LTTE: Writer misreads words of New Testament

[RC]

By: Brad Leeser, Moorhead
I read with interest the letter from Steve Rustad (Aug. 13) who claims that liberals are “doing what Jesus taught us to do” in their treatment of the sick and poor. Then he goes on to say that those who don’t support President Barack Obama’s health care scheme “ignore the teachings of Jesus.” This concerns me, as it reminds me of a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “I know that God is always on the side of right; my concern is not whether God is on our side but whether or not we are on God’s side.” So, who is really on the Lord’s side? What did Jesus really say?

As I read the New Testament, I hear Jesus saying that WE should give alms, that WE should clothe the naked, WE should feed the hungry, WE should give drink to the thirsty and help the homeless. But no place in holy writ do I see Jesus teaching that we should support the taking of my neighbor’s money (taxes) and forcing my neighbor to provide me or anyone else with “free” benefits. This is the true effect of the modern-day liberals’ programs.

Taxes are a mechanism that the government uses to take my money and give it to someone else. That is not what Jesus taught. At best, his commandments are that we should “Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.” That hardly sounds like a rousing endorsement of tax and spend, liberal, inefficient, feel-good federal government programs.

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/250005/

See the disconnect here?
It is OK to give alms, clothe, feed, shelter the less fortunate.
And it is OK to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.
But is not OK to use Caesar's money to clothe, feed, shelter the less fortunate because then that is just a tax&spend pro-feel-good liberal federal government program and this guy has a problem with that.
To me it is exactly what his Jesus did teach! He stated that this is so, then denied it by saying it ain't so.
More than likely because this guy and many people like him only pay lip service to helping others, the government does needs to step in and help for the security and well being of a growing number of citizens made destitute by the policies he does support.
This same argument can be applied to government run Universal Health Care for all. Only in this case the Health Insurance Companies are the Pharisees.

[Richard Steele]

1. K&R. nm

[ejpoeta]

2. people will twist the words in the bible to fit any meaning.... i would hear we should clothe, feed

and give drink to mean that "WE" as a society should be supporting those that cannot support themselves. So to me, having a universal healthcare system would fit that. maybe that poem that we see everywhere entitled 'footprints' should be changed or just chucked, because it emplifies this kind of thinking..... something about when there were one set of footprints I carried you, or something. I do not really believe the bible is anything more than a book of stories... but to the people who supposedly believe it is real, and that they are supposed to live by it... does it say anywhere in there to cherry pick and adjust the words to mean whatever you want them to mean???

The thing that gets me the most is that in my history, when I have helped others, it tends to come back to me somehow.... and I think that by providing healthcare for everyone, we are helping outselves as well too....

[annabanana]

3. Gubmint bad.

teh stoopid mucho

[kevinbgoode]

4. Maybe your response should include something like this:

I find it interesting that conservatives, who are no strangers to cutting taxes for the wealthy while spending like a drunken sailor on fraudulent wars and lining the pockets of major corporations, are so much more concerned about "taxes to Caeser" than they are "duties to their Caeser" which are the major banks and insurance companies which regularly fleece the poor and the middle class. Any working citizen can merely glance at the interest rates for their credit cards, their ever-rising "premiums" and higher deductibles for their "no-choice" insurance for life, auto, hospital, medical, dental, vision, burial, home, fire, and the $30 small appliance they purchased at the WalMart to know that there are hands far bigger than the government in our pockets.

While I know there are many "conservative" churches out there who emphasize getting rich schemes as God's intent, it seems to be more evident that the Caeser they talk about isn't the government - it is their own reflection in the mirror. And one can hardly expect those who worship themselves as emperors in the name of God to be terribly concerned with the poor and the meek - it is far more important to do God's work of amassing greater and greater personal wealth.

No wonder so many conservative churches preach the "fear of God" - the fear is the primary motivator for conservative "religion" to collect it's own basket of duties each Sunday. And conservatives understand the effective use of fear - and the value of the promised "reward" - for handing over their cash to huge companies and the church. It's difficult for them to contribute to the government to help the poor and needy because they see no personal reward in doing so for themselves - and thus also see no reward which will take themselves another few steps on the escalator to heaven.

[satya]

13. Excellent response. Please submit this for publication. nt

[eShirl]

5. but Jesus supported the paying of taxes

that's what the "render unto Caesar" quote was about

[eShirl]

6. also, in a representative democracy that began with WE THE PEOPLE

"WE" are the government.

[Cresent City Kid]

9. That seems so obvious, but we have to keep explaining it

I saw one town hall sign that said "We the People, not We the Government!"

When people think tribally instead of globally, there is always an "other". In the 80's, the rich got people who were predisposed to think that way to belive that the government is the "other". That perception has stuck as strongly as racism, and people will vote the food right off of their mother's tables to keep government as weak as possible. This is as logical as a branch bitching about the size and scope of the trunk, but they don't see the connection.

[fasttense]

7. Every one talks about Jesus's 1st miracle turning water into wine,

But what about his 2nd miracle? It was healing a man's son for free. Healing the sick for free seems to be something Jesus did a lot, the majority of his miracles were healing the sick and dying for free. And he did it no matter what the wealth of the victim. He never asked for pay or their Insurance card. He never took a poll to see if everyone wanted him to do it.

But somehow these crazy right wing idiots interpret Jesus's free healing to mean don't tax the wealthy and heal the sick with tax dollars. They have to fold their logic away and distort the meaning of Jesus's words in order to justify their own selfishness.

[Fly by night]

8. WCWJWD

Who Cares What Jesus Would Do.

If I've ever seen a bunch of amoral cretins who aren't equipped to understand what a positive role model Jesus was for loving his neighbor as himself, it is the far-reich Xtians who appropriate his name in vain every day. If they practiced what he preached, it would be a different story.

As for me, what is important is WWID -- what will I do ... to make this world a better place.

If Jesus ever comes back, he will be pissed. Until then ....

we are the ones we've been waiting for.

How's that for divine inspiration? Well, thank the Hopi and forget the Xtians.

[Papa Boule]

10. "this guy and many people like him only pay lip service to helping others..."

"the government does needs to step in and help for the security and well being of a growing number of citizens made destitute...."

Exactly. By only paying lip service to charity (or even fairness, for that matter), or by administering it selectively or cruelly or resentfully or with conditions or brow beatings, they created the vacuum for government to fill.

And since Jesus evidently wants the less fortunate taken care of, I don't see how they can make a case He would oppose it.

[PA Democrat]

11. He has read the Gospel of Supply Side Jesus:

http://www.beliefnet.com/News/2003/09/The-Gospel-Of-Supply-Side-Jesus.aspx

[unblock]

12. aha! he found a loophole in god's written words!

how clever he is to have outwitted god!

these people who don't see the irony in touting that they're the most humble people IN THE WORLD also seem to delight in finding a loophole in the bible.

on its face, he acknowledges taxes are ok and that WE should do all these liberal things. but AHA! if the government is not "WE" but "other" then jesus wanted government NOT to do all those things he wanted "US" to do!


some people (not all people, of course, but some people) turn to religion for comfort -- because they are uncomfortable with their naked greed and other sins. so they find a way through religion to make them comfortable with their sins instead of finding the strength to improve themselves.

[donheld]

14. I'd much rather render to Caesar to clothe, feed than to make bombs!

[Ikonoklast]

15. "the wealthy young man asked Jesus, 'Lord, how do I get into Heaven?'"

"Jesus, knowing the man was wealthy, told him, sell all your belongings and come follow me. And the young man sadly turned away, as he had many posessions..."