this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026

24 points (85.3% liked)

Pragmatic Leftist Theory

1044 readers

50 users here now

The neolibs are too far right. The tankies are doing whatever that is. Where's the space for the people who want fully-automated-luxury-gay-space-communism, but realize that it's gonna take a while and there are lots of steps between now and then? Here. This is that space.

Here, people should endeavor to discuss and devise practical, actionable leftist action. Vote lesser evil while you build grassroots coalitions. Unionize your workplace. Participate in SRAs. Build cohesion your local community. Educate the proletariat.

This is a place for practical people to develop practical plans to implement stable, incremental improvement.

If you're dead-set on drumming up all 18,453 True Leftists® into spontaneous Revolution, go somewhere else. The grown ups are talking.

Rules:

-1. Don't be a dick. Racism, sexism, other assorted bigotries, you know the drill. At least try to default to mutually respectful discussion. We're all on the same side here, unless you aren't, in which case kindly leave.

-2. Don't be a tankie. Yes I'm sure you have an extensive knowledge of century-old theory. There's been a century of history since then. Things didn't shake out as expected, maybe consider the possibility that a different angle of attack might be more effective in light of new data.

-3. Be practical. No one on the left benefits from counterproductive actions. This is a space informed by, not enslaved to, ideology. Promoting actions that are fundamentally untenable in the system in question, because they fulfill a sense of ideological purity, is a bad look. Don't do that.

founded 6 months ago

MODERATORS

agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works

Jesus was based af, actually (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 12 hours ago by agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works to c/PLT@sh.itjust.works

20 comments fedilink hide all child comments

First, I know what most of you are going to say. I myself was an internet atheist 20 years ago, quoting Dawkins and Sagan at magic-sky-daddy believers. But this isn't about convincing anyone to believe.

This is about pragmatics. And, pragmatically, the single biggest enemy right now is the conservative Christian right. Anything to fracture that coalition benefits the left.

Luckily, their gospels are pretty left-wing. So, I offer for your consideration, the Christian angle.

I encourage those of you who went to Sunday school to brush up on your Scripture. Matthew is a treasure trove. When you're talking to someone on the right, start hitting them with chapter and verse.

If nothing else, this is initially shocking. They're supposed to be the Christians, and you're some filthy commie reminding them that Jesus called the wealthy priests hypocrites, and told us to feed the hungry and aid the sick.

They have defense mechanisms against your crybaby commie talk. They don't have defense mechanisms against their own scripture. At worst, you shake them loose from their script and confuse them, giving you openings for gentle deprogramming.

At best, they might reflect on their leadership and how closely they follow Jesus' commands. Anyone who really believes in him and really reads the gospels is going to wind up a leftist, whether they call it that or not.

Just food for thought. Read up on what Jesus said, use that against the people who claim to follow him. You don't have to believe yourself to recognize a powerful rhetorical tool.

top 20 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] powerstruggle@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 hours ago

No thanks. There's some minor benefit in knowing the lingo, like there is for any other woo, but most people haven't read the source material and quoting it at them won't accomplish anything.

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Matthew 5 is generally a good way to live your life imo. Unfortunately in my experience American Christians are more than willing to say Jesus was wrong when he said stuff like "give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." Like he did not stutter, but American Christians would rather burn in hell than give away their material possessions

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 hours ago

That just lets you call them a heretic and ask them why they hate Jesus

[–] voracitude@lemmy.world 11 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

They don't have defense mechanisms against their own scripture

https://pcpj.org/2024/08/31/evangelicals-call-jesus-weak-for-promoting-liberal-talking-points/

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I'm not saying there aren't outliers, there always are. If someone is that far gone, there's not much left to save. But most Christians aren't that far gone.

[–] voracitude@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

You're not taking about christians, though, you're talking about Christian MAGA specifically; the christians who can understand that Trump is incompatible with their faith aren't the ones following him. What I'm saying is that their belief system isn't the opening you think it is with that crowd. They're basically Christian nationalists. One of the hallmarks of MAGA is that nothing is sacred to them. They will burn anything and anyone at the gross stale-McDonalds-smelling altar of their orange idol: Their parents, spouses, children, even their Lord and Saviour Jesus and the values in his book. They actively call their scripture weakness and think it was written by "the libruls".

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 hours ago

Then call them a Jesus-hating heretic and move on. For someone like that, the best you can do is plant a seed of cognitive dissonance in their core beliefs.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 13 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Christian communism is a concept that predates Marx.

For many years I felt this approach to Christianity was the best shot for socialism to gain any traction in the USA. I am unsure these days, but still hopeful.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 6 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I'm hoping that a fracture can be cultivated on the right, and the chapter-and-verse conservatives can be sneakied into socialism so long as we don't call it that. At least we can try to break them from whatever MAGA is.

[–] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 hours ago

Leftist Policies are very popular, up until they're called Leftist.

[–] Broadfern@lemmy.world 9 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

You haven’t been the socialist in bible study in a long time, I see.

“You’re taking it out of context” and “that was different at the time” and “well but actually he also meant this” and “the Bible says this here though” were constant in my teen years and precisely why I just accepted that I’m fully atheist/agnostic.

Selfish pricks are going to selfish prick. Reach out to those who are like minded, sure, and use scripture if they’re religious. But don’t expect to un-racist a dyed-in-the-wool racist with the Bible.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 4 points 10 hours ago

Probably not, but you can at least put a mote in their eye.

[–] FancyLad@lemmy.world 5 points 11 hours ago

Luke and Timothy have some good shit in them too

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 2 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

Unfortunately, the chuds in my parts are usually not religious (the original Nazis weren't very christian, at times even anti-church, and that is pretty directly the tradition that many of the local chuds stand in). Or they're a slightly different flavor of chud, i.e. far right / ultraconservative muslims - those don't have a lot of impact in the grand scheme of things, but they might still be the ones who beat you up if you e.g. look like a man in a skirt. Any tips on how to convince or at least confuse far right muslims?

On the bright side, the churches in my parts seem to actually be pretty leftwing compared to US churches. Not quite communist, but they're constantly in conflict with conservative and far right parties (and the pope, if catholic) over stuff like immigration policies and on how to treat LGBT+. Still doesn't make me a believer, but it's nice to know that someone has some amount of conscience around here.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Jesus is in the Quran more than Muhammad actually, faithful Muslims still treat Jesus as a prophet, just not God incarnate. I'm not sure similar tactics would work with them unless you look the part.

I wouldn't shy away from frequenting an actual good church. Even if you don't "believe", it's a powerful way to build community, which is increasingly necessary these days. Might be worth at least sitting in the back for a couple Sundays.

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Unfortunately, my local denomination's style of sermon makes my skin crawl. Not really the content, just the specific delivery.

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I think it's too late

Even atheists in the US subscribe to the "fuck you, I got mine" philosophy

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 7 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe it's too late. But I'm reminded of this

and I'm down to at least try

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Oh, I agree

If I have to use someone's stupid beliefs to try to get a result, I'll use them happily

Unfortunately, the stupid (and by "stupid", I mean "religious") are more given to hatred than tolerance, because it requires less thought and they're simple.

Barely a step beyond the dullest of animals

[–] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 hours ago

Sadly, if you're smart enough to actually believe Jesus about how you should treat people, you're smart enough to not believe Jesus when he says he's God.