There is a large difference to me between someone who professes Christianity and someone whose demeanor and policies reflect their Faith. Let's assume we are all under the rule and reign of God. How many wars would we have? How many mothers would starve? How much would we give to the poor? How many immigrants would we allow into our nation? I am a Republican because I think it is the responsibility of the states to take care of their constituents and the national government to take care of the nation. I also think it is the responsibility of Americans to donate from their excess and sacrifice some comforts so that the people of this world can have what we take for granted. I think donating to a non-profit should be a tax writeoff meaning if I give 10% of my income to my church, the government sees that as me taxing myself. Tax rates should be defined based on cost of living in your state. If it costs a family of 4 100,000 to live in your state, there will be no tax on incomes less than 100,000 for a famiy of four. This would be the new poverty line for your state. Then, any income above and beyond the cost of living, would be flat taxed at a nationally regulated rate. This includes ALL income figured out like this: How much money did you start out with this year? How much money was given to you? How much do you have now? So let's say I start the year with 100,000 in stock and I make 50,000 a year. My stocks gain 20%, so my income was 70,000.
I also believe that people should be able to donate to non profits in lieu of giving money to the government. You want separation of church and state? Here it is. Give money to the church or the state or a combination :)
Yes, some people make gobs of money, and yes they (mostly) earn it. If we were all Christians and living under the rule and reign of the one true King, there would be no need for forced generosity; however, we live in a fallen world, where people are inherently greedy. It is therefore the responsibility of the community of people as a whole (aka the government) to enforce said generosity. With the ability to donate to non profits in lieu of paying taxes, people with a ton of money would be able to pick and choose where their money was spent and would not have to give it to the government if they felt a non-profit would do a better job. Any non-donated tax would go to the state government, with percentages defined by a federal mandate.
The money from property/luxury/sales/people bad at math (lottery and gambling) tax would go into a general state coffer to pay for schools and other infrastructure for the state. The states would then be taxed on their income and that money would go to the federal government to provide infrastructure for intrastate travel, communication, and the common defense.
Why do I say that Barack is a Christian? Look at the speech he made last night: We are all responsible for taking care of our fellow citizens. Who is your neighbor? Everybody in this nation. Why do I say Bush, Clinton, Bush 1, and Reagen are not Christians? Look at the way they raped the world. NAFTA, Iraq, retaliation instead of forgiveness, calling an entire nation an "evil empire", the term "axis of evil", WTO, Afghanistan, shutting down immigration, allowing for corruption and greed to spread like wildfire through the private sector, rampant unemployment, the fall of the housing market, greedy corporations giving loans to people with no money, greedy people unwilling to save money, etc. Do you think these policies were tempered in the fires of prayer?
I am not saying that Barack is perfect, but I am saying that I have never heard a President in my lifetime speak in this way. If his policies are close to his speech, this changes everything I have seen in my lifetime about Christian Presidents.
10 comments:
Good post.
I am with you on the donations coming out of our taxes, and that as Christians we should be generous.
But isn't "forced generosity" the same thing as thievery - therefore being the farthest thing from generosity? It is true that there are a lot of greedy people in the world, which as you point out, is a function of the Fall. Other functions of the Fall include: wars, mothers starving, people living in poverty, and illegal immigration. Notice this is not a function of how many taxes we pay, but a function of the fact that we have soundly and forth-rightly rejected God and are living in a world where he has given us to our own devices.
Our situation will in no way be helped by the government taking away what is rightfully ours, or walking away from a war that is only half won.
I am eager to see if Obama can earn some of the lavish praises that has been heaped upon him during this process. He has a lot to live up to, and my prayers are with him.
I truly hope that you are correct in what you mention in this post. I challenge that if he were a true christian he would not only fight for "give the people as they need" and also remember 2 Corinthians saying "God loves a cheerful giver".
I challenge that the things that gave you the ability to write in this blog, wear Che Guevara, and worship freely might come under fire under his plans. I hope that is not the case. I am worried that a man who asks God to "damn America" will have a bigger influence on the president-elect than we expect.
I also worry that he wants judges in the supreme court that use empathy in their decisions than merely "interpreting the constitution".
I truly hope that he does a good job. I pray for this nation.
I would say that it is all in the way we view the resources we have. If we see the government as institued and given power by God, then rendering to Caesar should be something we do joyfully. I believe that God can utilize governments to take care of the poor and marginalized when many churches have neglected them. This does not change my responsibility as a Christian nor do I think Barack believes that the government alone can fix these issues.
I do have a large problem "illegal immigartion" namely that God instituted immigration (the command to be fruitful and multiply, moving Abraham, the Israelites, etc) and the legality of it is only something instituted by xenophobic nations. The war is a difficult one, but I have a feeling that defeat is something we as a nation need to accept graciously.
I would also like to add that part of the housing market slump is due in part to the CRA under Carter. The gov't thought that every American has a right to their own house even when they cant afford it. Along with the people who chair Fannie and Freddie. Is it not Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who are supposed to watch them?
I also challenge your belief that somehow someone else is responsible for the attitude of "I want what I want right now." The government did not encourage that. It is Americans who think that they are entitled to everything. Some Americans have become lazy and think the gov't should provide for them. We would not be in the mess we are if it werent for the attitude of I can whatever because I am entitled to it. If Obama does anything it should not be bailouts or free healthcare or free this or that; it should be that of "Work for it and you can have it."
to mark - I have already written a post, awhile back about Rev. Wright and my basic feeling is that he was speaking some semblance of the truth. Rastafarians see the US as the Babylon of Revelation, we have been a nation that ignores many of the principles that we say we were founded upon, and we as Christians have ignored the command to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with [our] God." So, if anything, I would agree with Rev Wright.
I think you are an intelligent individual and I find it highly unlikely that you believe we will move into a Russian Communist society, although I wouldn't mind it. I could go for some religious persecution, separates the men from the boys :)
well put. I think at this point a comment of agree to disagree is a good choice
mark (second post) - I was going to edit out that last line since the government has nothing to do with that mistake of greed; however, I couldn't find an edit button :) I do believe in the work for it and you will have it mentality however, we, as Christians, should have the ability and graciousness to give even when people don't deserve it. The highest honor for a Christian is to emulate Christ, who gave to those who rejected and to those who would cheapen it.
You were service chair and did that job well and with joie de vivre. Even giving to those who were lazy, not working, or who could have done it themselves.
I wouldn't say that his willingness to help people is wrong, but I would hesitate to call him a Christian because it's not just about feeding the poor and taking care of others - it's about believing that Christ is the Son of God. And there are several other things such as the killing of the unborn (and apparently the born who were supposed to be killed but lived) which make me wonder how he can be called a follower of Christ. Just a few thoughts that I honestly wonder about. I'm not saying he can't do good things, but I wouldn't give him the title of Christian either. Curious about your thoughts here?
You need to read the Word of God brotha. If you can't afford a copy, contact the Gideons. www.gideons.org
-Hanz
Hanz - Please clarify. I assure you I have read the scriptures and am ready to hear your thoughts as to my lack of comprehension.
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