Compassion demands that we help those in need.
The question is, “Who should help… and how?”
State governments are increasing the financial burden of taxpayers by providing support for illegal aliens. South Dakota is one of those states. The South Dakota House of Representatives just passed legislation that would spend over half a million tax dollars to provide prenatal care for illegal aliens.
Taxpayers do NOT like the idea of spending tax dollars on people who are in America illegally.
Leading the “charge” on HB 1214 were two Legislators who are Pastors of churches in South Dakota. Both of these Legislator-Pastors are sponsors of the bill that puts the price of this compassionate gesture at the feet of taxpayers. A reasonable question might be, “shouldn’t you be doing this in your church instead of imposing it on taxpayers?”
The government has a role it isn’t fulfilling… keeping our borders secure. The church isn’t meeting its responsibility either… compassion and caring for those in need.
Government has taken the place of the church America. When people found help at the door of the church, they also were fed spiritually. As they discovered the true source of provision (God), many became productive members of society who were then able to help others. As the church has abdicated its responsibility to the government, people look to the government for help. They certainly don’t get the Word of God or the love of Christians when they use their EBT card.
The whole notion that the government should be responsible for the poor comes as a result of church failure.
At a time when our nation is failing because of too much government and not enough God, wouldn’t these Pastors and other compassionate Legislators do better by leading an effort to re-engage the church and reduce the size of government?
It has become much to easy for the church to “let Uncle Sam do it.” That has never been God’s plan to minister to those in need.
***Gordon Howie is a nationally syndicated author, host of Liberty Today TV and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***
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Do you really think government action weakens the church by taking up the demand for social services? I have no problem with churches helping people. (It’s kind of your churches’ fundamental reason for being.) But for those of us who don’t have a church, and for those who believe in community, government is an effective tool for community action. We shouldn’t simply throw up our hands and say, “Gee, I sure hope some church steps in and solves this problem.” We should act through community, independent of churches, to ensure social services that are available to all citizens.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. What I believe is that if churches were really doing what God called them to do, there would be significantly less need for government entitlement programs and a much better moral environment in our country.
I totally agree with Gordon. Too many churches have gladly stepped aside by allowing and even encouraging government to fill the void of what once was their own duty to help the poor. It is rather shameful for large churches to preach that they are helping but then will refer their own members to the government when they are desperately in need.
This arrangement has encouraged government to grow larger and more intrusive. At the same time, it has corrupted many large churches by improving their finances to the point of excess which eventually corrupts the spirit they once had. When it is easier for a church member to ask the county government for help than their own church leadership, something is very wrong with that picture.
Cory,
Why don’t YOU act independently and provide pre-natal healthcare to a person or persons who has violated the laws promulgated by the very governments you worship instead of saying “Gee, I sure hope the government steps in and makes it the responsibility of all Americans to pay for, enable and encourage illegal activities.”
Well said, Ed.
As Congressman David Crockett once said, “We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money.”
And while states are not restrained as the federal government is by Article 1 Section 8 and the Tenth Amendment, the same wisdom is equally true of state and local governments.
Charity is the role of the family, friends, church and private benevolence organization. “Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government,” said James Madison.