Subject: Re: Re. Capitalism not God's choice
Date: Wed, 06 Oct 1999 03:28:35 GMT
From: 
Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy.
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian

In article<381276f4.160>,  (Graeme Hunt) wrote:

[snip]

G'day Graeme,

Perhaps I'm reading too much into the quote below,
but I couldn't let this one pass by...

> Charity is the operation of
> the individual's free will in helping those in catastrophe or less
> fortunate conditions. If there is coercion then it becomes an
> infringement on freedom.

Do I take that to mean that you oppose all forms of social security?

What about the enforced "social security" in the OT Law?

Leviticus 19:9-10 (Deut 24:19-22 says the same sort of thing)
"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field
to its very border, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your
harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you
gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for
the poor and for the sojourner; I am the LORD your God."

Deut 14:28-29
"At the end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe
of your produce in the same year, and lay it up within your towns; and
the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the
sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns,
shall come and eat and be filled; that the LORD your God may bless you
in all the work of your hands that you do."

Were these laws an "infringement on freedom"?

I agree with you that full-blown communism has much that is anti
Christianity. But so does full-blown capitalism, which basically
says "everyone look after themselves".

If Christians are commanded to help the poor, then surely it is
reasonable to support social systems which do this.

Regards,

Peter Ballard
Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
 OR  
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~pballard/ 
[personal opinions only]