Jesus believed in sharing the wealth.

[there4eyeM]

Jesus is waiting for your call.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Jesus paid his taxes (Matthew 17 and 22), and in Romans, Paul explicitly tells Christians to pay their taxes. If Jesus only meant that people should give through charity, then he wouldn't have paid his taxes.

I also believe (my opinion) that Jesus would worry less about how much to pay in taxes and worry more about where the money is spent. Given his preference for helping the poor, I have no doubt he would support welfare and similar social programs while decrying the defense budget. His anti-war stance is pretty clear.

Now, I'm no hippie. We need a strong military in this world, and I support defense spending despite Christ's wishes. (I hate saying that, but that's the truth.) It's just that, in reference to the OP's point, I agree. Jesus would want us to help the poor and needy regardless of how that's accomplished, and would likely tell people to worry less about taxes and worry more about loving others.

(On a side note, I strongly disagree with the OP's last line: "Anytime the Government forces me to have a child that I cannot afford, they damn well be willing to take care of it." Um, no. If you cannot afford a child, don't have sex. Just because the government should take care of people doesn't mean you have carte blanche to bring people into this world and give up responsibility for them.)

Riiight. I'm sure the Roman Empire spent its tax income on welfare and social programs.

 

[Cecilie1200]

help is right around the corner at your local church, if your a member.

Yeah, honey, the Catholic Church is the number one entity to which the welfare system refers its clients for extra help because they're only interested in helping their own members.

 

[Foxfyre]

No, Jesus would say it is up to us to help our brethern and to give of what they ask. So are you willing to feed all those hungry on your city block, or suburb, or take on a county in a rural area? At your own costs?

There is no place at all that Jesus suggests that anybody is expected to take care of all the poor, even in a given area. In fact he counseled against even trying. But we each can do what we can. We can give blood. We can tithe our income. We can look for ways to help that are really help and not just salving our consciences by giving the poor money and hoping they'll then go away.

Enabling is not charity and can do more harm than good. And it is not charity to turn the matter over to government to deal with, washing our hands of it, and feeling righteous. Probably expecting government to deal with the poor has contributed to more entrenched and permanent poverty than any other single factor.

 

[tinydancer]

Jehovah is quite clear. Cripes does anyone read the book? It helps in these days.

When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

It's in the book.

 

[there4eyeM]

God is a liberal!