the threat you represent to power. When Jesus threatened the power of Hebrew leaders, they ran to the Romans who didn't care about yet one more cult cropping up. It was only when the Hebrews could paint Jesus' actions as a threat to Roman power that he was executed by the state.

Same thing would happen today. Humans haven't really changed as much as we like to believe.