The co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, an ice cream company known for its progressive advocacy, is sharing his admiration for Jesus Christ even as he continues to have reservations about organized religion.
Ben Cohen sat down for an interview with Tucker Carlson on X. Released Monday, the conversation primarily touched on American foreign policy and concluded with a discussion about Cohen’s spiritual beliefs.
“I don’t practice religion,” Cohen acknowledged. After discussing how he “was born a Jew,” Cohen proclaimed, “I love Jesus Christ.”
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While Cohen described Jesus’ words as “wonderful” and “amazing,” he expressed disappointment that “a lot of organized Christian religions are not really … abiding by the words of Jesus Christ.” Cohen identified himself as “friends” with Shane Claiborne, a noted progressive Christian activist of Red Letter Christians.
“I think if we could follow the words of Jesus Christ and … think about the Sermon on the Mount and … take his words seriously, we wouldn’t be doing the stuff we’re currently doing,” Cohen insisted.
The discussion about Cohen’s spirituality was prompted by his belief, as reiterated by Carlson, that making an economy based on “weapons” was “sacrilegious.”
Ben & Jerry’s has developed a reputation for its outspoken advocacy on behalf of liberal political causes over the years. In 2012, the company renamed its “Oh My! Apple Pie!” flavor to “Apple-y Ever After” in support of same-sex marriage legislation in the United Kingdom. Three years earlier, Ben & Jerry’s changed the name of its “Chubby Hubby” flavor to “Hubby Hubby” after same-sex marriage became legal in Vermont.
An op-ed published by The Christian Post in March highlights more recent examples of liberal political advocacy on the part of Ben & Jerry’s. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s decided it would no longer sell ice cream in certain parts of Israel over its belief that the Jewish state was violating the rights of people living in what it referred to as “Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
In 2018, the ice cream company developed a new flavor called “Pecan Resist” to protest the Trump administration. Two years later, it partnered with Colin Kaepernick, a former NFL football player known for taking a knee during the National Anthem to protest what he views as police brutality and wearing socks depicting police officers as pigs.
In 2020, as the United States reeled from protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody, Ben & Jerry’s sent ice cream to liberal protesters occupying a part of Seattle known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.
Throughout the past year, Ben & Jerry’s published a July 4 social media post declaring that “the United States was founded on stolen Indigenous land,” engaged in a get-out-the-vote effort on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and created a new flavor titled “Kamala Coconut Jubilee” in her honor.
The company’s progressive activism has continued now that President Donald Trump has assumed a second term in office.
Earlier this year, Ben & Jerry’s sent out a message featuring the word “Dissent!” as it spoke out “against fascism” ahead of Trump’s inauguration. In March, the ice cream brand faced considerable pushback for celebrating “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.”
In March, Ben & Jerry’s claimed its CEO was fired by its parent company, Unilever, after it threatened leaders if they did not comply with “efforts to silence the social mission.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
