Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Charity

The forces of Socialism/Fascism/Neo-Feudalism/Mordor have won a major victory and are bringing us to the precipice of a new Dark Ages. What many mistakenly believe to be a way to help the poor and exploited, many of whom really do need help is in fact nothing more than a power grab by a group of billionaires, who have owned the Democratic Party for years. They did this to gain control of other peoples' property and wealth under a guise of wealth redistribution which is 100% upward to them. Under Fascism you may own the property but the state tells you what to do with it. And if you control a Fascist government then you control everything even if someone else owns it on paper. George Soros and his buddies could possibly soon own this country and indirectly own everything in it. It all would belong to the state and they would own the state. End of story. The book Rules for Radicals, written to destroy Capitalism and empower the poor has instead empowered the super-rich to take over.

Now I have nothing against having wealth. The right to acquire as much wealth, knowledge, and prestige as you can and desire by legal means is a basic human right. I have a severe problem with the taking of other peoples' property by illegal means, or by immoral means made legal by immoral legislation. In the Old Testament the Prophets talked about oppressing the poor and near-poor by the wealthy and powerful and this is what those condemned by the prophets did; they would give the poor loans they could not afford and in the end would seize their property when the payment was not forth-coming. Thus because of unpaid loans and unpaid excessive taxation, the land of the poor wound up in the hands of the kings and the wealthy. God had forbidden both high-interest loans to the poor and the needless seizure of their property in the Torah and it was disregarded. In the end the super-wealthy will own or at least control everything courtesy of the government.

It's often pointed out that the semi-mythical Robin Hood robbed the rich and gave to the poor, and in the case of the mythical Robin Hood this was true (though the historical Robert of Loxley was quite different from the myth). What the myth-tellers often overlook is how those rich people he robbed got that way. They did not open factories, invent things or invest in the ideas and dreams of others, but they simply taxed the poor until they couldn't survive anymore. If the mythical Robin Hood were true it should honestly be argued that he had stolen from the taxman and given a refund to the tax-payers.

As a Christian I am all for helping the poor and helpless, but even Jesus said that giving to the poor had limits:

Do not cast your pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.

Here Jesus was basically saying that you shouldn't give to those who did not appreciate your gift to them and would not give you a blessing and their goodwill in return for the alms. If nothing else, the recipients of charity owe goodwill to those whose labor feeds them. Instead of goodwill there are demands for more and more, followed by temper-tantrums and curses if the money is not forthcoming. Cheerfully giving to those is need is both the sharing and receiving of a blessing, but for those who are ungrateful, neither the giver nor the recipient is blessed or helped.

I enthusiastically support personal and religious charity, but am beyond skeptical when it comes to government charity. The recipients no longer see it as a gift of love (the original meaning of the word charity) and instead see it as an absolute right, which it is not. The goodwill that they are morally obligated to give to the tax-payers whose labor feeds and houses them is simply not there.

12 Comments:

Blogger Beth said...

This is where the typical progressive will turn the discussion into a smear campaign on person who suggests that charity is better than the nanny state because they really don't care about helping people.

3:39 PM  
Blogger AmPowerBlog said...

Glad to see you back ... great essay!

6:37 PM  
Blogger Chuck said...

I'm with Donald Douglas on both counts. Hope your doing well

8:14 PM  
Blogger christian soldier said...

You and I know-first hand- what welfare and other 'entitlements' did to the great city of Detroit...
Great take-my friend!
Glad you are "back"!
C-CS

8:39 PM  
Blogger Tom said...

I'll give my charitable dollars where they need to go for the maximum benefit. I don't need the government to pick my pocket to throw the money away.

8:44 PM  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Those persons who are capitalists and millionaires and billionaires are generally TYPE A individuals.

God bless them. Good for them. I am NOT a Type A nor can I identify with them. I was never compelled to work 20 hours a day. I was that lazy.

That was MY nature and I'm paying for it by NOT being a millionaire.

Am I disparaging their effort or hours or work? NEVER!

My BROTHER is a Type A. He worked and worked and worked and he is now a millionaire many times over. He EARNED everything he acquired. For YEARS and YEARS.

People want RESULTS for NO WORK.

That will be the DOOM of this nation.

BZ

10:47 PM  
Blogger Always On Watch said...

Shoprat,
First, welcome back! I've missed you.

What many mistakenly believe to be a way to help the poor and exploited, many of whom really do need help is in fact nothing more than a power grab by a group of billionaires, who have owned the Democratic Party for years. They did this to gain control of other peoples' property and wealth under a guise of wealth redistribution...

And most Americans are ignorant of those facts.

ObamaKare is viewed by many as some kind of moral mandate -- never mind that the bill violates our Constitution.

Attorney General Cuccinelli has filed a law suit against the bill on the grounds that the federal government cannot force Virginia to adhere to the mandate that all citizens of the state must buy health insurance, particularly in that Virginia has a statute forbidding such a mandate. Will Cuccinelli's tactic work? I have my doubts. The nation is hypnotized by BHO much as a snake hypnotizes a bird before striking to kill.

6:36 AM  
Blogger Tim said...

Your biblical quote is not relevent in the context you place it in. Jesus was saying not to share the most holy mysteries of God with unrepentant sinners.

Matthew 6:19
"Don't store up treasures here on Earth, where moths will eat them and rust destroys them and where theives break in and steal. Store your treasures in Heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and theives do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasures is, there the desires of your heart will also be".

As for charity I read an interesting quote from another blogger who does missionary work in Mexico.

" I feed the poor and they call me a saint. I ask why the poor have no food and they call me a communist."

I also am glad to see you blogging again. i hope your move went well and that your parents are taking a turn for the better.

9:43 AM  
Blogger Z said...

"there will always be poor among you"..didn't Jesus say that, too.

I'm with you on charity.....but, the gov't's making it so tough for religious charity (and personal charity these days, come to think of it$$) that people will HAVE to go to the gov't........SURPRISE! :-(

10:25 AM  
Blogger Tim said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

8:47 PM  
Blogger Tim said...

Z- what is your point? Yes, there will always be poor. This has nothing to do with that. They get Medicaid. This bill is about getting working Americans affordable insurance. Also, that Biblical reference (Mark 14:7)is refering to a woman who annoints Jesus with perfume while Judas critizes, saying that theperfume should be sold to buy food for the poor. Jesus replied that " you shall not always have me" I think the point that he is making is that yes, while we must help the poor that we must also nurture our selves and our friends and relations as well, and in so doing, keep ourselves healthy, happy and vital so that we can do His work. He goes on the quote Deuteronomy 15:11 "For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.'

This is certainly not an excuse to ignore the poor, as you suggest.

8:49 PM  
Blogger Ducky's here said...

a power grab by a group of billionaires, who have owned the Democratic Party for years.

------------------

I'm sorry, shoprat, you can only receive a part credit.

They have owned the entire political process and it is important to understand that.

12:54 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home