Actor Matthew Modine's New Film Asserts: 'Jesus Was a Commie

The American left continues to refine its new mantra -- that Jesus Christ was a communist, a socialist or, at the least, an Occupier.

The Blaze has already posted the question, "Would Jesus Christ occupy Wall Street?" (we also looked at what Rev. Jim Wallis thinks about the Occupiers and their relation to Christ). Plus, we've explored whether Jesus was a socialist.

Now, there's a new film that appears to question whether Jesus -- the center of the Christian faith -- was a communist. The film, aptly titled, "Jesus Was a Commie," was directed by vertan actor Matthew Modine.

The Huffington Post has more:

Modine is on tour with his new short film, "Jesus Was a Communist," which offers a discussion of the New Testament's messages in the context of poverty, pollution and political unrest. A selection at film festivals throughout the world, the message the veteran actor is presenting also address the Occupy Wall Street movement happening throughout the world and how it relates to the Bible.

"Because of the purposefully provocative title, it's important that people understand that the film is not an attack on Jesus or the Christian faith and that it's not condoning Communism," says Modine. "It's a film with a very positive message of responsibility and hope."

On the Interactive Movie Database, a storyline for the film reads (emphasis added):

Could it be argued that Jesus was a Communist? There's no question he was a revolutionary. But not with violence. His revolution involved a complete and dramatic change in the way people thought; progressive and liberal thinking. With no army and no weapons, he led a group of young people toward a new, more humane way of thinking; toward a philosophy of love and forgiveness. He may have been a supporter of a political ideology that advanced an egalitarian society based on common ownership of property.

The film's trailer can be seen (around 9:20) below. Following the brief trailer, see Modine discuss the film:

Also, watch the actor field questions about "Jesus Was a Commie" at the Mountain Film Festival earlier this month, below (caution: language):

One reviewer on IMDB claims that he saw the film and that he couldn't disagree more. A commenter by the name of Tony Schlongini writes:

Saw this film at the Hampton Film Festival. It seems like propaganda for communism. As a Christian, it is my understanding that Jesus kindly asked people to give their treasure to the poor, not force them. The film makers compare Jesus to Stalin and Mao, though they claim that Stalin and Mao's form of communism did not work due to the fact that they were evil and corrupt. The form of communism they claim will work is socialism, which has failed in many countries around the world. This film should not be shown in schools. The narrator/ actor, Matthew Modine conducted a Q/A after the film. It seemed that the tone of the conversation geared toward communism, since the general belief was that capitalism has failed. I highly disagree with that that point, completely.

But another commenter by the name of "vilter" has different views on the 15-minute short film:

The imagery is stunning, and the editing keeps the pace fast enough that the film never feels didactic. Instead it is a very honest and positive attempt to highlight the stories in the Bible that show Jesus to be a man whose political leanings might be classified as communist.

In the end, the subject matter is certainly intriguing, though, based on the comments, it does seem to indicate that Modine views Christ's actions and teachings as "communist" in nature.

(H/T: The Huffington Post)