richardhutnik said:
Among those who are even remotely Christian, this isn't a debate point. What is subject to debate is whether or not the government is to be involved with it or not. Of course there are those who claim to be Christian, for whom the poor and those in need, aren't of any concern. |
Charity is a responsibility of the fortunate. Regardless of whether or not your taxes pay for the charity of welfare, your responsibility to the welfare of your brother is still there. Meaning, a good Christian decent human being doesn't assume that because they've paid their taxes that their responsibility to the welfare of their neighbor ceases to exits. There are plenty of opportunities to give of yourself in the service of others.
There is, obviously a flip-side to this, those in need should seek out industry, rather than remain idle.
Welfare is a good, even in the face of instances of abuse. If we are to believe that welfare is evil because there are people who abuse it, then so too is Christianity because there are people who have abused their power as church leaders in the name of their faith and congregation, yet no one (OK there are some outspoken atheists who may) thinks Christianity should be abolished.
Regardless of who commits it, or in what context, a sin is an act of the individual, not a result of the good. There are many evils that organized religion have brought onto the world, but without religion I doubt civilization would have developed to what we have today, nor would we have our Western values. The evils are not a result of the good, they are the result of the individual that seeks to take advantage of a good for their own gain.
My opinion, I think clearly, is that welfare is an inherent good.
