The proper role of government in a Christian society

Today I read my brother Michael's Thoughts. He wrote about Faith and Politics and I enjoyed reading this so much that I wrote a comment that was probably much too long. Anyway, because I find it hard to find time to post I thought I would reuse my comment as a post here.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the role of government in education, healthcare and welfare. I do not have a solid conviction on them yet but I want to share some of my thoughts.

I have heard some discussion on the use of government to coerce people into doing good. Basically by taxing for welfare the government is using the point of a gun to make me give to the poor. Now, giving to the poor is a good thing and nearly commanded in the New Testament, but if it is coerced is it still good? If my giving is not from a heart of love then it is not a following of Gods direction but an attempt to stay out of jail.

Again on education, the government uses the point of a gun (laws with penalties) to force me to pay taxes for government schooling. My biggest issue with this is the teaching of evolution as the only origin of man. This is directly contrary to my religious and intellectual beliefs! And the atheistic assumptions behind evolution are just as religious as the 6-day creation assumptions that I believe the Bible teach.

On the other hand, there are no easy solutions to these issues. I believe that government comes in where we fail to govern ourselves. If the church were taking care of the poor and educating children the way we should government would not need to. I think we need to educate ourselves on the proper role of government in a Christian society.

Revolt Against Debt

In my last post I told about the Total Money Makeover that Shagga and I are going through. In this process we have decided to STOP USING CREDIT CARDS!

Credit cards and credit in general is deceptive. It gives us the illusion that we will be able to keep the money we have now and get what we want now. The truth is that the credit puts us in bondage. Over time it sucks the life right out of us. Proverbs 22:7 says, "the borrower is servant to the lender."

Also, with credit we spend more. If we spend cash we spend less. This is a simple concept -- not easy, but simple!

Here is a list of some of the Myths and Truths from Dave Ramsey's web site:

The Truth About Debt
Myth: Debt is a tool and should be used to help create prosperity.
Truth: Debt isn't used by wealthy people nearly as much as we are led to believe.

The Truth About Credit Card Debt
Myth: Aren't there positive uses of a credit card? Like rebates and airline miles?
Truth: Responsible use of a credit card does not exist. Credit card debt is a major problem in America.

The Truth About Teens and Credit Cards
Myth: Make sure your teenager gets a credit card so he or she will learn to be responsible with money.
Truth: Getting a credit card for your teenager is an excellent way to teach him or her to be financially irresponsible. That's why teens are now the #1 target of credit card companies.

The Truth About Debt Consolidation
Myth: Debt consolidation saves interest, and you have one smaller payment.
Truth: Debt consolidation is dangerous because you treat only the symptom.

You can find several of the other myths and truths at the end of The Truth About Debt.