Here are some comments from friends on this subject:
"A great man once said that we should read the Constitution as often as we read scriptures, that it is the doctrine of our nation."--Charity Angel Heward Davis
In my heart and on my mind today is the principle of Charity, the pure love of Christ, vs government welfare and control. If the health care bill currently being discussed were truly a means for providing quality care for all, I'm sure that none of us would complain, and we'd all do what we could to lend a hand in achieving that goal. We have proven ourselves to be compassionate people, willing to help out through the many natural disasters in our own country and around the world. The problem is that these righteous desires for the well-being of others are being used against us. Hidden in this "health care bill" are invasions of privacy, license to kill, and loss of personal choices. What disturbs me the most, and weighs on my heart today, is how hard it is to explain these things to people who take rhetoric at face value, who believe because of their own virtue and goodness that the people fighting to push through this bill are proposing it out of love and concern for their fellow man. It breaks my heart.
How many dictators, tyrants, etc. have come into power by using a most precious gift of God (the loving and generous heart) to manipulate themselves and their sponsors into ultimate power and authority over people? The only person to whom we can give that kind of power without loss of liberty and freedom is God. All others are fallible and corruptible. History has shown that righteous stewardship soon becomes tyranny when too much trust and power are given to mortal men. Instead of turning to the government to solve problems and prevent problems, we should be having national discussions on the subject, formulating our own plans and carrying them out as free individuals, families, churches, and communities.
Here are some thought on bailouts, and handouts. I knew a woman who had cerebral palsy. She led a fairly normal life and was accomplished and happy. When I asked her what made the difference for her, she said that here mother had insisted on her learning to do for herself. Her mother didn't look at her as one who could never achieve, but as one who with a lot of hard work and effort could overcome obstacles in her life. Her wise mother new that she was capable of handling the challenges in her life. By not giving her all she needed and encouraging her to do for herself she not only facilitated independence, she facilitated happiness, self-esteem, and confidence. She provided her with tools contributing to her independence not dependence. Sometimes we like the capable feeling we get from helping out others and forget to let them feel that for themselves. This is how I see the damage we cause our fellowmen and our nation as a whole when we bailout people who could bailout themselves. When I have been denied the help I have asked for and done for myself it has been a building block for my character and my self-esteem.
What we could learn from the great depression is that government control made it worse and that the people of this nation can survive and learn new skills to thrive in the most difficult of circumstances, and that we pull together to help each other as much as we possibly can. We need to stop living in fear of what will happen and start making corrections in our own lives to make a difference in the outcome. The wealth of our nation at this time is a mask. Our apparent prosperity is a masquerade. A country as much in debt as ours which is not producing as much as we are importing cannot be said to be wealthy. Who really has more money, the guy in the neighborhood who drives a nice car wears nice clothes, has a huge home who owes more than he earns or the guy with a modest home, modest car, modest clothes and has no debt and puts aside money each month? Right now we are like the first. We have many nice things, many luxuries, but we are so far in debt that our grandchildren's children will still be trying to pay it off. We are in poverty, we are just trying to live as if we still had it all. We need to stop running around trying to rescue and start taking responsibility and expecting others to do the same.
In my heart and on my mind today is the principle of Charity, the pure love of Christ, vs government welfare and control. If the health care bill currently being discussed were truly a means for providing quality care for all, I'm sure that none of us would complain, and we'd all do what we could to lend a hand in achieving that goal. We have proven ourselves to be compassionate people, willing to help out through the many natural disasters in our own country and around the world. The problem is that these righteous desires for the well-being of others are being used against us. Hidden in this "health care bill" are invasions of privacy, license to kill, and loss of personal choices. What disturbs me the most, and weighs on my heart today, is how hard it is to explain these things to people who take rhetoric at face value, who believe because of their own virtue and goodness that the people fighting to push through this bill are proposing it out of love and concern for their fellow man. It breaks my heart.
How many dictators, tyrants, etc. have come into power by using a most precious gift of God (the loving and generous heart) to manipulate themselves and their sponsors into ultimate power and authority over people? The only person to whom we can give that kind of power without loss of liberty and freedom is God. All others are fallible and corruptible. History has shown that righteous stewardship soon becomes tyranny when too much trust and power are given to mortal men. Instead of turning to the government to solve problems and prevent problems, we should be having national discussions on the subject, formulating our own plans and carrying them out as free individuals, families, churches, and communities.
Here are some thought on bailouts, and handouts. I knew a woman who had cerebral palsy. She led a fairly normal life and was accomplished and happy. When I asked her what made the difference for her, she said that here mother had insisted on her learning to do for herself. Her mother didn't look at her as one who could never achieve, but as one who with a lot of hard work and effort could overcome obstacles in her life. Her wise mother new that she was capable of handling the challenges in her life. By not giving her all she needed and encouraging her to do for herself she not only facilitated independence, she facilitated happiness, self-esteem, and confidence. She provided her with tools contributing to her independence not dependence. Sometimes we like the capable feeling we get from helping out others and forget to let them feel that for themselves. This is how I see the damage we cause our fellowmen and our nation as a whole when we bailout people who could bailout themselves. When I have been denied the help I have asked for and done for myself it has been a building block for my character and my self-esteem.
What we could learn from the great depression is that government control made it worse and that the people of this nation can survive and learn new skills to thrive in the most difficult of circumstances, and that we pull together to help each other as much as we possibly can. We need to stop living in fear of what will happen and start making corrections in our own lives to make a difference in the outcome. The wealth of our nation at this time is a mask. Our apparent prosperity is a masquerade. A country as much in debt as ours which is not producing as much as we are importing cannot be said to be wealthy. Who really has more money, the guy in the neighborhood who drives a nice car wears nice clothes, has a huge home who owes more than he earns or the guy with a modest home, modest car, modest clothes and has no debt and puts aside money each month? Right now we are like the first. We have many nice things, many luxuries, but we are so far in debt that our grandchildren's children will still be trying to pay it off. We are in poverty, we are just trying to live as if we still had it all. We need to stop running around trying to rescue and start taking responsibility and expecting others to do the same.
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