Jesus Was Born in a Police State
Jesus Was Born
The Roman Empire  a police state in its own right  had ordered that a census be conducted. Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary traveled to the little town of Bethlehem so that they could be counted. There being no room for the couple at any of the inns  they stayed in a stable  where Mary gave birth to  a baby boy  Jesus .
Unfortunately   Jesus  was born into a police state not unlike the growing menace of the American police state. And when  he  grew up   Jesus  did not shy away from speaking truth to power. Indeed   his  teachings undermined the political and religious establishment of  his  day.  He  was eventually crucified as a warning to others not to challenge the powers-that-be.
Yet what if  instead of being born into the Roman police state   Jesus  had been born and raised in the American police state?
Instead of being born in a manger   Jesus  might have been born at home. Rather than wise men and shepherds bringing gifts  however  the baby’s parents might have been forced to ward off visits from state social workers intent on prosecuting them for the home birth. One couple in Washington had all three of their children removed after social services objected to the two youngest being birthed in an unassisted home delivery.
From the time  he  was old enough to attend school   Jesus  would have been drilled in lessons of compliance and obedience to government authorities  while learning little about  his  own rights. Had  he  dared to step out of line while in school   he  might have found  himself  tasered or beaten by a school resource officer  or at the very least suspended under a school zero tolerance policy that punishes minor infractions as harshly as more serious offenses.
Had  Jesus  disappeared for a few hours let alone days as a 12-year-old   his  parents would have been handcuffed  arrested and jailed for parental negligence.
From the moment  Jesus  made contact with an “extremist” such as John the Baptist   he  would have been flagged for surveillance because of  his  association with a prominent activist  peaceful or otherwise. Since 9/11  the FBI has actively carried out surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations on a broad range of activist groups.
Jesus’ anti-government views would certainly have resulted in  him  being labeled a domestic extremist. Law enforcement agencies are being trained to recognize signs of anti-government extremism during interactions with potential extremists who share a “belief in the approaching collapse of government and the economy.”
While traveling from community to community   Jesus  might have been reported to government officials as “suspicious” under the Department of Homeland Security’s “See Something  Say Something” programs.
Rather than being permitted to live as an itinerant preacher   Jesus  might have found  himself  threatened with arrest for daring to live off the grid or sleeping outside. In fact  the number of cities that have resorted to criminalizing homelessness by enacting bans on camping  sleeping in vehicles  loitering and begging in public has doubled.
Viewed by the government as a dissident and potential threat to its power   Jesus  might have had government spies planted among  his  followers to monitor  his  activities  report on  his  movements  and entrap  him  into breaking the law. Such Judases today — called informants — often receive hefty paychecks from the government for their treachery.
Had  Jesus  used the internet to spread  his  radical message of peace and love   he  might have found  his  blog posts infiltrated by government spies attempting to undermine  his  integrity  discredit  him  or plant incriminating information online about  him . At the very least   he  would have had  his  website hacked and  his  email monitored.
Had  Jesus  attempted to feed large crowds of people   he  would have been threatened with arrest for violating various ordinances prohibiting the distribution of food without a permit. Florida officials arrested a 90-year-old man for feeding the homeless on a public beach.
Had  Jesus  spoken publicly about  his  40 days in the desert and  his  conversations with the devil   he  might have been labeled mentally ill and detained in a psych ward with no access to family or friends.
Without a doubt  had  Jesus  attempted to overturn tables in a Jewish temple and rage against the materialism of religious institutions   he  would have been charged with a hate crime. Currently  45 states and the federal government have hate crime laws on the books.
Rather than having armed guards capture  Jesus  in a public place  government officials would have ordered that a SWAT team carry out a raid on  Jesus  and  his  followers  complete with flash-bang grenades and military equipment. There are upwards of 80 000 such SWAT team raids carried out every year.
The Roman Empire  a police state in its own right  had ordered that a census be conducted. Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary traveled to the little town of Bethlehem so that they could be counted. There being no room for the couple at any of the inns  they stayed in a stable  where Mary gave birth to  a baby boy  Jesus .
Unfortunately   Jesus  was born into a police state not unlike the growing menace of the American police state. And when  he  grew up   Jesus  did not shy away from speaking truth to power. Indeed   his  teachings undermined the political and religious establishment of  his  day.  He  was eventually crucified as a warning to others not to challenge the powers-that-be.
Yet what if  instead of being born into the Roman police state   Jesus  had been born and raised in the American police state?
Instead of being born in a manger   Jesus  might have been born at home. Rather than wise men and shepherds bringing gifts  however  the baby’s parents might have been forced to ward off visits from state social workers intent on prosecuting them for the home birth. One couple in Washington had all three of their children removed after social services objected to the two youngest being birthed in an unassisted home delivery.
From the time  he  was old enough to attend school   Jesus  would have been drilled in lessons of compliance and obedience to government authorities  while learning little about  his  own rights. Had  he  dared to step out of line while in school   he  might have found  himself  tasered or beaten by a school resource officer  or at the very least suspended under a school zero tolerance policy that punishes minor infractions as harshly as more serious offenses.
Had  Jesus  disappeared for a few hours let alone days as a 12-year-old   his  parents would have been handcuffed  arrested and jailed for parental negligence.
From the moment  Jesus  made contact with an “extremist” such as John the Baptist   he  would have been flagged for surveillance because of  his  association with a prominent activist  peaceful or otherwise. Since 9/11  the FBI has actively carried out surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations on a broad range of activist groups.
Jesus’ anti-government views would certainly have resulted in  him  being labeled a domestic extremist. Law enforcement agencies are being trained to recognize signs of anti-government extremism during interactions with potential extremists who share a “belief in the approaching collapse of government and the economy.”
While traveling from community to community   Jesus  might have been reported to government officials as “suspicious” under the Department of Homeland Security’s “See Something  Say Something” programs.
Rather than being permitted to live as an itinerant preacher   Jesus  might have found  himself  threatened with arrest for daring to live off the grid or sleeping outside. In fact  the number of cities that have resorted to criminalizing homelessness by enacting bans on camping  sleeping in vehicles  loitering and begging in public has doubled.
Viewed by the government as a dissident and potential threat to its power   Jesus  might have had government spies planted among  his  followers to monitor  his  activities  report on  his  movements  and entrap  him  into breaking the law. Such Judases today — called informants — often receive hefty paychecks from the government for their treachery.
Had  Jesus  used the internet to spread  his  radical message of peace and love   he  might have found  his  blog posts infiltrated by government spies attempting to undermine  his  integrity  discredit  him  or plant incriminating information online about  him . At the very least   he  would have had  his  website hacked and  his  email monitored.
Had  Jesus  attempted to feed large crowds of people   he  would have been threatened with arrest for violating various ordinances prohibiting the distribution of food without a permit. Florida officials arrested a 90-year-old man for feeding the homeless on a public beach.
Had  Jesus  spoken publicly about  his  40 days in the desert and  his  conversations with the devil   he  might have been labeled mentally ill and detained in a psych ward with no access to family or friends.
Without a doubt  had  Jesus  attempted to overturn tables in a Jewish temple and rage against the materialism of religious institutions   he  would have been charged with a hate crime. Currently  45 states and the federal government have hate crime laws on the books.
Rather than having armed guards capture  Jesus  in a public place  government officials would have ordered that a SWAT team carry out a raid on  Jesus  and  his  followers  complete with flash-bang grenades and military equipment. There are upwards of 80 000 such SWAT team raids carried out every year.