Rowan Williams Says Jesus Would Be Siding With Occupy Movement

By Al Webb
Religion News Service

LONDON (RNS) Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says Jesus would have joined protesters from the anti-corporate Occupy movement who have been camped outside London's St. Paul's Cathedral for more than seven weeks.

In a British magazine, the leader of the world's 78 million Anglicans worldwide insisted that Jesus would be "there, sharing the risks, not just taking sides."

The demonstrators pitched their tents outside the iconic cathedral in mid-October to protest what they see as the unfairness and illegalities of the global financial community.

In his article written for the Christmas edition of the Radio Times magazine, the archbishop said Jesus was "constantly asking awkward questions" in the Bible.

In the St. Paul's encampment, Williams added, Jesus would be "steadily changing the entire atmosphere by the questions that he asked of everybody involved -- rich and poor, capitalist and protester and cleric."

The archbishop said that when Jesus said "give Caesar what belongs to Caesar," he was asking "what's the exact point at which involvement in the empire of capitalist economy involves you fatally."

The magazine article was not Williams' first involvement in the anti-corporate protest movement. He said last month that the demonstration marked "a widespread and deep exasperation with the financial establishment."

The City of London Corporation, which owns much of the land around St. Paul's, has taken legal steps to try to get the protesters moved. But the Occupiers have vowed to remain until the Olympic Games in the British capital next summer, and perhaps beyond.

Click through to see 9 Jesus quotes about the poor

Comments

[sherfix]

03:53 AM on 12/21/2011

While Jesus supported the poor, he did not support laziness and the unwillingness to work and earn. In the New Testament of the Holy Bible, Jesus tells a parable in Matthew Chapter 25:14-28 where 2 servants are given gold by their master. One invests it and increases the money; and the other one buried the gold only to return exactly what he had been given. The master is not pleased with the servant that buried the gold and he takes his portion and gives it to the one that invested. Jesus was not Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. He admonished rich men many times because their love of money and earthly riches got in the way of their service and worship to God. He encouraged the poor because when they gave, they gave all they had. Their sacrifice was larger.

This is where the occupy movement misses the mark.

[La Elle]

12:24 PM on 12/23/2011

If you think the Occupy movement is about laziness and people unwilling to work, then you are sorely uninformed.

[sobaytransplant]

04:28 AM on 12/20/2011

To be honest, when Jesus said "give Caesar what belongs to Caesar," he was telling the people to pay their taxes - nothing more complicated than that, really. They were asking him about tax collection practices and whether or not it was lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. He asked them whose picture appears on their coins. They said it was Caesar's picture. And he told them ""Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" In other words, "They're obviously HIS coins if his face is on them, so give them to him."

[aforbes808]

01:25 PM on 12/19/2011

Mark 12:41-44 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

Knowledge = Truth = Freewill
It's time to Occupy Reality.

[mozartmaid2]

04:10 PM on 12/18/2011

Duh, any real Christian knows that Jesus is/was a liberal.

[Eugene Dubnov]

02:46 PM on 12/18/2011

"says Jesus would have joined protesters" - How does he know?

[Cameron Coffman]

08:47 PM on 12/18/2011

because he is smarter than you clearly.

[sobaytransplant]

04:31 AM on 12/20/2011

Apparently he's read the Bible which depicts Jesus doing all those things that were... you know... LIBERAL.

[Eugene Dubnov]

09:51 AM on 12/20/2011

INDEED.

[chgcarolyn]

05:36 PM on 12/17/2011

Rowan Williams is an idiot. I attended a Christmas service at Canterbury Cathedral. Williams spent much of the time preening his beard. He also says that "Sharia law is inevitable."

[Frog in a pot]

12:46 AM on 12/19/2011

It doesnt change the fact jesus didnt fight for the bourgrois he spent his time with the poor and outcasts.

FYI..sharia law is already being practiced in britian so he is right about that too.

[mrld20]

12:45 PM on 12/13/2011

YESSSS!!! CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM!!! :DDDD

[bryanzth]

12:04 PM on 12/13/2011

Good on you Rev. Williams, you understand Jesus' message.

BZ.

[Steveh0607]

08:35 AM on 12/13/2011

Dear HP:

Dr. Rowan Williams is the Archbishop of Canterbury. Please show some respect and use his title. If not, then please refer to Pope Benedict as Joseph Ratzinger.

[Polyphonic79]

10:49 PM on 12/12/2011

Yes I am sure Jesus would side with a bunch of people who don't work and blame everyone else for their problems but themselves. Good insight Rowan.

[bryanzth]

12:05 PM on 12/13/2011

Very easy of you to make these claims. Provide some evidence. Show some responsibility and intelligence in posting.

BZ.

[Polyphonic79]

02:49 PM on 12/13/2011

Plenty of evidence. Pick up a Bible and read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It's full of Jesus talkin about people taking personal responsibility for their lives and WORKING. Hope this helps.

[jensenge]

10:34 PM on 12/12/2011

Rowan Williams must have a book coming out soon. What a promoter...shrewd, he is!

[bryanzth]

12:06 PM on 12/13/2011

Archbishop Tutu has books out. Really good ones. Why not Archbishop Williams?

BZ.

[Willie12345]

05:53 PM on 12/12/2011

I hope he got the Queen's permission to say this .....or he could lose his job.

[DAE]

10:44 AM on 12/12/2011

Really? The OWS movement? I thought Jesus would support the NRA, Big oil, the 1% and the dismantling of the social safety net. As a carpenter I'm sure he would support child janitors as well.

[Pamela Lake]

08:40 PM on 12/19/2011

Nope. Jesus would not...Luke 4.16-19 is the inauguration of his ministry - and rather than supporting the status quo (as many conservatives wish he would), he talks about good news for the poor, freedom from oppression - stuff like that. In fact, when he talked about "the good year of the Lord" he was talking about the Jubilee year, where loans were forgiven, land was returned to the original order, slaves were freed - the whole kit and kabootle. It was codified, in Leviticus, that the wealthy had to...wait for it...here it comes...give back to the poor.

Not that you'll hear our Religious Right talk about that.

No, Jesus never embraced the religious leaders nor rulers of his day nor would he now. That's why some conservatives want to have their own "conservative" bible, so they can nix those troublesome passages.

[bensonwood]

07:48 AM on 12/12/2011

Rowan Williams is right. Greed is of the devil. Look in your own Bible.

[bryanzth]

12:07 PM on 12/13/2011

Bingo. The 1% carrion feeders break every one of the 10 commandments, and both of Jesus' great commandments.

BZ.

[bensonwood]

07:44 AM on 12/12/2011

Why am I here again? Because Jesus would disagree with people who would take advantage of others based on some law of opportunity. America like G. Bush has taken advantage of the term God and good will.
Con-ser-ve-tives- have abused the LAW. They are greedy by nature. They could careless about anyone else.

[Brian Novotny]

09:53 AM on 12/12/2011

They are pure evil, period. They have sold their souls to the devil. What this whole mess reminds me of is good vs evil, and makes me wonder if we are approaching the day of judgement. Things are sure getting weirder and weirder by the moment and sure gives me great concern,

[bensonwood]

08:22 AM on 12/16/2011

hello and AMAN!!!