Elehzya

Alright, I admit, I like to stir up my christian sisters a lot. I'm that kind of a girl!:devil1: Obviously there are a lot of things we argue on concerning theology because I used to consider myself Christian, which changed by the time I was 12.
As well as fighting learning about theology, history is another one of my favourite things and these two don't always mix. Such is this example, and my question:

My sister claims that her mate Jesus invented democracy. Of course he died (so is sad) 0 CE. But ancient history says that the Athenians in approx 460 bce developed demokratia (demos - people; kratos-power) as a proper system of government - one of the first examples of it in the world (and obviously where we got the word from). This all got me thinking.....
Is there any verse in any text that relates to Jesus/any religious figure having invented democracy or being a supporter of it?

She can't remember where she read this or which "I'm a born again dude! I will heal you if you let me smack you on the head! *BOOF* You're healed!" christian said this, so that's why I'm so curious to read your responses

Anat

Exodus 23:2 says "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice;"
However using a different punctuation in the Hebrew (the original text lacks punctuation), the last part of the verse can be read as "after the multitude one shall incline" - an endorsement of majority rule.

Dryhad

Jesus had many radical views, but I don't think he spoke much about how government should be run. The whole "render unto Caesar" thing. Come to think of it, Caesar was preceded by a pseudo-democratic system, so even if Christ did talk about democracy he almost certainly would have known about it previously.

lpetrich

There is not a shred of support for anything remotely resembling democracy anywhere in the Bible. What Anat presented was some rather grasping proof-texting. The main forms of government one finds in the Bible are absolute monarchy and theocracy. Moses and Peter were both theocrats, and the ideal sort of ruler was a good king in the Davidic dynasty.

Anat

Of course it is. This was part of the reasoning used by Rabbi Joshua to convince God he was outnumbered, and that the Law should be interpreted by a majority of the rabbis, not by heavenly decree.

Eldarion Lathria

Yes, by Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Ares, Pallas Athena, and the rest of the gods and goddesses.

Eldarion Lathria

Dryhad

The people who worshipped those deities also discovered church/state separation, and rarely took their gods' advice on anything, least of all government.

lpetrich

Another Bible proof text:
Someone argued in this post that that implies voting and elections.

Clivedurdle

Democracy goes back to those Pagan Greeks at least 500 BCE and probably much much earlier as a tribal way of a group coming to a decision. Have there been any xian anti democracy sects, like there are in Islam?

WishboneDawn

I just have to say, you guys know the weirdest damn christians. Democracy was invented by Jesus? Is this a pot smoking denomonation?