Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Was Jesus a Socialist?

I recently responded to a post linked in Presbyweb  which implied, I think, that Jesus was a socialist.  I pointed out that the Scriptures he referred to in fact taught just the opposite of what he asserted and added:

"As for your statement that “the poor have hurt no one” (I am assuming you are talking as a class and on average, not that no poor person has ever hurt anyone. I respond in the same way without implying that every poor person has hurt himself or others.), they have hurt themselves and their families first and most, but they have also hurt all of society. When a person drops out of school, joins a gang, commits a crime, takes drugs, gives up trying to support himself, has a child before marriage, etc. that person increases his or her own likelihood of being poor (which would otherwise be nearly zero), ending up in jail or on welfare, and having children who are also poor. But that person, by his or her choices, has also increased society’s costs in law enforcement, welfare, etc. without contributing anything to the overall wealth or well being of society.

"That does not mean that Christians, as individuals, are exempted from their duty to help the poor, but for it to be charity it must be voluntary and not coerced by government “redistribution.” And it should concentrate on those programs that show the most promise of ending people’s dependence, and on people who are willing to try."

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