By Tom Snyder, Editor
Despite their many vast differences, both Gov. Romney and President Obama apparently agree that the government should provide at least some kind of “safety net” for the poor and needy. Thus, both candidates believe the U.S. Constitution allows them to take money from your wallet and distribute it among “the poor,” including, apparently, illegal immigrants who have no right to be in the United States. And, these proposals involve giving money to government programs run by overpaid bureaucrats with Cadillac healthcare plans (while the average taxpayer struggles daily to make ends meet).
Sadly, so many people have been inspired by the self-appointed mastermind in the White House, Barack Obama’s, Neo-Marxist utopian falsehoods that some leaders among the religious left want to force our elected officials to spend even more money on worthless government programs stealing hard-earned wealth from the pockets of millions of American citizens. Worse, some Republicans and self-described conservatives still believe in using taxpayer money to help the poor. They even endorse such measures!
Apparently, none of these people have read Jesus Christ’s comment in John 12:8 that “the poor will always be with you.”
This left-wing doctrine of using taxpayer money to help the poor and needy sometimes crops up in Hollywood movies, such as “Dave,” “Bulworth” and the Kevin Costner movie “Swing Vote.” In the Costner movie, the message pushed at the end is that the government must do something to help the poor, including the working poor and the unemployed.
Naturally, of course, these politicians, filmmakers, and “social justice” progressives (including Christian liberals and leftists) never consider what the God of the Bible actually says about helping the poor and needy.
In the Bible, God presents us with three general ways to take care of the poor and needy: 1) Through the family; 2) Through the church; and, 3) Through individual charity. The applicable passages for these three ways are Deut. 14:28, 29, Numbers 18:24, Matthew 6:1-4, and 1 Timothy 5:3-16.
Now, the first two ways are pretty clear.
People’s first obligation is to the needy, poor, widowed, and orphaned in their own families. Then, they have an obligation to the needy, poor, widowed, and orphaned in their local church organization.
God established the pattern for this kind of church giving in Numbers 18:24 and Deuteronomy 14:28, 29. As David Chilton points out in “Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators,” the bulk of Christian giving to the local church should be geared toward financing professional theologians, experts in biblical law and church discipline, teachers of God’s word and leaders skilled in worship. It was only every third year that all the giving was set aside to help the needy, poor, widowed, and orphaned, including full-time religious leaders who don’t have a regular job. Even then, the money was not given just to anyone who showed up. Those able to work but don’t, do not qualify for help (see 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). Also, those who have families to take care of them don’t qualify, nor do widows under age 60 qualify, according to 1 Timothy 5:3-16!!!
Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, talks about the third way in Matthew 6. He tells His listeners that they should give individual charity. He also says they should give such charity secretly: “Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
Despite what Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and their supporters might say, in none of the Bible passages just cited or applicable, does God cite the government as the means by which the poor, needy, widowed, and orphaned are housed, clothed, and fed!
Thus, a simple, straightforward reading of the Bible, God’s Word, including the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, clearly shows that the American government’s welfare state is unbiblical, if not immoral. In other words, Christians and their church leaders have an absolute duty to verbally rebuke, discipline or shun anyone who advocates such a government welfare system.
If this is true (and it is), then any members of any political party, including Republicans like John McCain, George Bush and Democrats like Barack Obama, who advocate such a system yet still claim to be Christian should be reprimanded by their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and by all church leaders. They should be treated like misguided heathens and nincompoops who should be commanded to Repent! If they refuse to repent and change their ways, then their names should be posted at their church and throughout the whole land so that all Christians in the United States can know that these people are not fit for public office.
At the same time, of course, all Christians should tell their family members to help out the poor, needy and disabled among them. They also should tell their churches to give at least one-third of their income to help the poor, needy and orphaned, as God commands us.
Government programs to help the poor and needy not only are Un-Christian and Unbiblical. They are also Unconstitutional and Anti-American. No less a personage than James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” said as much in a speech before Congress on February 6, 1792. In that speech, Madison said such aid is unconstitutional. He also said it “would subvert the very foundation, and transmute the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America” (The Papers of James Madison, Vol. 14 [Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983], pages 223-224).
We must stop the ungodly, immoral economic rape of American citizens by the ignorant politicians and greedy bureaucrats promoting the secular humanist welfare state! We must establish a proper and godly system of family, church and private charity.
All Americans should follow God’s clear guidance in this matter; He will reward them mightily for their obedience in this matter. May God have mercy on those evildoers who don’t obey God’s objective standards and holy commands!
You guys are really, truly nuts.
I recall a quote by George Washington, distinguishing the “needy poor” from the “idle poor”. Are you familiar with it? If so, please post it.