Really, what have the liberals done wrong?

[jayem]

I can't help you much with the way you read Scripture. I can only tell you what the Bible says.

There is nothing in the Bible that forbids a nation from establishing a social safety net.

 

[Willie T]

There is nothing in the Bible that forbids a nation from establishing a social safety net.

Perhaps not, but there are volumes telling us it is our individual responsibility to do those things, NOT a government's.

 

[bekkilyn]

Perhaps not, but there are volumes telling us it is our individual responsibility to do those things, NOT a government's.

Actually the legal traditions of ancient Israel assume that the entire community is responsible for the welfare of the poor and the vulnerable and entire nations have been condemned by God for ignoring the plight of the poor and the needy. It is not just individual responsibility if you are indeed going by accepted biblical customs during the times when God's people actually had political control.

 

[Pommer]

Perhaps not, but there are volumes telling us it is our individual responsibility to do those things, NOT a government's.

No there aren’t.

 

[Willie T]

Just one voice should silence this idiocy. Jesus'. "When YOU (not your government) have done it for the least of these, YOU (not a collective nation) have done it for me."

 

[Speedwell]

Just one voice should silence this idiocy. Jesus'. "When YOU (not your government) have done it for the least of these, YOU have done it for me."

We are the government; "We, the people..."

 

[Willie T]

We are the government; "We, the people..."

I don't think ANYONE, Republican or Democrat, believes that is true anymore. LOL
"We the people" elect 541 people to occupy Washington for less than half a year each year, and pay them nearly $200,000 each annually for doing whatever they feel like...... which, recently, has been just about nothing.
That is a base salary of $89,436,000 every single year. Before one dime in tens of millions of additional dollars of perks. (How much do you make a year?)

 

[Shiloh Raven]

We are the government; "We, the people..."

The United States government is a secular government, not a Christian-oriented government as many conservative evangelicals seem to believe and even try to push while Trump has been in office.

 

[bekkilyn]

Just one voice should silence this idiocy. Jesus'. "When YOU (not your government) have done it for the least of these, YOU (not a collective nation) have done it for me."

So nations have no people living in them? Interesting.

 

[Willie T]

So nations have no people living in them? Interesting.

Not that Jesus seems to hold responsible for doing what He told Christians to do. When you stand in front of Him, I doubt He will accept you trying to blame the government for not helping others.

 

[bekkilyn]

Not that Jesus seems to hold responsible for doing what He told Christians to do. When you stand in front of Him, I doubt He will accept you trying to blame the government for not helping others.

Sounds like you're just trying to use the bible to unsuccessfully attempt to justify a lack of regard for the poor and the vulnerable. God doesn't need me to blame the government for not helping people (especially when it's Christians who seem to be the ones so strongly opposed to helping their neighbors). When God judges the nations as he does from time to time, he will judge them for himself, but those nations who have oppressed the poor and vulnerable tend to not do so well. And those individuals who have contributed to their oppression also tend to not do so well.

 

[seeking.IAM]

Just one voice should silence this idiocy. Jesus'. "When YOU (not your government) have done it for the least of these, YOU (not a collective nation) have done it for me."

So we pick and choose what Christian values we wish to codify into law? I get it.

 

[Shiloh Raven]

So we pick and choose what Christian values we wish to codify into law? I get it.

We had better not codify condemning adultery into law or the current President and his third wife (who was his former mistress) will be in some hot water. Oh wait... I forgot that we shouldn't judge Trump for his sexual sins, even though conservatives spent years publicly condemning Bill Clinton for his.

 

[Speedwell]

I don't think ANYONE, Republican or Democrat, believes that is true anymore. LOL

In that case we are not behaving as responsible citizens to allow it, but I think many of us are more hopeful than you. In any case, it would not rule out government safety nets in principle, as you seem to want to do.

 

[JackRT]

From Biblical times until just the past few centuries government was not by for or of the people. That was unthinkable. The actual powers of government were invested in a single individual or perhaps his family. Any sort of charity was of necessity done individually or perhaps by small like minded communities of people. There is absolutely no Biblical or moral reason why larger communities of people, even entire nations, cannot agree to act collectively to improve their commonwealth or even their "common wealth". We can share each others burdens.

 

[Willie T]

In that case we are not behaving as responsible citizens to allow it, but I think many of us are more hopeful than you. In any case, it would not rule out government safety nets in principle, as you seem to want to do.

No, I want to see any of your "safety net" programs be put up for a vote by all people across the country..… NOT just decided upon by some congress members. A referendum vote.

 

[Chesterton]

We are the government; "We, the people..."

That's good. I'll just stop paying taxes. When the IRS guys show up with guns, I'll remind them of that.

 

[Pommer]

No, I want to see any of your "safety net" programs be put up for a vote by all people across the country..… NOT just decided upon by some congress members. A referendum vote.

Nah, just cut-to-the-chase and get all the leeches off of the body politic.
Of course this is an end to the corporate-welfare for oil companies, (and other companies sweetheart subsidies and “tax breaks”), they’ve have a “free ride” for long enough.

 

[variant]

Perhaps not, but there are volumes telling us it is our individual responsibility to do those things, NOT a government's.

So Joseph should have told the pharaoh to have his people work on having their own food for the times of drought instead of storing up enough grain for the coming famine?

 

[cow451]

Why wouldn't you have just asked me? That is about how I see most text here if I don't alter it somehow. It makes it very convenient to enlarge my postings to easily determine if someone is replying to me.

Ok. Got it.