Logic > Biblical Scholar

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?

The lie is in holding back some of the price when he was required to give it all.

Read one line below that Manus.

As long as it remained unsold, wasn't it your own? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? So how could you have thought of doing what you did? You didn't lie only to men, but also to God!"

He was free to do with the money what he saw fit.  The lie was that he said it was all of it... when it wasn't and he promised god it all.

Logic + Biblical Scholars > Manus.

haha! nice idea, I look forward to seeing those buses around.

So God supports a flat tax as well as a free ride for the poor? That sounds like a pretty good balance of socialism. I thought he was 100% communist, after all the Jesus stuff.

That line, and every other part of the story, says absolutely nothing about Ananias having a choice in how much he donates.

If I sale a house for $100,000 and have to pay a 10% tax on it, I would owe $1,000.  However, if I sent the government a check for $500, I would be lying because I did not pay the amount that was required.  Nothing is said, the payment itself is simply the lie.  This is exactly what happens in the Biblical story, Ananias is required to give all the money from the land he sold to the Apostle, but he only brought forth a portion of it.  He was punished because he did not give all of it as he was required and everyone else in the community did.

Not sure how the whole giving thing and Ananias came up, but you never responded to me Manus.

Anyways, I know and believe in the tithe (10% of what you make, you give to the local church). Like in Old Testament times, Kings would give some of their wealth to fund the vision of the priest, I think it is the role of the businessman and women to help fund the vision of the local church.

@ Rubang

I guess, but every form of government has some taxes. How disimilar is it to income tax?

"And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal?"

How is that not saying he could donate what he wanted?  At the least it's saying he didn't have to donate anything.

Also, later on, Peter asks his wife if the amount the husband gave was the full amount received from the sale of the field.  She said yes (when it says she knew that it wasn't).

'With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.'... 'About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.  Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"   Yes," she said, "that is the price."  Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?"'

Dawkins had sex with a man, Mr. Garrison to be precise :P