The Bible and taxes

(Providence Lithograph Co. 1897)

In recent years, a recurring theme among progressives and liberals is that Christians have a duty to pay taxes and not resist tax increases because of Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 22:21 to “render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” when asked by the Pharisees if Jews should pay tribute or taxes to the Roman government.  According to this line of reasoning, modern Americans should happily pay ever-increasing taxes because Jesus said that the Roman coins belonged to Caesar.

 

Progressives also point out that Jesus, on numerous occasions instructed his followers to help the poor.  His instruction to the rich, young ruler in Matthew 19:21 was to sell everything he had and give it to the poor.  In Luke 6:20, he said that the poor were blessed and would inherit the kingdom of God.  In Matthew 25:40, Jesus equates helping the poor with aiding Jesus himself.  In one famous passage, Jesus says that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24).

 

Read the rest of this article on Examiner.com:

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/the-bible-and-taxes

Tags: bible, charity, entitlement, Jesus Christ, medicare, social security, tax, taxes