Letters: ‘A hand up, not a hand out’

I am tired of people using Jesus’ teachings to trash conservatives. Re: A letter in The Advocate, “Readers Views, May 25, by Jo Ann Knowles, retired teacher, Abbeville, “Do evil people walk among us?”

She starts by saying that she has never been a believer in “The End Times.” I’m sorry, but if you are going to use Jesus’ teaching as a guide post, then you have to believe in the essence of his earthly ministry. That he came as a sacrificial lamb to be the atonement for sin and that he will come again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus says in John 14:2-3. “In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

When she refers to Jesus saying “the least among us,” she takes him completely out of context. Jesus was referring to personal responsibility. He wants each of us, to take care of “the least among us” not government.

The only reference that I have found of Jesus about government is when the Pharisees ask him in Matthew 22:17, 19-21: “Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ... “Show Me the tax money.” So they brought him a denarius. And he said to them, “whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them “Render therefore to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Yes, evil people do walk among us, but they are not all conservatives. We conservatives are just as compassionate as the liberals. We just believe it our responsibilities to govern ourselves and to take care of our own families, friends and neighbors, not government’s. Government’s role is to protect us and keep us safe. Only taxes necessary to fulfill this is needed and should be collected. Then we would have the resources to do what Christ commands us as individuals to do. “And the King will answer and say to them ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to me.’ ” A hand up, not a hand out.

All Bible quotes NKJV

Carroll L. Morgan

retired law enforcement

Crowley

Comments

1) Comment by gumbo33 - 12/06/2012

Seems as though the industrial revolution renders this momentary discourse nullified.

2) Comment by bourbon-soda - 12/06/2012

A bipartisan neologism worthy of one of my personal favorite dramatis personae, Algonquin J. Calhoun Esq.

3) Comment by Scrooge - 12/06/2012

Masqueradation: The practice of self-gratification with a shallow, faux, intellectualism masquerading as ideological depth, likely caused by an obsession with political advertising and profit -driven structures where truth is relative to that profit.

4) Comment by nimby? - 11/06/2012

this discourse is another example of what is wrong with the world , "I'm right and you're an idiot" , more later .....

5) Comment by Whatnow - 11/06/2012

Yes, Carroll, the devil also knows the scriptures. And he knows exactly who to pick to use them to his advantage.

6) Comment by bourbon-soda - 11/06/2012

Raising the question of whether religiously derived compassion coerced via the state violates the wall of separation.

7) Comment by DMJ - 11/06/2012

Yeah...see everyone? It's totally Christian to act like a selfish jerk. Thanks for clearing up, Carroll! And thanks for the special insight in to what Jesus REALLY meant. Next time you talk with Hey Zeus, tell him I said, 'what up!' Seriously though, I don't blame Mrs. Morgan for being tired of hearing the teachings of Jesus used against American Conservatism. I mean...who wants to be constantly reminded of their own hypocrisy?

8) Comment by bourbon-soda - 10/06/2012

Coerced redistribution involves economic self-interest of recipients and redistributors (public choice economics). Masqueradation?

9) Comment by Scrooge - 10/06/2012

Yep, it is ridiculously easy to discredit ad hominem claims, isn't it? Even putting aside the retirement option, pretense in its many guises, including an assertion of economic self-interest as a Christian mandate or ill-considered ideological masqueradation can be fairly self-evident as well.

10) Comment by bourbon-soda - 10/06/2012

We are not yet communist, but demeaning the opinion of anyone who wants to stop growth or even shrink government on the basis that he probably gets some government benefits is an easy gig.

11) Comment by Scrooge - 10/06/2012

"In the ultimate example of the communist state, that everyone's livelihood passes through government's hands serves a a rationale for suppression of criticism of government." Therefore, Louisiana must be a communist state, given the actions of Jindal, the self-professed wonder boy of the right, toward those, especially on the government payroll, who would dare criticize his governance

12) Comment by Scrooge - 10/06/2012

The rationale for criticism comes from Mr. Morgan's own words, not any ideological position. Mr. Morgan states "We just believe it our responsibilities to govern ourselves and to take care of our own families, friends and neighbors, not government’s. Government’s role is to protect us and keep us safe. Only taxes necessary to fulfill this is needed and should be collected." and then exceeds these arbitrary limits with his government retirement check. Mostly, I just point out inconsistencies and logical fallacies on these forums in a better effort to understand the thinking myself, if that is suppression than any criticism of my posts qualify as suppression as well. Personally, I find it a categorical imperative to base my political views on rational consideration instead of propaganda and ideological whimsy. Maybe more people should. Try again without an ideological, hyperbolic justification. Hey, I'm open, just doesn't appear to be a whole lot of depth out there.

13) Comment by bourbon-soda - 10/06/2012

What is ironic is that having one's earnings cycled through government into a retirement program should be construed as undermining criticism of redistribution. In the ultimate example of the communist state, that everyone's livelihood passes through government's hands serves a a rationale for suppression of criticism of government.

14) Comment by Scrooge - 09/06/2012

Rather ironic, isn't it, that Mr. Morgan, gets a government retirement check every month? The take care of one and one's own argument as "take care of our own families, friends and neighbors..."rings hollow since Mr. Morgan states that Christ "came as a sacrificial lamb to be the atonement for sin and that he will come again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords". Nowhere in the New Testament can I find the qualification of "those most like and genetically related to me". As Mr. Morgan implies attempts to interpret Christ's teachings in terms of an earthly governance are fragile at best so why would he then proceed to interpret Christ's teachings as a justification for his view of earthly governance? Econocentric world views are contradicted quite often in the New Testament, therefore justification for an econocentric world view cannot be justified in terms of Christ's teachings. This letter is about nothing, a futile grasping of dust.

15) Comment by jdk944 - 09/06/2012

Great letter Ms. Morgan. I totally agree. To @twinkie1cat, you say you are an evanglical Christian and then you choose to slander ALL conservatives, being guilty of the same thing Ms. Morgan talks about in this letter concerning Ms. Knowles letter!! Really?? So are you saying ALL liberals are making the world a better place?? Jesus talked significantly about personal responsibility, being accountable, etc., morality, values, sin etc. Bottom line, many more conservatives ARE Christians and work at practicing Jesus' example and God's word in The Bible, than Liberals. While we have all fallen short, most of us conservatives, DO NOT "need to be pushed to do their Christian duty", to use your words. How shallow!! And the church is guilty of letting government do what they should be doing, taking care of their own. I totally disagree with your claim that the world is to big. Have the courage to see the truth!! It is what it is!!

16) Comment by twinkie1cat - 09/06/2012

Thing is, Ms. Knowles is right. And how can you say that Jesus was not trying to influence the government when he talked about how to care for the poor when the Pharisees were always tagging along behind him so they could influence the government to eventually kill him? Conservatives were the Louisiana Family Forum of ancient Israel. The world is too big for individual religious charities to do what is necessary to improve the lot of people in need by themselves. Conservatives need to be pushed to do their Christian duty if they are going to claim to be followers of Christ because the way they are now is a hindrance to the Holy Spirit. And part of that duty is to push the government into doing what is right, just like Jesus did. Jesus was radical left. He upset all the rules and regulations the Pharisees had established to get over on people. As for the end times, I am an evangelical Christian who DOES take that literally and I think we need to be prepared for the Second Coming, the Tribulation, and the Rapture because conservatives are trying to make the world bad enough for Jesus to come on back.

17) Comment by dday198 - 09/06/2012

both sides beat people over the head with the bible to make their point even those getting a government check welfare or otherwise.