Meaning
What does Republican Jesus mean?
Republican Jesus refers to the series of memes that show Jesus Christ preaching and practicing beliefs that are in relation with the beliefs and principles of the Republican Party of the United States.
Mostly appearing in image macro or animal advice formats, these memes convey a comical-ironic connotation, stemming from the contrast that stands between Christian and Republican ideologies.
Origin
What's the origin of Republican Jesus?
The phenomenon of contradicting Jesus and the Republican Party started with a comedy skit from the show Real Time with Bill Maher in 2015, that featured various jokes thematized around the teachings of Jesus voiced in a republican manner.
In late 2017, a book titled The Gospel of Self: How Jesus Joined the GOP was published by author Terry Heaton.
Liberals, as a reaction to the book, started to fabricate various memes that featured Jesus absurdly advocating controversial beliefs of supporters of the Republican Party.
Spread & Usage
How did Republican Jesus spread?
In April 3rd, 2013, a Facebook page titled Republican Jesus was launched, with the aim of gathering the various memes revolving around the phenomenon.
These memes became also very popular on Pinterest later, with numerous boards compiling memes about republican Jesus.
External resources
- Wikipedia.org – Republican Jesus
- News.ubc.ca – Ancient texts show Jesus had little in common with Republican Jesus