Monday, August 31, 2009

Synchroblog on a Christian Response to Healthcare

Today is a SynchroBlog release on the subject of Healthcare from a Christian Perspective. Steve Hayes at the blog Khanya suggested this subject, and you can follow his link below to read his thoughts. The other contrubutors are listed below. I will respond later today with my post on the subject.

Phil Wyman at Square No More (that's me): Clowns to the Left. Jokers to the Right. Stuck in the Middle of the Health Care Debate
K.W. Leslie at The Evening of Kent: Christian's Responsibility to Healthcare
Ellen Haroutunain: Christian Perspectives on Health Care
Steve Hayes at Khanya: Self-evident Truths and Moral Turpitude
Kimber Caldwell at Convergence: Is Health Care a Right?
Beth Patterson at Virtual Tea House: Baby Steps Toward More Humane Humanity
Liz Dyer at Grace Rules Weblog: A Christian Perspective on Health Care Reform
Kathy Escobar at Carnival in My Head: It's Easy to be Against Health Care Reform When You Have Insurance
Susan Barnes at A Book Look: Carrying Your Own Load

4 comments:

Ellany said...

Phil, I found this post interesting and wanted to leave you the comment I left on the original post:

Taxation IS theft, and in America it is backed by government use of force should you not comply. Perhaps you might not SEE someone holding a gun to anyone's head and demanding their wallet, but think about if I were to refuse to pay my taxes. Ultimately, it would result in the police or Feds using force (violent, if necessary) to get me to comply or incarcerating me against my will.

You say that our society exalts profits over people, but that's not the case. When you work for a living, but someone else takes your money, that's called slavery. Should I submit to slavery so that you can have free healthcare? Does one wrong produce a right?

Also, should we relegate to government the role of the Church? You seem to believe that as Christians, we are neglecting the poor and the sick. Granted. But should we throw in the towel on improving the Church and allow the government to take up our job? ESPECIALLY considering that we are supposed to be doing good works in order to lead people to Christ? How exactly will government accomplish that? Have you noticed that in countries where the government provides all those things, the population is decidedly anti-God and anti-Christian? Why look to God or the Church when you have Big Brother?

Also, are we thinking too small as Christians concerned about healthcare? Perhaps we should look to the example of Christ who did not start a sick fund or pay for people's operations, but he healed them! He said we would do greater things than he did, was he referring to passing a healthcare bill? Maybe we need to think more with heaven's mindset and start praying for the sick to be healed, than paying for the sick to maintain illness.

I agree with your point that it is wrong to take money from people in order to kill people, but that doesn't justify taking money from anyone for ANY reason. All taxes are immoral, whether they're to fund libraries, streets, healthcare or war. Unfortunately, we're either too lazy or too unimaginative to realize how effective (as well as moral) privatization is.

Pastor Phil said...

Hi Ellie,

I do not agree that all taxes are immoral. Otherwise, Jesus could never have said "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's," but there is most certainly a case where taxation does become robbery, especially in a federalist republic, and modified democracy such as we live in. I personally think that we have passed that point sometime ago.

I also agree that when Jesus healed the sick He was involved in the most dynamic social justice program in history - may that be revisited, and break out again!

Steve Hayes said...

Romans 13:7 also has something to say on the topic of taxes. I don't know any country in the world where there are no taxes.

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