The Inclusive Message of Jesus Christ and His Messengers in Contrast to the Republicans' Fundamentalism, Ayn Rand and Social Darwinism Ideology: Interpretations, Evidence and Relevancy - Tapa blanda

Reseña del editor

The purpose of this book is to cite, quote and interpret the inclusive message of charity and mercy for the least advantaged exposed by Jesus Christ through his messengers both past and present in contrast to “wolfs in sheep clothing.” The true messengers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ include his disciples and Pope Francis. Jesus ministry was to feed and address the needs of the poor, needy and disabled whom the Lord deemed inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven. In contrast, the materially successful “makers” or producers of self-serving wealth are like the rich man in the story of Lazarus whose greed barred him from the eternal blessing of God and his Son. Parallel between this rich man and the actions and ideology of Christian Fundamentalist followers of Ayn Rand and social Darwinism that dominates the Republican Party are given. The message of Jesus Christ and the Lord’s prophets forbid extortion or any other action to impose draconian cuts on the poor, needy, sick and disabled as is being practiced by those professing to be Christians and following his will. The disparity between true Christian message and the fraud is scrutinized. This book’s argument favors the Christian virtues of seeking social justice for the “least amongst us.” It argues against Randian selfishness, narcissism, greed and stigmatization of the disadvantaged as “parasites” and unproductive “takers.” The book points to the scriptures that support social justice and its gospel. Besides identifying the true message of Jesus Christ, the book identified that the lord’s messengers resemble the most oppressed and scorned members of today’s society. First the Pope Francis’ message of prioritizing inclusiveness, tolerance, mercy, healing and forgiveness is thoroughly examined. The book then turns to the social justice message of Jesus Christ. In taking care of the poor, he preached that one must go beyond mere charity. In today’s context, being a Christian means providing food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education and adequate employment for the “least of us.” Institutionally, only the government has the resources necessary to meet all of these needs in conjunction with private charities and churches. The source for such Christian work encompasses the Gospel of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Luke, among other biblical scriptures. This book identifies Mary McLeod Bethune, A. P. Randolph and Martin Luther King, Jr., as contemporary messengers of the words and works of Jesus Christ regarding social justice and abiding by the will of God. They have walked in the footsteps of Christ and crusaded for fairness and justice for the disadvantaged. Martin Luther King, Jr., sacrificed his life at a relatively early age to see that justice is extended to society’s most disadvantaged and scorned people. The book examines how so-called Christian Fundamentalists “cherry picked,” distorted, ignored and misinterpreted the message of Jesus Christ and the Lord’s Gospel for selfish reasons to advance their hegemony, as well as address their xenophobia and racism. It explains why these avatars of hate pursued public policies to deprive the disadvantaged and reward the richest Americans that is contrary to the tenets of Christianity. The inquiry explains how fundamentalists transformed Jesus message to threaten democracy and the public good. Favorite right-wing pundits are identified as promoting the notion that Jesus allegedly opposed social justice and supported capitalism at the expense of the poor, sick and needy.