Caring for the Poor (2) - Tax
The common preference is to help the poor by taxing the rich. The scriptures do not give responsibility for caring for the poor to rich people of society. Rich people are urged not to trust in their wealth. They are warned that their wealth may quickly disappear. They are warned that they may die before they have a chance to enjoy their wealth. However, the Bible is realistic and does not expect the rich to do good to the poor (if they are not Christians).
Furthermore, Jesus is not in the business of forcing rich people to be generous. The modern approach to poverty is to tax the rich and give their money to the poor. The implicit argument goes like this. Rich people are not as good as the rest of us, so they cannot be trusted to be generous of their own accord. They should be forced to be generous. We should tax the rich more, so the money can be used for the poor.
The problem with this approach is that Jesus never forced people be good. He would never force the rich to be generous. The Bible gives responsibility for the poor to Christians, not the rich. Christians who want to tax the rich to bless the poor are passing the buck.
4 comments:
Rushdoony has noted that the Law provided no civil punishment for failure to tithe to the poor. God reserves this punishment to Himself.
A popular song helps (unwittingly) show the folly of taxing the rich to help the poor. "I'd Love to Change the World" by the group "Ten Years After" had the lyrics, "Tax the rich, feed the poor, 'til there are no rich no more." When the rich are depleted, then everybody is poor.
Ron,
I'm not sure I can go along with you completely on this one.
Bill Gates rightfully (I believe) acknowledged that he feels an obligation to give back wealth. That he realizes that his ability to gain wealth came through people, and he wants to do good to them, in return.
I also think that Scripture does point out that the wealthy are to be generous. Look at Job. And at Paul's words at the end of 1 Timothy. And common sense tells us that the wealthy don't need the same percentage of their money that the poor do.
Sadly, though, it is the poor who often are more generous than the rich. Is this part of the reason Jesus said that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God? I think so.
Ted
It is good that BG wants to help people, but I don't think he is saying that Christians can demand that he assist the poor.
1 Tim 6:17f is interesting, but I think that Pauls is referring to rich Christians. Otherwise he would be implying that the rich can earn salvation by being generous, doing good deads and sharing.
Ron
Ron,
Bill Gates, from what I understand, is not a professing Christian.
But he makes, what I think is a valid point. He feels a debt of obligation, because he realizes his wealth comes from a large group of relatively modest income people. So he wants to give back to them.
I think it is only Christian and like Christ (of course, that's what Christian is) to want to give back and have a sense of indebtedness to all. Especially to God, but even to our fellow human beings. Certainly Paul felt an indebtedness to share the gospel to Jews and Gentiles. And blesssings are meant to be shared, even sacrificially.
The wealthy hoarding money is condemned in Scripture (Prov and the prophets, especially, I believe). The believing wealthy should use the vastness of their wealth, if in line with God's kingdom, not to build a big empire of what-not for themselves, but should be generous and rich in good deeds, willing to share, and so laying up for themselves treasures that will go on forever, as Paul points out (there, certainly referring to Christians). But God does get after the rich for neglecting the poor- as in Jesus' story of Lazarus and the rich man. I interpret all this to mean that God does judge even the nonchristian, by what they failed to do, even with their wealth (as in Mt 25).
Good topic to think about. Thanks.
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