Posted on 10/16/2013 12:52:51 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
There are numerous verses in the Bible commanding people to help the poor, but the Christian-based Family Research Council (FRC) claims that doesn't include the government helping the needy.
FRC head Tony Perkins recently told Christian radio host Janet Mefferd that while Christians should be active in politics and government, they cannot support the government helping poor people, noted RightWingWatch.org (audio below).
"I think as Christians we'll be held responsible for the policies adopted by this government because it’s us,” said Perkins.
"Is that saying the government has a responsibility to care for the poor? That’s not what scripture says. The scripture handed that responsibility to you and I as members of the faith, followers of Jesus Christ,” Perkins later added.
"[Jesus] never said to Rome, to the Romans that, 'You guys need to make sure that you're taking out of one person's pocket to give to another.' He said, 'No, you sell all that you have and give to the poor, you take that responsibility,'" stated Perkins.
However, there is not one verse in the Bible that forbids any government from helping the poor.
Perkins, who has not sold all of his possessions to give to the poor, is also incorrect about Jesus, who actually told people to pay their taxes ("taking out of one person's pocket to give to another") to Rome in the Book of Matthew 21:22:
They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
Sheeperals in a nutshell. This is all you need to know in order to understand your average liberal. All their conclusions and policy support is based on this primary motivation.
Jesus spoke with derision about a tradition of people giving to the temple for the care of their parents instead of taking care of them themselves.
This is a description of what welfare is - pawning off your individual responsibility on some institution.
I didn't say that, either. At some point of taxation, all things equal, charitable giving will stop. People turn from givers of charity to relier upon it, based on confiscatory taxes. Do you deny that a dollar taken by the government is a dollar less that an individual has to give to the poor? Whom do you think does a better job at charity? Individuals, either through voluntary contributions to churches and charities or directly to individuals, or the government?
Do you believe God blesses the giver? If so, who is blessed by the 'giving' of Section 8 housing? Or SNAP?
I saw your verses. I saw them when you posted them before in your defense of socialism. And yes, rulers (I thought we had leaders, but apparently not) should also be generous with the wealth they are blessed with. But, tell me where it says for those rulers to confiscate more and more from their subjects and be generous with it?
Find “governmental duties to the poor” in the Constitution,
or, for that matter, in any of the writings of the founders.
Google poor laws.
Every state had poor laws prior to passing the constitution. State judges spent a lot of time forcing local communities to care for their fair share of the indigents.
And one of the reasons cited for instituting medicare at the Federal level was that states were dumping indigents at their borders.
I’m supposed to be a good steward of my money God blessed me with. If it goes to gubmint, it’s most certainly being wasted.
I’m instructed to give 10% to the Lord. I don’t think the Lord ever demanded I give more than 10% to the State.(but the State does)
Isn’t that a form of idolatry to the State? (I’m placing them higher than God-not that leftists mind)
My Bible says, “Thou shalt not steal” and “let him who stole, steal no more”.
It endorses, even commands, helping the poor, but nowhere does it authorize theft to accomplish that end.
In fact, it also explicitly prohibits covetousness, which is the underlying sentiment used to justify the sort of theft that governments employ.
As long as you enlist a congresscritter or legislator to steal for you, it’s ok.
I think that it’s in the penumbra section of “Thou shalt not steal” ,subsection 3, paragraph 1.
The Welfare State doesn’t just destroy civil and religious charities. It doesn’t just rot the soul of its dependents.
The Welfare State also deprives people of good will from enjoying the benefits of freely sharing of their abundance, and burdens all with the wretched task of paying taxes.
In 2 Cor 12:14, Paul notes that “children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.”
But Social Security works just the opposite.
Some people have chosen to rely upon the State as their sufficiency and their strength. Trying to reason with them is to cast pearls to swine.
You’re right. Thank you.
Interesting arguments bump.
I'm not sure you are correct on this. Though I didn't spend the time going through Congressional records, I found there is much support that Davy Crockett did make this so-called "Not mine to give" speech. I went on line and searched "Not mine to give Crockett" and came up with many sites that support it; and none that refute it. Please give a site that refutes it.
Not to be pedantic, but Crockett died in 1836. Seventy years later gets us to 1906 -- I'm not sure if the Whig's were very active then, spreading lies or doing much of anything.
I beg to differ, God is definitely talking to the individuals here; Jerimiah 22 : 1-2 (NASB):
Thus says the LORD, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates.
“Proverbs 31 tells king Lemuel to plead the cause of the poor and needy."
Are you referring to what the good wife extending her hands to the poor?
"Dan 4:27 tells the king to show mercy to the poor and ties it to a "lengthening of tranquility".
Danial 4:27 “Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you [the individual – you; the king]: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.
Again, I beg to differ; he is addressing the king in his individual responsibilities; not the king's commands to his people.
“Proverbs 29:14 also states that a king's rulership is tied to how he treats the poor.”
Proverbs 29:14: “If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever”
Judging the poor with truth does not constitute a mandate of his subjects to give to the poor by the king.
These are very poor examples of why the government should care for the poor with the taxes of its subjects; maybe you can provide better ones?
This is interesting; I wonder if they were really "Christian" communities? Could you please support this with a link to a site that has this information.
“If you don’t work, you don’t eat”. Ever hear of that Christian saying?
The government's duty to the poor is the same as their duty to everyone, to rule justly and evenhandedly. They should not prefer the rich over the poor but at the same time they should not prefer the poor over the rich either.
You wish for the government to disregard their mandated duty from the sound of it.
Yes, true-—but that good will—freely sharing is lost because of the “rotting of the Soul”. It is the nature of man to be selfish and lazy. Socialism/Marxism always rewards the worst behaviors in man and punishes goodness/perseverance/hard work and excellence.
When it steals money from the producers, it also steals their time from their healthy family relationships. They have no time to form the character of their children.
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