Below.... I saw this article on NPR and of course “What would Jesus do” always
catches the eye of THIS Christian… since often I don’t always agree what some
Christians are proclaiming, especially when it sounds pretty hypocritical a lot
of the time.
But this got me thinking. Maybe the Government shouldn’t be in the
business of helping the poor….. maybe this does belong in the hands of the
Churches and non-profits.
Yet, a lot of Christian churches are suffering with budget
shortfalls as the economy was troubled in the last few years. BUT if the
Government got out of the charity business, maybe we would have more people
participating with faith-based group giving???
But “where the money goes”…… corruptions seems to follow. Remember Jim Baker? For a man of God, he was
living a very rich life-style. Who will
keep the faith-based groups honest?
by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
- April 16, 2012
What would Jesus do with the U.S. economy?
That's a matter of fierce debate among Christians — with conservatives promoting a small-government Jesus and liberals seeing Jesus as an advocate for the poor.
After the House passed its budget last month, liberal religious leaders said the Republican plan, which lowered taxes and cut services to the poor, was an affront to the Gospel — and particularly Jesus' command to care for the poor.
Not so, says Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee. He told Christian Broadcasting Network last week that it was his Catholic faith that helped shape the budget plan. In his view, the Catholic principle of subsidiarity suggests the government should have little role in helping the poor.
"Through our civic organizations, through our churches, through our charities — through all of our different groups where we interact with people as a community — that's how we advance the common good," Ryan said.
The best thing that government can do, he said, is get out of the way.
But Stephen Schneck, a political scientist at Catholic University, says he thinks Ryan is "completely missing the boat and not understanding the real heart, the real core, of Catholic social teaching."
Schneck says Catholicism sees everyone as part of a mystical body that serves one another. True, the New Testament does not specifically speak to the government's role. "But charities and individuals and churches can't do it all," Schneck says. "When charities are already stretched to their limit, Catholic social teaching expects the state to step up and to fill that gap."..........................
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