February 08, 2012
WWJD
President Obama continues to want the wealthiest Americans to pay more in
taxes. In a recent speech he asked the nation to think about the less
fortunate, the middle class, and he brought Jesus into the issue saying, “What would Jesus do?” I had to laugh.
Jesus didn’t make a class distinction when he was asked about paying taxes. He
simply said, “…give to Caesar what is
Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Luke 20:25b NIV)
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----I don’t think class distinction can be escaped. When Jesus said, “...give to Caesar...” He stipulated a class. Now, it would be nice to just lay a fifty dollar bill on an altar and watch it disappear as God takes it on home. Boy, wouldn’t that make you rock-n-roll!? Well, it would me. But alas, He does not see fit to charge our emotions so directly. To give to God we must give to God’s people. Yes, of course - another class! In fact, we can’t even think without classification. It happens continuously amongst all your thoughts more than naturally. It is a fundamental element of thought. For example, if I want to go to City Market, I will get into my car. Well, I might get into an SUV, or a truck, or even onto a motor cycle or a tractor. But I won’t get into a closet, a vault, or a room. They are just not the right category of things for getting me to City Market. In fact, when I think of me going to City Market, I am thinking of a particular one member category, me, as opposed to the other category of everyone else. Class distinction is indelibly upon us.
-----The important thing, then, is what do we do with these distinctions? Well, again, like you have beautifully noted, we do what Jesus would do. In fact, He told us to do what He did. He told us to love one another like He loved us. Yah! That’s right, man! That’s right, Barry O. You have heard of love, haven’t you? Of course he has. He uses the term all the time. But does he know what it means?
-----Isn’t it loving somebody to take what he has too much of so I can give it to some other beloved who has too little? Won’t I be teaching the rich sufficiency and love? That is the equitable way to treat the disparity between the “has too much” and “has too little” classes, isn’t it? And if he won’t learn what I think is too much, maybe a little bit of my pistol barrel might help. Who thinks he has too much? Who thinks he has too little? If I think it for them, am I not then usurping each his own right to think of sufficiency or insufficiency as he sees fit? Is that not an ownership of even their minds? And if this government owns our minds, is there actually any love in it to benefit anyone? Or is government intruding into us like some dark demon?
-----This is dangerous territory. There is definitely a class of great wealth and a class of great poverty. But it is for neither to be owned by the other or the government or me or you or anyone else, or even by the category itself. People are individuals each deserving to own himself, to think his own thoughts and chose his feelings and to rectify his own situation by freely accessing beneficial associations with others in arms-length transactions of mutual agreement. It is only right for the government to take a small piece of these transactions so it can help maintain lawful order and national security. But to take any more for any other reason is to take people’s right to think and feel and decide things for themselves until even their very transactions are taken as well. Don’t think others have a right to determine your values. Your values and determination of sufficiency are yours to make above all rights. God wants you to have this right, because you will need it for choosing Jesus' values. Don’t cast this precious pearl of your right mind before the swine of Marxists, Statists, and the other left-wingers who are making a pigpen of your once free nation. Think for yourself; don’t feed the pig.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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