Christians/Conservatives/Republicans - Moral Question?

Question

Do your morals have a dollar value?

The reason I ask is because you oppose so many of the programs that would help needy people based on the amount of money it would cost to provide these programs. I understand many of you are Christians and I imagine Jesus would never turn somebody away for treatment based on something as materialistic as money, right? I'm just trying to grasp the thinking that goes into being a family values advocating Christian but then oppose programs such as universal healthcare and welfare which are designed to help people.

We can all agree that recipients of welfare aren't living the high life and would rather have income coming in from an employer then the bare minimum the govt. provides, right? Welfare is only offered for a limited amount of time while people secure employment.

Does God or Jesus really care how much money you made when you reach your judgment day? What could be more Christian then to support programs that help people survive?

"Teach a man to fish..." is just a slogan. It doesn't mean anything.

Examples of programs you oppose: Welfare & Universal Healthcare.

Please explain how these programs would/have been a collossal failure.

Keep in mind, if every American citizen is college educated the who is going to clean our toilets? Who is going to mow our lawns? Who is going to flip our burgers? It's a sad reality but our society banks on people failing at life and ending up these positions and often times these people need the help of the govt.?

How could you oppose Universal Healthcare? There are families that combined betweent he Mom and Dad bring in less then $30k a year. Now factor in children with no healthcare. How do to tell somebody who can't afford to pay for the insurance that they will have to live with a sick child or deal with their deadly disease on their own?

I support capitalism as much as the next guy but I have ZERO problem seeing my tax dollars go to help these people. It really doesnt' change my life. I'm not going to have to sell my car or my home. I would much rather see the money go towards helping the US people than helping people on the opposite side of the planet.

Jesus would not tell a sick child to get a job and pay for his/her medicine/surgery/therapy on their own. Jesus would intervene. Read the bible. What about Jesus' miracles? Were those miracles just Jesus teaching people how to fish? Or did he actually provide the people with "free" services?

So you're saying Jesus was totally for helping people as long as it wasn't the govt doing it? Please show me where in the bible it states that.

Steven I : Jesus said it was the responsiblity of the indiviudal? Time has proven that we can't rely on the individual for this. We need someone else to step in, right? Who is more obligated then the govt? The church tend to only help their own.

If not the govt or individual, then who? We're not talking about free cars for everone, we're talking about the basic necessities of life. Not to sound too offensive, but many of you are coming across as selfish little children. A child would respond the same way if someody asked them to share kick ball with another child. We have to be above that.

Answer 1

So-called "Christians" like to use this Chinese Proverb, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for life" as validation for the anti-welfare stance.

There are a few glaring inconsistencies in that philosophy, however, when one is the confronted with the more "pressing" issues of abortion, gun control, and gay marriage. Why should these political wedge issues take precedence over matters concerning our collective health care, childcare, and fair wages for our nation's school teachers?

Education, I think, should be our country's TOP priority! Teach sex-education and birth control and there will be less abortions. Teach gun safety and there will be less accidental deaths. In the spirit of Jesus Christ, teach tolerance and forgiveness and the gay marriage debate will work itself out. Is this so illogical?

Also, for every "welfare Queen" there is a single-parent household that greatly benefits from the government assistance. Anyone with a family today knows that it's next to near impossible to subsist on less than a two-parent income! Why should this necessary social program be completely eliminated because of a few bad apples working the system? Finally, I wonder about the ratio of these social programs to congressional pork-barreling? America, where are your priorities!

Answer 2

Ok, at first I thought this was a bash Christians question. Obviously it is not so I'll give you an honest answer.

Yes, we should always help the poor. It's Biblical. People in need should always be able to go to a church and receive help. But each individual Christian is responsible to do their part.

The Bible says that if you want to eat then you must work. It never condones laziness. A nanny state will simply breed laziness in people. It encourages people to remain where they are at generation after generation. Sure it's nice to help people if they come into hard times but it shouldn't be for a lifetime. (unless mental or physical disability or etc) Now I don't think Welfare is constitutional though.

Anyways, the problem is not simply about money but character. Instilling self reliance, competence, good work ethic, and strong morals will advance a person a million times farther than offering free food and healthcare if they choose to remain poor. (I know a lot of people with a "poor" person mentality)

The problem with Universal Healthcare is that it doesn't work. Taxes will go through the roof. And libs won't stop there! They'll soon want to offer all kinds of benefits. It's their nature. Look at Finland for example. Major nanny state syndrome over there. It's so bad that they had a huge migration of poor people into that country and now taxes are like 60%. Also, do you really want the gov in charge of your medical care? Who wants to wait 6 months for surgery? No thanks!

