This is a little different from my normal fare. Please bear with me...
It's pretty much a forgone conclusion that if you are a conservative Christian you will vote Republican. As near as I can tell the only two reasons for this are abortion and prayer in schools. These issues will not be settled by the Executive branch of the government. It is only through the striking down the legal precedents or through constitutional amendments that these can be changed. Of course the other avenue would be to stack the Supreme Court with jurists whom we believe would vote a certain way. That is a tricky job however as judges can not and do not vote their conscience, they tend to stick to the constitution and vote accordingly. What other reasons are there for voting Republican if you are a Christian? Are there reasons you shouldn't vote Republican? Where is the balance?
The Republicans believe that we should give tax breaks to the richest people in the country and allow "Faith-based" groups to take care of the poor. Does it make sense for the burden of the country's poor to fall on the minority? The percentage of people in the U.S. who identify themselves as Christians, according to a 2000 Census Bureau report make up 47.4% of the population, with Jewish people at a scant 2.2%.** Clearly there is no way that Faith-based groups can take the place of the Government in caring for the poor in this country. There is no doubt that these dollars could be spent more wisely, but the burden has to fall on ALL of the taxpayers!
There is precedent in the words and deeds of Christ and his disciples that giving to the poor was preferable to being wealthy. The one notable exception was his words to Judas about the poor:
12:8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
(King James Bible, John)
So I guess that means if you happen to have a prophet in your midst who is about to be killed, you don't have to feel bad about springing for the name brand Root Beer instead of the Fanta. Fair enough.
OK, a few more quotes:
14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
(King James Bible, Luke)
18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
18:23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
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19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
19:9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
(King James Bible, Luke)
There's a consistent message here: The poor need the help of those who have more. This translates pretty easily into a socio-economic theory that takes into account that we are, in fact, our brothers' keepers. Prior to 1929 no one in this country had ever seen a complete monetary system collapse to the degree it did. In the early days of the USA we always had the British pound to fall back on when the Continental currency collapsed. Perhaps the only close event took place in the Confederate South after the Civil War when their currency became worthless. The difference again was that there was a stable alternative, however thin on the ground it might have been.
The Founding Fathers did not include any sort of social programs for the poor. This is a fact. Countless other things were not accounted for as well. They left it up to the Legislative branch to make the necessary provisions, which we eventually did with the New Deal.
The Republican Party like to refer to the New Deal programs as entitlements. That word has a pejorative connotation as it implies getting something for nothing. Charity is also getting something for nothing. There is a difference between a gift and a favor. A gift is given with no strings attached. A favor is something you do for someone with the understanding that they owe you in return.
Jesus did both. He healed people, multiplied the loaves and fishes, etc. Those were gifts. When he told the prostitute "Go and sin no more." that was a favor. He expects her to clean up her act.
I wouldn't deign to suggest that Jesus would be a member of one party or an other. My guess is that He would not affiliate himself with either party. I would expect that He would be in favor of helping the poor and for the rich to be the primary engine of that help. The Republican party demonizes anyone who advocates for the poor by referring to their programs as entitlement-based, as Governor Palin did in the recent Vice Presidential debate. Do you think Jesus would demonize those who advocate for the poor?
Jesus worked at ground level. Face to face with the people. Like a social worker. He had nothing. The apostles gave up everything at His request to follow him. Wealth was not on their radar. Now I am not suggesting that having money is bad, on the contrary! But I do know from my own experience that there is no better feeling than the one that comes from helping others. I gladly pay my taxes knowing that there are people out there whose children are being fed, and whose basic needs are being cared for. I volunteer as well because you can't just throw money at some problems.
If you are still balking at the first paragraph, remember that as a constituent, you have a voice in what your elected officials do, be they Republicans or Democrats. In the end, wouldn't you rather align yourself with the party whose goals are closer to the words of Jesus than one whose goals are just to save you a few dollars in taxes?
** http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s0076.pdf
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