Intro: "If Christian conservatives truly understood and accepted the teachings of Jesus, they would not be at the Tea Party barricades fighting to protect the money, power and privileges of the rich; they would be demanding what Jesus wanted, a radical redistribution of wealth and decent treatment of all, as the Rev. Howard Bess notes."
While on combat duty in Iraq, Specialist Paul Goodyear wears a headband with a quote from Psalm 91. (photo: Scott Nelson/World Picture Network/NYT)
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The first time He was aware that He was a liberal, was when He turned over the tables of the money-changers in the Temple, it just happens that "liberal" was what the admonished money-changers called Him.
It has been a long time, centuries, since the real philosophy of the real Jesus was paid any attention to.
I will be sure to bring up the teachings of the prophet Isaiah to any tea-bagger/Christian I might run into.
Look to LUKE 3 and see that ONLY THE PEOPLE ARE TO DO CHARITY, and the tax collectors to take only that which is owing, and the soldiers or magistrates who are to protect the people do not molest them, and heavens to Wisconsin Public Employer Unions, BE CONTENT WITH THEIR WAGES. 1 Corinthians 7:20-25 tells the Christian, if made free are not to be the servants of men, but of God, but the Christian can be a servant of God by getting into government, and STILL serve men Romans 13.
I just read it (thanks to RSN commenter, "Geoff"), and it blew my mind. Whether or not conservatives can cope with it, it makes the consistent argument that social economic justice (basically socialism), and care for the environment, are not only moral imperatives to lead a life in line with Christ's teachings, but are necessary components of the "right to life", that all conservative religous zealotts claim to believe in.
Please remember this when arguing against right-wingers who claim it's because of their religious beliefs.
The Catholic Church is adamantly opposed to pure capitalism. COPE WITH IT.
See Genesis 41:41-56 and Genesis 47:13-26
The first tax God set was 1/5th.
1) A 20% tax (a fifth) is near the top on the downward side of the Laffer Curve because it filled the storehouses to the extent that there was too much to count.
2) A 20% tax is too much of a burden on the poor because they didn't (or couldn't) prepare for the famine.
3) Once people sold themselves into slavery they celebrated when only had to pay 20%.
4) The poorest of the poor had to pay the same tax rate as the rich!!!
1 Samuel 8 the people begged for a king. Samuel warned that a king would take the best of everything and 10% and"...18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.” This means that a 10% tax rate (overall) is a burden
No, Billy Bob. God did NOT allow these things. Selfish, oppressive, greedy, hateful, evil people came up with all of this system of injustice.
In the Bible, the poor paid NO TAXES at all....PERIOD.
Christ says at Matthew 7: 15-16 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Again at Matthew 7: 20 “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” The fruits of both the flesh and of the spirit are listed at Glatians 5: 19-25 read that you may know which spirit is speaking. I would suggest continuing to read past Matthew 7:20 down to verse 27 for the people whom Christ is speaking to are the false prophets claiming Christianity, for they have been prophesying in Christ’s name.
Charity is an attribute that will cover up a multitude of sins 1st Peter 4: 8.
It is VERY simple, and all of this Bible scholaticism is an egoistic game distracting us from the ultimate Truth.
We should ALL humble ourselves, and embrace each other as Brothers - this
includes Rupert Murdoch, the Koch brothers, et cetera.
He is waiting for us to do so.
Jubilee I agree with. Jesus was attacking the people who got rich off of their lies re: "Keeping of the Law." The Tax, or Tithe, was 10%+ another 10% for Festival appearance which a lot was for the poor. Then every 3rd year another 10% was added for the poor. Jesus wasn't calling for illegally taking money from working people and giving it to non-working people. Paul said "If they don't work they don't eat."
Re: Gays! They have rights like the rest of us. However in the Church they had to change or be put out of the Church and turned over to Satan! You invite them into your Church and allow them and promote them so you are as guilty as them. You sound nice but you break the Law of Love by allowing them into your church where they spoil your "Feasts of Love."
A lot of people use the title Christian and literally does not know what it means. Few walk in it, believe in it and exercise their belief faith system.
So name title Christian people in the wrong movements such as the T Party does not surprise me at all.
In the U.S., I mean. Politics has usurped the modesty, the privacy, the humility, and the notion of tolerance, taught in the New Testament, in favor of Old Testament aggression and violence.
Distortion is the name of the game with human beings from kings and queens to paupers. The distortion is whatever suits them.
"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common...Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."
Get that? "FROM each according to his ability to provide; TO each according to need."
That is "communalism" (often incorrectly referred to as communism). It was created by Christians and stolen by Marx - who then had the audacity to turn around and call religion "the opium of the masses!"
Your Acts 4: 32-35 is also supported by:
KJV 2 Corinthians 8: 12-15
“For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.”
Capitalism would no more buy into this scheme than the devil will repent. Nations will always have an enemy to rile against it used to communism until the Warlords found they could make more money becoming capitalist. Now there’s a new enemy, Islamic religion. Why, because they sit on most of the oil (wealth). That’s why religion teaches, from the Old Testament, The OT teaching leaves the wealthy and want-to-be-wealthy alone. I think God for the New Covenant; for 2000 years there has been new rating system that is based upon what you actually have done, pertaining to his teaching in the NT, and not what you talked about doing. The NT is not kind to wealth.
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