Anyways, that's my two cents on it.

Regarding healthcare... Families can always try to get a high deductible catastrophic health policy. If they have a huge claim then they can simply make payments to the hospital for whatever is their portion of the bill. The hospital will be happy if they get a chunk from the insurance carriers. Now these same "poor" families have cable, $150 tennis shoes, and etc. Where are they putting their focus??? I think this should be examined before the idea of giving "free" healthcare. And... lots of states have free or extremely cheap health insurance for children.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

No morals do not have a $ value. Right is right no matter what.

The problem with programs that "help the needy" is they give things without earning them. The worst thing you can do for someone is give them something for nothing. The best thing you can do for someone is teach them to be self-reliant. Once they know how to care for themselves, they will not need help anymore.

Answer 5

there are people on third generation welfare in a community housing projects in my neighborhood. no one opposes the under 18 or infirmed or elderly havin assistance. it is the twenty something with four kids collecting money off of you and me. and who needs to live the high life when it is all free and you do not have to work. 25,000.00 a year in housing, welfare, foodstamps, w.i.c. and anything else you can qualify for is not to bad for being unemployed. and since you take the religious road, jesus also said if you GIVE them a fish they eat for a day, teach them to fish and you feed them for life. GOD helps those who help themselves. and universal haelthcare is a sham. you and i will pay more then 50% of our income to help people who won't work. it could take 1-3 days to see a doctor. ref to france's healthcare system, or canada. also, rep/cons/christains give more to charities than the dems/libs/athiest across the board. think of it this way, would you give a high school class mate part of your grade if they choose not to study and put in the work to be successful. you have an "A" and they have an "F". they partied , you studied. would you take a "C" knowing they did not try at all , so that they could also have a "C"? likely not.

Answer 6

Jesus never said that it was the job of the government to redistribute the wealth of the people to those of lesser fortune. Rather he stressed that it was the responsibility of the individual to help the needy. An individual can contribute to any organization they desire and at the same time insure that their values are upheld by being selective in how their money is spent. A government will introduce fraud, waste, corruption, and is blind towards an individuals values. Christians have a duty to help others, that obligation is not contingent upon government control or interference.

Answer 7

As a Christian conservative I have no problem with someone getting welfare for a short time if they are actually needing it. But for an unmarried woman who spouts she doesn't need a daddy for her babies then proceeds to have them knowing she can't afford them then yes, I do have a problem with welfare! There are families with generations of welfare and they have no desire to look for jobs, instead they take the easy route turning to criminal activies to make a fast easy buck. Working is neccesary to build character and contribute to society!

Answer 8

many of the christian moralists oppose these programs by breaking yet another biblical no-no....by judging others.

the rationale of some of the more religious is that the person on welfare or gov't assistance is lazy, pernicious, looking for a free ride, exploiting the system, etc. Some even throw in a dash of racism by alleging that the majority of persons on welfare are mothers of a particular ethnicity that are having children just to get a bigger federal paycheck.

recipe for the religious right:
1 cup "us vs them"
1 Lb self-righteousness
a dash of racism
1 Tsp "misery loves company"
2 Lb ignorance

whip together and allow to simmer. best when aged. serve cold only.

Answer 9

You are confusing Christianity with liberalism. Did you ever hear the expression: "God helps those who help themselves?"
Charity is a virtue taught by Jesus. Governments that use force to take money from one person and give some to another person are practicing socialism, not charity.

Universal healthcare is a gimmick for liberals to get government control of private enterprise. It is very costly. Paid for with tax dollars, and the bureaucracy to run it has to be paid for with tax dollars.

Welfare is not a government responsibility. Read the Constitution. Government stepped in where charities used to operate, screwed everything up, and now cannot get out of it.

Health care is available to everyone in the US. The only thing at issue is how it is paid for. Jesus healed the sick with the touch of his hand. He did not need a government-run monopoly.

You are not right about welfare recipients. Once people get free money, they learn the system and learn how to use the system to keep the money coming in.

Jesus does care about money. He said: "It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to gain the kingdom of heaven." He never said anything about stealing money from one person to give it to another.

Good Christians support programs that help people survive. They do it on their own. It is wrong for government to implement an arbitrary set of rules when it comes to redistribution of wealth.

Answer 10

I like this question and of course the jesus lovers have NO GOOD answer.

The faithful want everyone to suffer through out life. The poor shall support the rich with every last dollar. If you die because you have no income or health care you (must be weak) in your faith. If god loves you you'll be blessed, or punished..whatever! This can go on and on, but I'll leave it right here for now.