08 October 2008

Anglican church offers socialists an answer

Surrender your tax cut - voluntarily, according to the NZ Herald.

Yes, you don't HAVE to take a tax cut and save it or spend it on what you want, whilst simultaneously whining about how taxes should be higher - you can actually DO something about it.

Complaining about poverty and how the government isn't doing enough is part and parcel of so many on the left - but when they get a tax cut few ever state that they welcome the chance to spend more of their own money on helping the poor, helping their local school or hospital. I'm unsure why, because surely the most effective way of helping people is to.. actually help them, rather than participate in politics and convince people to vote for politicians to force them to pay more to.. politicians, for bureaucrats to manage to dish out to help people.

In fact, I'd suggest that all those planning to vote for the Greens, for example, who want to increase the size of the state, should declare openly what charities they will support or what individuals they will use their tax cut for.

After all, if you can't convince people to be compassionate, why should you threaten force to do so?

Which is, by the way, another measure by which I determine charities I support. If a charity ever demands more from the state, it is off the list. Ask me for money, convince me I should pay, but don't you dare go trying to get state violence to force me to pay.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does your charity policy actually leave any charities in New Zealand that are eligible for your largesse?

Nick C said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nick C said...

Scott you have raised an important issue for me as a Christian. Micheal Savage descibed socialism as applied Christianity. Where as Winston Churchill said: "The difference between Christianity and socialism is that in Christianity everything that is mine is yours, where as in socialism everything that is yours is mine."

Indeed many churches complain that socialism takes away the virtuous nature of charity. It's supposed to be about you deciding that the welfare of others is more important then yourself, and being a good enough person to act on that, not having the state force it on you.

Madeleine said...

Today's churches are products of years of state education. Those running them have forgotten what true Christianity looks like.

I have just this morning written a blog outlining why Christians must be libertarian and must vote accordingly.

I would totally agree that no charity should ask the state to fund it, the minute it does it is not longer a charity but an arm of the state. Charitable organisations do not pay tax, as such, they cannot make any kind of argument that by taking money from the state they are recovering their stolen property.

Anonymous said...

The Anglican Church has become the religious wing of the socialists. It would appear that their raison d'etre is to get their congregation to give, give, give so that they can continue the governments policy of redistribution. Charity is no longer in their lexicon.

Anonymous said...

Re Labour's chance of hanging on to Waitakere - you have to be kidding. Have you met Paula Bennett? Although Unions used to be a force to be reckoned with, we're not stupid out here in West Auckland. Paula Bennett has been working her butt off in Waitakere, she's everywhere, plus her TV appearances - and most people don't even know who the Labour woman is.