[Danzig]

Originally Posted by joeydb

Because confiscatory taxation or mandated redistribution of wealth is not charity. Charity starts with the free giving of something, without coercion, from the giver to the recipient.

I would bet that Jesus would not be for coercion and redistribution by force, backed by the government - whether it be our government or the Roman Empire that ultimately executed him. This is all hypothetical - I don't make a habit of trying to guess what the Almighty thinks, but from what can be read in the Bible, I think he saw charity as the free act of one to another without government involvement.

On a less religious level, do you really expect that just because people are Christian, that they will just go along with a government program that turns their $400/month medical insurance into a $950/month plan with less pertinent coverage for them (or categories they don't need), and higher deductibles? That's the same as saying that the government is taking $550 more a month out of their pockets, and the equivalent food out of their kids mouths. And, the government's action in that case is decidedly un-Christian towards that family, and another step in the direction of tyrrany.