How are we as Christians to treat our neighbors and fellowmen and women who are in poverty? Leviticus 25 provides us some good answers. Whether our brothers or sisters are going through a temporary cash flow shortage, more severe or dire poverty, we---personally are called to do everything we can to help redeem our fellowmen and help get them back on their feet, rather than take advantage of their disadvantaged conditions.In this week's OneYearBible blog, the Old Testament passages in Leviticus addresses others' needs and our responsibility. Bob Deffinbaugh has a wonderful commentary on this subject. Are we our brother's keeper?
Of course, the ultimate poverty is a life cut off from God, and the redeeming power of Jesus Christ, no matter what our financial conditions.
Still, we as followers of Christ are called to help our fellowman during his times of need, rather than prey or take advantage or him or her or them. This does not mean we help them in ways that permanently render them dependent, or take away all hope of their one day standing on their own two feet. Please note that this piece addresses our personal responsibilities and is not about pushing these responsibilities forward permanently to government as divine entitlement. This is also not about giving money to drug addicts to buy more drugs. It is not about being guilted into giving, giving, giving.
In helping our fellowman out of poverty, we are to seek God's guidance through prayer as to how to proceed in each case. We may be guided to help with dire and immediate needs, such as supplying clean water, food or medical care. Or it may be in giving an interest-free loan that may never be paid back. Or we may be guided to encourage and help someone go back to school so they can be retrained to get a better job. We may be guided to get them counselling in one form or other.
Our ultimate goal as Christians is to help them out of mental and physical enslavement and poverty so that they can stand on their own two feet and perhaps one day do the same for another of their brothers and sisters in poverty.
Considering conservatives out-give liberals statistically, maybe they think government should take more out of their own personal guilt of not giving it on their own.
ReplyDeleteYou could very well be right.
ReplyDeleteHere's a worthwhile cause, helping people in your own back yard.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/28/60minutes/main3889496.shtml
It's an organization set up to help poor people around the world with basic medical care, though now they say the majority of their work helps unisured working poor here in America. It's a sad reflection of America today that cancer patients, people with heart ailments and rotting teath and the like can't depend on their government to give them needed - and basic - medical care.
Luckily, these working poor don't seem to expect much from the government, and certainly not government run health care, which we all know is a communist trick, except for the government run health care we military families receive, which is both thorough and efficient. It's as bad as it sounds.
We're the richest nation in the world, and our fellow citizens are reduced to praying to God to provide new glasses. Shameful.
Well, Vienna, this is where you and I part ways. I don't know of anyone in this country who can't get basic medical care. Hospitals and ER rooms are brimming with them. And you and I are paying for it in the form of higher medical bills.
ReplyDeleteWhat you may be saying is that cancer and heart patients should be entitled to sustained, whatever youwant whenever medical care.
But what if patients are told not to eat candy and sugar, and keep right on doing it? What if they are told to quit smoking and don't? I think to expect unlimited helathcare for people who are not willing to take one iota of personal responsibility is at best magical thinking and at worst a recipe for financial disaster for this country. Yes, I know what you think of Iraq, so please leave that out of this.
I do not think universal health care is a divine right enumerated in the Constitution. The government simply can't do it all, all the time for all the people.
But we as individuals can sometimes help our fellowman who comes across our path.
And sometimes, all we can do is pray.
Um, no I'm saying 28 year old women with three children who have cervical cancer should get some follow up treatment. Men in their 40s with two heart attacks should get some follow up treatment. Children who's parents can't afford vaccinations or dental care should get that level BASIC care. I'm not even talking about unlimited whenever you need it care - I'm talking about the basic checkups that you and I get every year, the bi-annual dental cleanings, the annual eye exams. Is that really too much to ask??
ReplyDeleteYou don't know anyone who can't get basic medical care? Watch that 60 minutes piece. There were hundreds of people lined up for medical care they couldn't afford, some who drove for hours to get there.
Yes, I agree with some of this. but women who can't afford to have basic health care for themselves and their children, should grow up and STOP HAVING CHILDREN. Period.
ReplyDeleteIt's was so sad... In Bush's America - multitudes of working Americans line up to beg for medical care. It’s an ugly sight in the world’s wealthiest nation.
ReplyDeleteWe're not talking about anything fancy, for most just basic cancer screening, eyeglasses, dental fillings.
