Posted on 03/28/2012 8:52:15 AM PDT by kathsua
I recently watched an old episode of my mom's favorite television show, the "Billy Graham Crusades". Dr. Graham surprised me with some of his comments about the Biblical city of Sodom. He said that greed was one of the sins of the people of Sodom. According to Ezekiel 16:49 - "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."
Many members of the Republican Party have a problem with this same sin. So why do Christians in the Republican Party encourage this sin by supporting low taxes for those with high incomes? Why do Christians support Republicans who don't believe in helping the poor?
Sodom isn't the only Biblical location whose residents were punished by God for mistreating the poor. The Israeli prophets warned the leaders of Israel about the consequences of mistreating the poor before wealthy Israelites were taken into captivity and the land left to the poor.
Ezekiel 22:12 - "you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign LORD."
Amos 4:1 - "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”
Amos 5:11 - "You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine."
Luke and other gospels carry a statement by Jesus about the problem facing the rich. " Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Luke 18:24-5
Preachers often suggest the camel analogy is about something large going through a tight opening. The analogy is more likely a camel saying like the "straw that broke the camel's back" or what happens if someone lets a camel get its head inside a tent. People of that era likely used the task of getting a camel through the eye of a needle as a way to determine how difficult the task was.
The problem with getting a camel through the eye of a needle is the shape of the animal and its sometimes uncooperative nature. The long neck, legs and hump means the task isn't simple even with a very large needle. Keep in mind that a needle has a long portion connected to the eye.
Christian Republicans need to recognize that abortion and sexual morality aren't the only moral issues in politics. Mistreatment of the poor and how the rich acquire wealth are at least as important. Christians need to move away from the greedy Republicans who believe the rich should escape the taxes needed to fund government.
How does a king get his wealth, if not by taxation? So when God orders kings of the Bible to have mercy on the poor and to consider their causes, was that not an order to use the king's wealth that was collected through taxes?
You communicated your point well. Consider my comment a one line echo. Cheers!
So to "Consider the cause of the poor and needy" means what?
>The 4th citation in Post 45 ...is an instruction for individual behavior, and has nothing to do with wealth redistribution.
The 4th citation is there to point out that Paul said rulers, the ones you accuse of theft, were "God's ministers". And that individuals are to pay taxes.
“The 4th citation is there to point out that Paul said rulers, the ones you accuse of theft, were “God’s ministers”. “
I don’t have any compunction about calling “God’s ministers” crooks when they behave crookedly. Many of God’s ministers are crooks, and it is right and proper to say so.
In as much as is possible, I endeavor to live peaceably with all men. For example, I pay my taxes for the sake of expediency even though they are not Caesar’s rightful property.
I was really hoping for a stronger argument for coercive wealth distribution by the state than an appeal to the divine right of kings.
“The 4th citation is there to point out that Paul said rulers, the ones you accuse of theft, were “God’s ministers”. “
I don’t have any compunction about calling “God’s ministers” crooks when they behave crookedly. Many of God’s ministers are crooks, and it is right and proper to say so.
In as much as is possible, I endeavor to live peaceably with all men. For example, I pay my taxes for the sake of expediency even though they are not Caesar’s rightful property.
I was really hoping for a stronger argument for coercive wealth distribution by the state than an appeal to the divine right of kings.
What's important to realize, is that "We the People" are the rulers. We are the King. So all the things that God said to kings about how they are to govern, apply to us.
That said, there must be balance. For those able to work, a job is far better than a handout. There should always be incentives to work and get off of welfare. And equality of wealth and eliminating poverty is not the goal. Meeting the most basic needs of the poor is.
Some clearly are. But you've defined all taxes as theft and that can't be true or scripture wouldn't support paying taxes.
It's not the levying of the taxes, for those are done fairly under the law. It's the misuse of funds once the taxes are collected that is theft, not the collection of duly legislated taxes.
And we are going to disagree on what constitutes misuse. We'd probably agree Obama's croynism with green energy funds is theft. But we'll disagree on basic programs to help the poor and needy, because I see those as a duty directed by God on which our continued reign depends.
Doesn't mean we have to be stupid about how we help the poor. But neither does it mean we can throw up our hands and say they've been stupid in the past, so let's just not do it at all, and leave it to the individual because they have a mandate too.
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