I received a call this morning at home from a woman who identified herself as Shelly.
She also identified herself as an advocate for the Valley Interfaith Project and wanted to know what I thought of the state budget meeting that I had attended at Red Mountain United Methodist Church 10 days ago.
My answer was not what Shelly was looking for.
First some background: The meeting was entitled “Legislative District 19/Accountability Session.”
The meeting announcement flyer said that State Sen. Chuck Gray, House Speaker Kirk Adams, and State Rep. Richard Crandall had indicated they would attend.
Hosts were the Valley Interfaith Project and the Mesa Education Association.
My wife, who is an MEA member, asked me if I wanted to go. Well, I live in District 19, and I may be a retired journalist, but I still can’t resist taking a ringside seat to a political head-butting contest.
And this had all the makings of one. The three invited Mesa Republican lawmakers are conservative and the hosts are not.
The hosts wanted a 1 cent temporary sales tax increase and used the Bible to lobby for one. And the two panelists (Adams was a no-show) didn’t get voted into office on a platform of raising taxes.
In one respect, I was disappointed. The crowd of a couple hundred people was polite, and the two lawmakers (Adams was a no-show) were respectful, complimentary, and skilled at politely saying “no way.”
Well, I wasn’t really disappointed because I appreciate civility. I saw so little of it in recent years from the flame-throwers particularly on the right who blamed “the liberal media” and me for illegal immigration and for all the other demons under their beds.
I told Shelly what bothered me was the way the host pastors used the Bible and sermonettes to call on the lawmakers to support a tax increase.
Basically, the argument was this. Jesus advocated social justice. State belt-tightening is leading to social injustice because the less fortunate, particularly groups of children, are losing government support programs.
So, we get into one of those what-Jesus-would-have-done-on-state-tax-policy discussions that can go on forever.
But Shelly made the mistake of asking for it. So I gave her my take on the argument:
Jesus would not have asked Rome to confiscate people’s property through higher taxes to take care of “the least of these.” We all know that Jesus tried to avoid a confrontation with political authorities through his famous “Render unto Caesar…” statement.
For one thing, when you increase taxes, you risk pushing more people, including families, who are on the margins into the less fortunante category, requiring yet more taxes to help yet more people in need.
For another, you get no credit at the end of the day. I can’t very well tell Saint Peter that I deserve to be in heaven because I acted on my Christian faith by giving a large chunk of my paycheck to the less fortunate.
“Wait a minute,” he’ll say. “You didn’t give anything. That money was taken out of your paycheck by the government. It doesn’t count when you are forced to give.”
But that’s exactly what the pastors were doing, as I saw it: “Let’s bring about social justice by forcing all those other people to pay for it.”
One more thought and I’ll shut up. There is that separation of church and state idea. It’s a good idea because it protects religion.
What happens when the walls come down? Somebody gets hurt, that’s what happens; and it’s never the government. Look at Wall Street and look at Detroit.
The altar call came that night as meeting leaders asked those in attendance to stand up if they support a sales tax increase, I was one of the few who stayed in the pew.
I give at church–maybe not as much as I should, but at least it’s voluntary.
(Disclosure: The writer is a United Methodist Church member.)
Actually, you do get credit at the end of the day for helping the less fortunate. You are rewarded with eternal life in Heaven. Maybe you should read the parable of the rich man and Lazarus and see what happens when you worship money more than the word of God.
Here, I’ll make it easy for you…
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1120
(Disclosure: the writer was born again in 1983 and was raised as a Lutheran)
Cooper, you had some scripture and some opinion in your link. Here is one that is quite clear and is only Scripture.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=50&chapter=14&verse=6&version=49&context=verse
Ain’t no way to heaven but through Jesus, works won’t cut it.
Yup, so true.
Jesus was actually a Conservative!
He was in favor of Free Trade in the Temple!
He made poor people take “means tests” before he would give them free fishes and loaves!
His sermon on the mound was all about Tax Cuts for the Rich, not helping the poor, as is commonly believed.
Jesus wore fine designer clothing, in order to put people to work sewing his fine linens.
