This is what the Lord Almighty said: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to
one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner
or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.”
- Zechariah 7:9-10
One who oppresses the poor to increase his
wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
- Proverbs 22:16
Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt
for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
- Proverbs 14:31
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure
and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and
to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
- James 1:27
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly
and to love mercy and to walk humbly
with your God.
- Micah 6:8
Over the years, I've
begun leaning far more Libertarian than I ever thought I would. I've ended up here mostly by taking the time
to actually compare the two primary parties’ stances on various issues with
real life, by talking to people who have different backgrounds than me, doing a
lot of research on what the parties promise versus what they deliver, and by
spending a lot of time thinking independently. One topic that comes up
frequently in the debates between the parties is the poor, specifically,
drastically different approaches between the parties in how to help/manage the
poor.
First off, as you can
see from the verses above, we are commanded to help those in need. And by the way, as I discussed in my last
post, Jesus never commanded the government to do anything, He commanded His
people. So, first and foremost, we (Christians) are to help those in need. This
is not debatable. In fact, if you read back into Deuteronomy, you'll find
specific stipulations regarding provision for the needy, such as leaving the
corners of a field un-harvested for the needy to glean, and allowing the needy
to come into the fields behind those who are harvesting and gather grain. While
we are obviously no longer under the ancient law, this speaks to God's concern
for those in need, which Jesus acknowledges "will always be with us."
The modern Republican school of thought treats all poor individuals as if
their lack of provision is completely their own fault. While I agree there are
people in the world that choose to exist in a consistently dependent state due
to their own laziness, I would argue that these are a minority. I would say the
vast majority, especially after the most recent economic downturn, are hard-working
individuals who find themselves several tax brackets below their former life,
simply because one day they had a job, and then one day they didn't. Other
factors, such as changes in health, lack of education, and societal issues also
play a role. I don’t put these out as excuses, but as legitimate reasons why
someone might need temporary assistance in overcoming a financial obstacle.
On the opposite hand are Democrats, who seem to think that the only way the
poor will ever break out of their status is through aggressive government
intervention, especially taxes and policies designed to take from those who
have and give it, no questions asked, to those that fit a certain tax bracket.
As several reports have revealed, this doesn't
really work either, as people sometimes find that it is easier to remain
dependent on the government than to actually go out and re-enter the workforce.
While I am sure there are individuals on both sides that are well-intentioned,
the parties as a whole are really just courting votes.
Republicans want to be the champion of big business, thereby getting
their votes, and Democrats want to be the champion of the poor, thereby getting
their votes. Politics is nothing if not a cynical game of playing one side
against another.
So what is to be done?
As I stated, if we want to live the Christian life as Jesus taught, we will
help the poor. We can do it through monetary means, whether to your church or a
local food bank. We can do it through giving our time, perhaps to Habitat or a
soup kitchen or to a job skills program. There is no shortage of ways that we
can give. I will grant you that it may seem as though what we have to give is
nothing more than a drop in a flood, but God honors that as well. Jesus himself
stated of the widow, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in
more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for
God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."
It should also be noted that as a widow, she was actually supposed to be taken
care of by the people, and wasn't necessarily obligated to give, yet she did.
Imagine if the entire 50% of the population that says they are Christians gave
to others, even if it was only $100 a month. In fact, let's limit that to
working age people, ages 25-54. According to the CIA Factbook, that would be 64
million people. If each person gave $100 a month, we are talking about $6
billion for the needy, every month. Obviously, that is just an illustration, as
not every person would be able to give $100 a month, but even $1 a month nets
us $64 million for those in need.
To the Republicans I
would say: capitalism is a wonderful thing, until we start making money just to
make money. It is not the amount of money we possess that indicates how wealthy
we are, it is how we impact the world with that money that shows how truly
wealthy we are. It doesn't take a lot of digging to see that there are plenty
of people in the US with lots of money and the power that goes with it. But if
you'll forgive me a movie quote, "with great power comes great
responsibility." Predatory lending, making money on the backs of your
workers and then cutting what you've promised them, and other hallmarks of our
current capitalistic society are the very definition of oppressing the poor.
Capitalism has lost its moral compass, and capitalism without a compass can
oppress just as easily as the Communist governments we so despised just a
decade or two ago and do it far more cunningly.
To the Democrats I
would say: yes, we are obligated to help the poor, but do you honestly think
that the best way to do that is to forcibly take money from those who have
earned it and pour it into a bloated government bureaucracy that many would
argue exists only to perpetuate itself? I've worked for the government for 11
years. I can tell you firsthand how inefficient the government is at doing
anything, and I worked in one of the more efficient military branches. Add in
the fact that the government is run by elected individuals who seem to be more
interested in getting reelected than actually ensuring the government runs
smoothly, and I think you can see why people don't like the idea of having
their taxes disappear into a black hole. I don't think there is any Biblical
precedent for a government-run welfare system.
So what will it take?
A change in heart.
A change in the hearts
of those who think they are entitled to that multi-million dollar mansion and
Ferrari when they could easily live in a standard single family home and drive
a Toyota. These people only perpetuate the cycle of rich versus poor and give
Democrats a fat target to point at. Yes, "the laborer is worthy of his
hire," but what are you doing with that money? Building a lavish lifestyle
for yourself, or making the world a better place long after you inevitably
leave it?
A change in the hearts
of those who think that they are entitled to other people's hard-earned money
and a "comfortable" life on someone else's dime. These people also
perpetuate the cycle and give Republicans examples of why we should just let
the poor fend for themselves. To look at the other side of the verse, "the
laborer is worthy of his hire," but if he's not working, he's not a
laborer, is he?
A change in the hearts
of those who know that there are needy in the world, but say to themselves,
"someone else will take care of it," or, "the government will
help them." Jesus never said that the government should help them. He said
you should.
