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Who was the most influential radical liberal person or figure in history?

Liberal primarily with respect to American social and economic politics!

Whoah there, mate--social liberalism and economic liberalism are diametrically opposed!

OK - at the risk of exposing my average intellect amongst the many on this site that have inspired me with their breadth of knowledge and insight, let me rephrase my question.

How has today's American popular culture come to identify Christianity with the political right when Jesus Christ, who was decidedly one of the most influential persons in history and most radical individuals of his time, espoused values which primarily identify with today's American political liberal?

I think you pretty much pidgeon holed it when you referred to the big JC. It is amazing to me how revered he is being that so many opposed him in his day. Ironic.

well not that it seems so today but yup JC fits the bill
He hung out with drifters
drank a lot
had a prostitute for a girlfriend
and saw visions out in the desert
...wow
like I had friends back in college like that man

Peace out :)

When I was living in the Midwest, I proudly sported a bumper sticker that said "Jesus was the first bleeding-heart liberal." Yeah, I've wondered for a while how big money interests and working class religiosity could be so perfectly aligned in the Republican party. I never managed to figure it out. However, the idiot box was on in my flat the other night, and one of the commentators opined that it was Jerry Falwell who was responsible for getting the two camps into the same tent. He didn't explain in any more detail, and I know next to nothing about Falwell. Thoughts anyone?

Jerry Fallwell [yes,I met him once] was a sincere down to earth "good ole boy" southerner. He did practice what he preached, and he was able to do it better than most others. He didn't have the personal embarrassing crisis like many of the other public pastors. He thought that a segment of Christians were not being heard and tapped into that source. He is an excellent organizer [like most CEO's are], a great fundraiser[ like all politicians have to be] and did believe in what he said. No I did not "drink the Kool-Aid", but he has helped many poor people in the eastern area. I think he eventually would have helped bridge the gap with the gays and Christians. See Mel Whites [former high profile speech writer] opinions with his organization www.SoulForce.org
intersting topic r

MLK!

oh wait. In all time time?? then ghandi, he was very radical. Lenin was pretty radical.

Cyclesail.. Why dont yu post your thoughts on a thread specifically dedicated to Jerry Fawell....? Here is the link:

http://www.realjock.com/topic/7957

A quote from another member here on RealJock, Waterman:

" Back when being anti-black was publicly acceptable, Falwell was there refusing admission for black people to "Liberty University" -- citing the bible as justification.

Somehow that got conveniently forgotten when he focused his attacks elsewhere, on gays and lesbians particularly.

Seems to me this man was an opportunist--who'd have used any religion to advance his messages of hate.

He's gone, but what other opportunists are hiding under rocks out there, waiting to strike?

Keep a watch my friends."

Cycelsail..how about some historical facts..?

Another quote from a member who actually interviewed Farwell...

From Obscenewish:

" I interviewed him twice. I thought he was the most arrogant, smugly hateful religious leader I'd ever interviewed. He despised homosexuality and constantly exploited homophobia to enrich himself and enlarge his following. He was utterly cruel."

the clear answer is karl marx. im surprised no has said that yet.

Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi would have to be up there as the first people in recorded history to promote the use of non-violent civil disobedience to effect political change. If it's true that their methods influenced Gandhi's, then they were truly revolutionary.

hey NYCMusc4Musc,

i know what JF wrote, i dont approve of much, but can post anything on any board i want.

close your eyes and stop reading, if you can't take a kind word about dead guy. besides i didnt mention his name first on here.

smile, relax, get a grip. get out of the gym and go exercize your mind and heart, do some volunteer work in a hospital or a homeless shelter, to see real life, and appreciate all humanity for their existance, even if they r not your flavor.

if you only could go through what i am going through these past few months, you would love and appreciate every human on the planet. [even the a**holes]

dont get me started.

Why do you assume the list of volunteer work I do not and have not done for years...????

Why do you assume I have not gone through with a recent tragic death in my personal life????

DO NOT ASSUME....

AND this is the EXACT kind of self righteousness we are talking about..that you would assume I only work out in a gym and have not provided for my fellow mankind... OR why I understand the advantages of the HIPPA law when it comes to helping someone who is severely disadvantaged in getting helath care or money to survive.

IF YOU ONLY KNEW WHAT I HAVE DONE...

Don't get you started? Don't get me started!

And unlike what you may also asuume, I did not need tragedy to hit me personally before I start thinking about strangers who are not like me. I did not need it as a wake up call to be empathrtic. I have done what I have done for years before the tragedy hit me personally to understand and apply what I learned to everyone else.

DO NOT ASSUME MY CHARACTER.

AND for your information, I am not even religeous, I have not done what I have done to get into "Heaven" since I do not beleive in one, but I only did what I did out of empathy.

blah, blah, blah.

LOL

hey grigs, can u delete this guy?

wow, sounds like we need to practice our nonviolent communication. There's a great book on NVC, I would be happy to recommend it.

when i read the first post, Larry Kramer came to mind. I love that man. :o)

Thanks!

"Blah Blah Blah LOL" is a response one would expect from a teenager...

Great post!

Frances Farmer was pretty damned radical. She wrote a poem called THE DEATH OF GOD and was later institutionalized and given a labotomy. Anyone ever see FRANCES ? Pretty disturbing film about a liberal thinker taken down during the Macarthy era.
Kurt Cobain named his daughter after her.

-Unfortunately liberal/radical thinking is often labelled as 'crazy'.

I think Gahndi was our most recent true success story, and he made it out relatively unscathed by fatalism and opposition.

Lennon and King ... may they be forever in the NOW.

Could Ghandi's "making it out relatively unscathed" be evidence of deeper conviction and faith than any other radical/liberal? Or merely circumstance?

Thanks for the book reference!

Yes, I believe he trully had a deep sense of inner peace that kept him from becoming devoured by passion without mercy, the kind that used up great minds like Malcom X before his time. I think maybee Ghandi did not so much will his cause; he WAS his cause.

The most Influential Radical Liberal of all time? That's a toss up between John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Lenin wasn't a Liberal! Niether was Ghandi, or MLK.