It’s an election year. This means that predictably the secular left candidate will discover Scripture and Jesus and translate the teachings of scripture and Jesus on the treatments of others with charity into a government program. They will say Point to passages such as the Good Samaritan, the Be Attitudes, Do unto others etc. and speak of treating others with charity an immediately point to a government program as the only expression and or application of these teachings to the exclusion of legitimate charities such as Catholic, Charities, Lutheran Social service, The Salvation Army and other charities to do great service, often on shoe string budgets and lots of volunteers and real individual acts of charity. Interesting that when a secular left winger quotes scripture or refers to Jesus the ACLU’s and George Soros of the world do not scream as they do when a right winger does the same, perhaps because they know that the left wing candidate does not mean it.
Catholic Social teaching does allow and even encourage government assistance for the poor, but it also recognizes the obligation of a free people to do service for each other without the need or want of a government program. Catholic social teaching does not really care where the assistance comes from, it does not however promotes one method or the other. Catholic social teaching opposes the extremes of both Socialism as well as Capitalism and believes that society can have an economic systems that incorporates the best aspects of both economic systems. Only politicians seeking to buy votes and to create dependence of government will promote government as the only legitimate form of charity.
Real charity is something one does without coercion. No can be forced to be charitable for, if one is forced it is no longer charity. Charity by definition is voluntary. Politicians who promote charity through government programs are seldom charitable with their own Money as evidenced by their own tax returns. They love to be charitable with other peoples money, which the take in the form of confiscatory taxes. The fact is that it is people of faith that are the most charitable and they give without coercion, often above and beyond what is already taxed. It is also people of faith who often volunteer their time to charitable organizations (this never makes it on a ledger sheet). In time of disasters it is private individuals who often out-gives even our own very giving government
My Brother posted an excellent treatise on the true meaning of Charity on his Blog
Assenting Catholic. Read Post
here.
So in short do not let politicians fool you. Whenever they bring up Jesus and the bible and speak of charity, grab a hold of your wallet, it’s not as though they are going to open theirs.