Of the people you know who do NOT have employer provided health care, how many of them can afford to pay out of their pocket for health care for their families? Not many, as 60 Minutes shows. Not surprising since the average family premium is now over $12,000 a year, about double that when Bush took office. As a result, since Bush took office 8.5 more million Americans are uninsured. Considering the median yearly household income has dropped $1100, (while during the Clinton years it increased by $6000), it's no wonder.
But we can spend $330 million EVERY day in Iraq, so that the war profiteers can fill their coffers. Great Christian values you support there.
"I don't know of anyone in this country who can't get basic medical care."
ReplyDeleteGood news Web! RAM, the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps, recently profiled on 60 Minutes, is going to spend a considerable amount of time in Tennesee this year - TennCare not working out or something? - so you can head to Morgan County, Harrogate, Blount County or Grundy County and see in person the Americans who can't afford health care.
Check out the RAM website at www.ramusa.org for the schedule. You can also make contributions there as well.
Glad you brought up TennCare a cautionary tale if ever there was one. A state's kind attempts at universal health coverage that ultimately almost brought down state government, threatening to close down prisons, schools, state parks and end all highway improvement. BTW, so munificent was this universal plan that thousands of non-residents flocked into the state to take advantage of it. And in the end like under 10% of all users were extracting 90% of available funds and weighing down the system for all Tennessee citizens. In the end Gov. Bredeson has had to drastically cut benefits and set new limits as predatory lawyers have flooded onto the scene and theated to sue the bejeebers out of the state at every turn on behalf of clients who feel put upon and have become accustomed being on unlimited taxpayers dole.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in and beside those counties where often children nursed at their mother's breasts until the age of 5 or 6, then crawled off their laps and went and lit up a cigarette. Believe you me, I do know all those areas well.
I grew up in and beside those counties where often children nursed at their mother's breasts until the age of 5 or 6, then crawled off their laps and went and lit up a cigarette. Believe you me, I do know all those areas well.
ReplyDeleteI can tell.
How many people can honestly say they are doing better now than in the Clinton years, that America is going in the right direction, that things look promising this year for the economy?
I guess your only hope is to keep the fear.. try and scare people into voting for the old war hero, the guy that represents the past, the war, the $4 gas prices.
You have got to be delusional if you think Americans have been satisfied with 7 years of an incompetent president and want to see a continuation under McCain. The average family income has decreased slightly while everything has gotten more expensive. The number of uninsured has soared.
The percentage of people who support Bush has been around 30% now for years, and the percentage of Americans that believe America in headed in the right direction has been in the 20s also for years.
It’s ok to bankrupt our economy and send us into a recession, spending $330 million in Iraq EVERYDAY, but healthcare for all children is too expensive. But hey, the war profiteers have been doing great. If that is not phony Christian values, I don't know what is.
BTW... Obama has said he'd appoint Republicans to his cabinet. He's even mention Chuck Hagel as Defense Sec.
It's the federal government's mandate to protect us from our enemies. It's in the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteThe questions you ask about whether we are better off since the Clinton years are silly. government is not the cause of our problems and certainly not the cure.
So you think it's worth it, spending $330 million a day in Iraq chasing after a few rag tag bombers?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mcclatchydc.com/whitehouse/story/15934.html
Yes, my dear, I do think it's worth it. Whatever it takes to get the job done. Much more important than having the government clean my teeth.
ReplyDeleteTalk about ridiculous. The government is not going to clean YOUR teeth - you can easily afford to go to the dentist, or the doctor for a check up, or the eye doctor for an exam. We're talking about people WHO CANNOT afford it. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?
ReplyDeleteEllen, if you haven't figured it out already, our Web *loves* the war, especially since no one in her family is fighting over there. $330 million A DAY is no problemo for the 19%ers. They figure it'll all be worth it when the Iraqis greet us with flowers and candy. Oh wait, I guess they only do that for the IRANIAN PRESIDENT. Freedom is on the march!!
(As an interesting aside, I saw the husband of a neighbor at the bus stop this morning. He just got back from 4 weeks in the Green Zone. He's a true believer - I mean, he's on your level Web. Maybe even stronger, if that's possible. He's going back to Iraq in June for a year long assignment. Anyways, I casually said to him, how are things going over there? He has no idea what my opinion of the war is - we're not that close - but he knows my husband is in the Navy. He looks down at the ground and says, "Well, as good as can be expected I guess. I never left the green zone, and we only took incoming rocket attacks 2 or 3 times a week." If that embassy was anywhere else in the world, it would have been shut down years ago.)