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Thermal Thursday: Christianity and Taxes [1]
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Date: 2022-09-22
But now onto our title topic. A few DKos commenters often complain that progressive Christians don’t make enough noise, which I think is sometimes a valid complaint. So I’ll use this space to discuss progressive Christianity’s views on the issues. These are not my views alone. Note that there are and have long been progressive Christian religio-political groups, some of whom are trying to become more vocal and get more noticed.
We are familiar with the right-wing evangelical of $Rump and pretty much all things GOP. They may seek to enable more tax cuts for the rich and cutting of services for the poor. All of this is worsened by the “Prosperity Gospel”:
With a convoluted history that dates to the economic inequality of the first Gilded Age in the late 19th century, one modern strain of the prosperity gospel asserts that material wealth is a sign of divine favor, and that material poverty indicates moral or personal failings. -snip- Donald Trump won the presidency by appealing to the material longings of evangelical Protestants, a group that once mocked prosperity preachers but who now increasingly embrace their message, perhaps because the message implies control in an out-of-control world. -snip- Beyond its questionable theological premise — was Jesus really into capitalism? — the prosperity gospel rests on a hollow definition of prosperity. The corporate honchos who drove the U.S. economy into the ground a decade ago should not be viewed as morally superior to the cancer researcher, nurse, teacher, firefighter or any worker serving a cause greater than themselves but who might earn less in a lifetime than some ineffective CEOs earn in a month.
Fortunately, many religious organisations including the Catholic church disagree with this emphasis on prosperity. From Taxing the rich to help the poor? Here’s what the Bible says (author Mathew Schmalz, religion professor):
Tax reform in general raises critical issues about whether the government should redistribute income and promote equality in the first place. -snip- While human fulfillment is not just about material comfort, the Catholic Church has always maintained that citizens should have access to food, housing and health care. As the Catholic Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church makes clear, taxation is necessary because government should “harmonize” society in a just way. -snip- In other words, believing that helping the poor is simply an individual or private responsibility ignores the scope and complexity of the world we live in.
The first blockquote may be longer than the second blockquote, but personally I agree with the second (both links provide more detailed explanations). How about you? Please feel free to discuss below.
Taxes? Donations? Both?
And finally, let’s elevate our Community Cred and repost The Needs List! From Aashirs nani (with permission) on Helping Humpday, with some variations on bolding for variety’s sake.
Please note:
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Also: From yesterday’s comments:
Michelewln is in trouble. The phone company wants her to pay $124 now or lose her phone. She only has $43. I don’t remember how to add the screenshot. She’s really depressed and currently tweeting she’s out of options.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/22/2124603/-Thermal-Thursday-Christianity-and-Taxes
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