This author has mostly found his base commentating on the regressive left's influx of strange politics over the past years. Politics have shifted from a moderate, inclusive, progressive mindset to a more dynamic, explosive, attacking, and often emotion-based narrative. Yet, recently, the GOP has garnered more and more prolific attention given a reality TV star turned politician, who has been outspoken about his policies.
The GOP is a strange, large, mammoth of a party. Every year the ballot churns out tens of possible candidates who aspire to take on the White House. Every year, the conservative representatives up the ante as far as how fundamental they will become. Moreover, as the party loses its base with America's youth, minorities, the low-income population, and women, instead of broadening archaic views into more open-minded and up-to-date policies, they double down in what their beliefs are.
Now, there are three main old strongholds to their world view: economic, religious, and social. In the next couple of weeks, I will attempt to explore these items, how they intertwine, form policies, and surprisingly — or rather, unsurprisingly — coexist in a senseless world that works only for the purpose of rhetoric
For this specific article, I will refer to an economic fallacy that is often neglected, and that is the complete philosophical impossibility of a conservative Christian.
Before getting into the heavy hitting (e.g., Jesus would have been a Bernie supporter), let’s dip into the water with a conservative classic stem of controversy: taxes.
"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God’s." (Romans 13:6-7). Jesus did not ask his disciples whether the face of the man whose coin they had carved into was righteous, or whether the Roman government had appointed a diligent effort to provide its citizens its well-appointed earnings. Jesus Christ, the son of God, unequivocally told his disciples to pay the government what they requested. To be wealthy does not mean to cheat Caesar of his due diligence in order to have a greater source of income. It does not mean to stand against a form of taxation because a person disagrees with the policy being financed through it. Taxes are as old as governments; they serve to run the institutions that rule over the people. Apostle Paul said it himself:
"This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
Yet the orders of God do not only extend as far as to understanding the honored due diligence of his words in the fact of the importance of paying taxes, but not to contest them.
“Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” Romans 13:2.
Now if the idea of wealth fleeting away in a scurry given a fair format of taxation, and an IRS who incurs abroad, and scrutinizes the loopholes by the wealthy is a source of fear, and thus, and abjection of taxing. Consider having the wrath of God put down upon you, for misfiling that receipt.
Everyone must pay their taxes, do so graciously, and respect the appointed government. To contest the authority of a president, whether it be Obama or Trump, as a Christian is a punishable sin. All true. The idea of conservatives against taxes as stated previously is not a new one. The contested methods to which the money would be put to use is a main source to justify the disparity of opinions. And what’s less Jesus like, and most like the GOP, than saying a person is against taxation, because it will be used to provide social healthcare.
“When Jesus came down from the hill, great crowds followed him. 2 Then a man with a skin disease came to Jesus. The man bowed down before him and said, “Lord, you can heal me if you will.” Matthew 8.
The end of this conversation did not end in a fee payment plan, a credit card number, and a life long debt. Naive to think that healthcare institutions would run on the miracles of God as a source of medical care, tools, and staff, obviously. Unthinkable to make a connection between Jesus’ constant and perpetual will to help his neighbor, make his followers love each other, and as previously shown, respect and pay the governmental taxes, with everyone being able to access the miracles of modern science? Not so.
A Christian, that is, a follower of Christian doctrine and that which is taught through the New Testament and specifically the teachings of the son of God, the Messiah, is a person who judges their character by that of “What Would Jesus Do.” To live in a lesser condition, in order to allow a person of lesser means to live better, and free of sickness or disease, is an absolute no contest commandment of Jesus. He orders every one of his followers, to love one another. He washes the feet of the poor, he heals the dirty, he makes way for the undesirables. Yet, it seems as if, the right wing conservative agenda fears a capable government being able to administer the necessary means to provide for those, who cannot provide for themselves. And while they argue, for how a person who makes barely enough to feed himself, will be able to pay for cancer treatment without insurance, the line to Jesus gets cut shorter and shorter. It boggles the mind how a person bred and born to the teachings of a selfless man would think to believe that it's OK to attain personal wealth and raise a flag against creating a culture of selflessly helping another. Not whether or not the sick did anything to deserve help, whether the ill have social security, whether the dying are American and paying their dues, but to selflessly help.
Yet Perhaps things have not changed much. As Jesus notoriously despised the wealthy who did not come in the aid of the poor. Yes, hated. Jesus Christ hated the uncaring rich.
“Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 21. And then he continued,
“How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[b] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” And finished with,
“31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”
Unequivocal. Unstuttering. Clear as the water he walked on, Jesus Christ speaks to a base whose desires are to return to an America that dreams of an economic success that is detested by him. An economic dream that means absolutely nothing to him, and has no respect for. There is only emptiness in the words of those who choose to speak for their wealth first. Yet, low taxation, anti-welfare, prove your worth, and work you way up, seems to be the core basic elements of the Republican party. Whether these are valid or not in a political contest, whether working your way into a life of comfort or possibility is truly the best system to rule, that is not what is contested here. Because, as a Christian, there is no choice in the revision of the words of the lord. For he hated hypocrites almost as much the rich.
The topic is as extensive as every passage in the New Testament. The politics of a man who wished only for peace, love, and acceptance are not up for debate. His words, whether one chooses to see them for what they are, or stiff the upper lip and pretend they were never spoken, are his words. Thus, the word of God.
This is the impossibility of the conservative Christian. The irrational belief that one can be scarce with the funds of themselves and the people, in order to preserve wealth and appoint it only to those who work for it, and remain adjoined to the holy vow of Christianhood is a revisionist preferential, self-serving lie. It is to ignore the law of God in benefit of a modern comfort. It is to fly first class, or buy brand, or eat out, in lieu of helping people.
Lastly, even if the wealthy conservatives who mold the model of the American that set the foundations for the to-be rest of Christian conservatives, give part of their money to the will of God… It still means, and meant, little to nothing to him.
“41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.”
“43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
