Welfare

I am against any kind of welfare (including corporate) on any level of government. I am against the President’s Faith-Based initiative, which puts church charitable giving programs under Federal Government guidelines. The government should get out of the business of charity, and eliminate unfair taxes, so that people can of their own freewill, give more money to their church’s benevolence programs, instead of forcing taxpayers to do it. People should buy their own insurance, and if they don’t then the government should not bail them out when something happens, especially wealthy beachfront property owners. Government should instead put more effort into forcing insurance companies pay their claims and to make their policies easier to understand.

The concept of contributing to the welfare of the poor is not, however, one that should be condemned in any and all situations (see Deuteronomy 14:28, 29). This is different from the modern concept of welfare and redistribution of wealth in several ways. First of all, it was only food that was given, not money or housing. The poor were not defined by yearly income but by being aliens, fatherless, or widows. People who make themselves poor by their own choices should not be included with those who are truly needy. The food was collected locally and stored in the towns; it was not a federal or state program. The people who received the food were probably known personally by the people who were distributing it. Finally, under the Law of Moses, people lived under God’s laws and everyone was required to participate in religious ceremonies. So this is more of a guide of what the church should be and not civil government.