GOP Jesus Is an Old Sketch That Rips Into Republicans, and It's All Over TikTok

It may be a pretty blistering condemnation of the state of American politics that years-old YouTube videos remain startlingly relevant in 2022. Recently, an old video from the comedy YouTube channel has been recirculating on TikTok, leading some to believe that the video originated on TikTok. As it turns out, though, GOP Jesus is actually a few years old, even if all the jokes in the video itself remain relevant.

GOP Jesus is a video that was originally released on YouTube in 2018. The video, which comes from Friend Dog Studios, is a three-minute comedy sketch that depicts the version of Jesus that is consistent with the present-day views of the Republican party. So, instead, of welcoming refugees in strangers, this version of Jesus ships them off to detention centers because they might "be letting in a murderer or a drug."

The video continues by purporting to quote Jesus, but turning the phrases around to point out the many ways that Republican orthodoxy seems to be out of step with the Christian values that many of them claim to espouse.

"If a man strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him and shoot him. That is the law," GOP Jesus intones, preaching to a loyal group of followers.

Although the video is several years old, many of the critiques it makes of the Republican party have only become more relevant in the years since. Now, the video is circulating wildly on TikTok, and people are pulling snippets out to point out the various ways that the GOP seems to be behaving contrary to the teachings of the religion many of them claim to believe in.

Unfortunately, some people who have only seen the videos on TikTok don't even realize that that's not where the video originated. Those behind the video may be thrilled that it's circulating more widely, but they also deserve all the credit for creating it now that it's become a phenomenon several years after its initial creation.

While he may not be our actual lord and savior, GOP Jesus is just the kind of thing that most left-leaning people need to have a laugh about the absurdity of modern American politics. We are long past the point where pointing out the hypocrisy inside of the GOP is effective, but that doesn't mean there's no good reason to commiserate and complain.

Jesus's core teachings are certainly inconsistent with many of the plans that Republicans are now proposing, but they still claim to espouse his values credulously, and there are plenty of faithful people whose political opinions align them with the GOP. In an ideal world, one's religious beliefs would have almost no bearing on their political affiliation. Unfortunately, that is not at all the world we currently live in. GOP Jesus may not change any minds, but we can laugh just the same.