A religious leader once told me God was a conservative. I think what he might have meant was that he's a libertarian. From his study of the Scriptures, he concluded the teachings on self-reliance and individual liberty were clear: the government doesn't belong in our lives because we must be free to choose for ourselves and to succeed or fail based on the merits of our own decisions and work ethic. A government's role, therefore, need not extend beyond securing these basic rights for the governed.
In my personal study of Christ's teachings, I have been most struck by his example of blessing the lives of the sick and poor. I am also struck by his reaching out to people of underprivileged classes, as well as by his teachings on economic and social justice. If we're all equal in the eyes of God, how would God have us treat others? The golden rule comes to mind.
So to me, Christ teaches a responsibility to our neighbor. This goes beyond simply succeeding or failing on our own merits. (After all, am I not my neighbor's neighbor?) Moreover, if the government is truly providing an opportunity for us to succeed or fail based on our merits, it needs to provide us the opportunity to do so. What does that mean? Well, it means children are entitled to a fair shot, which includes sufficient education to take that shot, health care, food, and the other necessities of life, whether their parents provide them or not. It means they need an opportunity to actually succeed or fail based on their merits, which implies an equality of opportunity. In other words, it means they need a real equality of opportunity, not just the platitude-version we profess but don't even bother trying to achieve.
At least that's my take. To my Christian friends out there, or to anyone else familiar with Christ's teachings, what do you see as the government's role in society? Is it merely to provide protection and liberty, or does it extend to providing a safety net and true equality of opportunity to all people where we have historically failed to do so voluntarily?
In my personal study of Christ's teachings, I have been most struck by his example of blessing the lives of the sick and poor. I am also struck by his reaching out to people of underprivileged classes, as well as by his teachings on economic and social justice. If we're all equal in the eyes of God, how would God have us treat others? The golden rule comes to mind.
So to me, Christ teaches a responsibility to our neighbor. This goes beyond simply succeeding or failing on our own merits. (After all, am I not my neighbor's neighbor?) Moreover, if the government is truly providing an opportunity for us to succeed or fail based on our merits, it needs to provide us the opportunity to do so. What does that mean? Well, it means children are entitled to a fair shot, which includes sufficient education to take that shot, health care, food, and the other necessities of life, whether their parents provide them or not. It means they need an opportunity to actually succeed or fail based on their merits, which implies an equality of opportunity. In other words, it means they need a real equality of opportunity, not just the platitude-version we profess but don't even bother trying to achieve.
At least that's my take. To my Christian friends out there, or to anyone else familiar with Christ's teachings, what do you see as the government's role in society? Is it merely to provide protection and liberty, or does it extend to providing a safety net and true equality of opportunity to all people where we have historically failed to do so voluntarily?
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