The Greed of Lower Taxes

I find it strange that so many religious Republicans support lowering
taxes.

They seem to feel that taxes promote a sense of entitlement in
the poor, and they most commonly use 2 Thessalonians 3:10 as their
support.
This verse reads, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded
you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." The letters to
the Thessalonians were written by Paul circa 51 AD. Around 12 years
later circa 63 AD, Luke in Acts describes a much different Christian
society than we live today. Acts 4:34-35 says, “There was not a needy
person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and
brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’
feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” So obviously the
early Christians were not living in a capitalist society like us. They
were all working for the common good not individual wealth creation
like today.

I counter that the blind support for lowering taxes and the
resulting decreased benefits to our society can also be considered a
sin called greed. In fact, greed is one of the seven deadly sins. Take
into account that many religious Republicans will also say, “the
government should keep their hands out of my wallet.”
I think this statement is an indicator of the potential greed. The
Bible clearly teaches us that our money is not ours, but that it is
God’s. “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and
the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is
yours” (1 Chronicles 29:11). Also, the Bible says much about giving to
the poor especially in the New Testament. However, here is a great
example from the Old Testament, “When you reap the harvest of your
land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the
gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for
the alien: I am the Lord your God (Leviticus 23:22).

Some would still argue that individual generosity is the ideal
approach to giving. I agree we should give as individuals, but is that
enough? Today, we don’t have individuals harvesting the fields. Instead
we have huge corporations such as ADM and Cargill harvesting the
fields. Likewise, we can’t depend on individual contributions for our
transportation and defense. Therefore, how could we possibly think that
individual contributions are enough to address the needs of the poor
today?

Many of my fellow Christians talk about the downfall of our society.
However, these same people continue to undercut that society by
reducing the services provided. Undoubtedly our society’s morals are
reflected in our tax system. I agree that we should focus on
efficiency, and I support lowering taxes if we can maintain the level
of services provided to the under-privileged. My concern is that as
public funds diminish we simply sacrifice compassion. As a result, the
efforts to lower taxes appear to be greedy and not socially just.

Orginally published at http://www.adamparish.org/blog/politics/the-greed-of-lower-taxes/