So if Jesus is "The Shepard" ...

Does that make Christians his sheep? Better yet, is this Christianity's own admission of its followers as sheeple?

I mean, I (along with many others) share the opinion that Christians (along with other people of religious faith) are "blind". But the irony in Jesus' title as "the shepard" really struck me as odd.

Wikipedia "sheeple"
en.wikipedia.org...

It is often used to denote persons who voluntarily acquiesce to a perceived authority, or suggestion without sufficient research to fully understand the scope of the ramifications involved in that decision, and thus undermine their own human individuality or in other cases give up certain rights. The implication of sheeple is that as a collective, people believe whatever they are told, especially if told so by a perceived authority figure believed to be trustworthy, without processing it or doing adequate research to be sure that it is an accurate representation of the real world around them. The term is generally used in a political and sometimes in a religious sense. The singular form of the term is "sherson;"[citation needed] however, the plural form is most often used.

As ironic as this is, I am still curious. What do Christians think of the notion that they are, by definition (by both Christianity itself and a modern description), "sheeple"?

If you don't think the ridiculously accurate Wikipedia definition of "sheeple" fits you, and regardless of the credibility of Wikipedia, why don't you think you are a sheeple?

reply to post by prototism


Jesus said:
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Paul said:
Romans 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Psalm 44:22 says:
Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

The use of the term "sheep" to describe those of His flock is not new and has been used throughout history. It is actually a very common term.

Originally posted by prototism
As ironic as this is, I am still curious. What do Christians think of the notion that they are, by definition (by both Christianity itself and a modern description), "sheeple"?

I talked about this briefly before in another thread. It doesn't bother me one bit because Jesus is the good Shepard who laid down His life for His sheep.

Yes, I'm proud to be one of His 'sheep.'

Baaaa.

And no, the Wiki definition would not fit me completely.

reply to post by AshleyD

And no, the Wiki definition would not fit me completely.

Thank you, Ashley.

She is correct in that the Wikipedia definition is far too broad to get me to favor it as a precise definition for the Biblical example's of sheep.

The Biblical idea of sheep isn't that they would "listen" to ANY authority, but only to ONE authority.

Satan is certainly an "authority", but we are told to resist the devil. The Wikipedia article implies that "sheeple" would listen to ANY authority, and that just isn't true of a Biblical Sheep.

We are his sheep, his flock, his people and we follow his (God's) direction and teachings. Like a Good Shepard he (God) tends to our needs guiding us to fertile ground be it here on earth or in the afterlife.We aren't this modern concept of conspiratorial "sheeple" defined by blindness, ignorance and lacking a spine. We are mostly intelligent, strong and thoughtful people that have a relationship with God.