by Jerry Berggren

Created on: April 27, 2008   Last Updated: April 28, 2008

The federal government has hijacked the role of the church through the involuntary redistribution of wealth. The federal taxation system is a mandatory system. Whether you want to or not, the government will collect taxes from one person in excess of the government services they receive. On the flip side, some people will receive more government services than their contribution in taxes. The taxations system is mandatory. You either participate or you get removed from society.

The moral and ethical foundation of Western society, the Holy Bible, teaches the opposite: God loves a joyful giver. When you give out of love and compassion, your gift means that much more to both you and the one you gave it to. I know very few people who enjoy paying taxes. Giving voluntarily also makes the relationship between the two parties personal. It is this personal relationship upon which community is formed. The church is nothing without community.

Having an intermediary, like the government, in the relationship between the giver and the recipient sterilizes the relationship. The giver can remain somewhat ignorant (and happily so) of the condition of the receiver, and the receiver will naturally develop a certain level of disdain toward the antiseptic giver.

So what would happen if the government got out of the business of wealth redistribution and social services?

In India, the religious and social structure of that country has created a caste system whereby some groups of people are condemned to the squalor they live in. The Hindu underpinning is that, if those living in those wretched conditions can improve their spiritual condition, they will be reincarnated into a more upscale lifestyle in a future life. The hope for the Hindu is not in this current life.

In a nation that is predominantly based on a Judeo-Christian ethic, presumably, love and compassion for fellow man will prompt many to meet the needs of the "least of these." Where love and compassion are not present to move people to action, shame will prompt the same response.

If government were to get out of the business of social services and charity, then the level of taxation on individuals and businesses would be cut dramatically. For the sake of argument let's say taxes would be cut in half. With a lower tax burden, people would have more time to work for the benefit of themselves and, if they choose, for the less fortunate, all while maintaining or improving their own lifestyle.

Today we work to mid-May, on average,

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