After all, the King of Kings wouldn’t be caught dead walking around in rags like a “common” man, would he?
Yup, Republicans are soooooo right to worship Supply Side Jesus as told to them by The G.O.P. and not that phoney liberal Jesus of Gailee portrayed in The Bible!
For those of you who think Christians should be all too happy to pay taxes for whatever number of reasons and causes, I would challenge you to read 1 Samual, Chapter 8. And if you think the Old Testament is just too old, please show me somewhere, anywhere, that Jesus ever even began to imply that our duty as Christians was to go ye therefore and lobby government to stand in our stead and do for us what Jesus specifically told US (you and me as individuals) to do. Shame on Christian statists.
In the New Testament part of the Bible, the book of Matthew clearly shows that the revolution Jesus Christ was staging was in human hearts, not in the area of politics and taxes:
The Pharisees met together to think of a way to trap Jesus into saying something for which they could accuse him. They decided to send some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to ask him this question: “Teacher, we know how honest you are. You teach about the way of God regardless of the consequences. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?”
But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Who are you trying to fool with your trick questions? Here, show me the Roman coin used for the tax.” When they handed him the coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
“Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:15-21).
Many of you find it easy to support tax increases because not only do you ignore that Jesus didn’t call for them but you also ignore those who are hurt by them: The family that has to move to a smaller home because of taxes, the family that can no longer afford braces for their child’s teeth, the business which has to lay off workers or shut down because of them and those who now can’t afford to put food on the table or get their children the best education. There is one other thing you may not understand: Tax laws like any other coercive laws are enforced and backed with poeple with guns. This means that peacefully acting people could have a gun pointed in their face or even be imprisoned or shot for peacefully wanting to follow their own values.
Just ask yourselves this: If it is not right for you to point a gun at somebody to get what you want, why then should it be right for people in government to point a gun at people just to get what you want? Do you really see a gun as the solution to any or all of our problems? The free market unregulated allows you to join with people who share your concerns and work together without threatening violence against those who don’t join to do what you want. That is what Jeseus did and wants us to do is act voluntarily and without the threat of force or violence. Minimum wage laws and licencing laws along with drug laws ask the same violence against the innocent peacefull to try and make the world perfect. They always hurt the innocent more than the guilty. All human interactions are to be peaceful and voluntary, not coerced and forced if necessary at gunpoint. So just ask yourselves please if violence and threatening people with a gun is the way to solve our problems whether done by an individual or by a government, and if allowing individuals to solve their own problems and the problems of others thier own way without being jealous of them might be a better way to go.
After reading all of this I wonder when did Jesus become a politician? I consider myself to be a devout Christian and fairly well versed with scripture. The whole “render unto Caesar” statement is clearly one separating the laws that govern God’s kingdom and those governing earthly governments. It is obvious to me that there are those that invoke the name of Christ (both on the left and the right) to move their constituents to one side of an argument or to the other. Why is this so? Christ is one of the more powerful figures/names in Western culture and society. It is very cunning of these politicians and religious leaders to invoke the name of Jesus to achieve their party/personal motives. It is this type of corruption that puts a sour taste in the mouths of Americans and why so many people dislike discussing politics and religion.
If we want to have an educated debate on the pros and cons of taxing for the economy and the effects in will have at federal, state and local levels and the effects it has on John Q. Taxpayer, then lets have one, but let’s not use the Lord’s name in vane, using him as our reasoning as why to increase or not to increase taxes or any other matter of government.
For Christians, our duty to pay taxes is spelled out in Romans 13:6-7
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
QED.
>The family that has to move to a smaller home because of taxes, the family that can no longer afford braces for their child’s teeth, the business which has to lay off workers or shut down because of them and those who now can’t afford to put food on the table or get their children the best education.
The classic straw man argument!
Create an “imaginary” scenario–that never existed–nor will exist.
Then “knock it down” with your talking points, I mean “logic”.
Could you please post evidence of ANYONE who had to move to a smaller house because of taxes?
Didn’t think you could..because they don’t exist.