- Joined
- Jan 12, 2005
- Messages
- 23,580
- Reaction score
- 12,388
- Location
- New Mexico
- Gender
- Female
- Political Leaning
- Independent
In EVERY system those who legally aqure what they have are entitled to it ... that isn't capitalism, that's EVERYTHING, the question is what is the legal framework, what is the system, the bible is Clear on what it thinks about systems where the wealthy prosper and the poor suffer, and it's also Clear about what systems and legal frameworks it supports, which is always communal and egalitarian.
We simply have different ideas about what capitalism is then. There is nothing in capitalism to suggest that people cannot choose communal living, but it is voluntary, not mandated. There is nothing in capitalism that suggests lack of concern for the poor, but the Bible is clear that such, including the tithe, is a voluntary act and not something that people are forced to do. And capitalism is certainly egalitarian, most especially in a system in which rights are secured. But there is certainly nothing in the Bible to suggest that people are not supposed to prosper, that people are not expected to look to their own prosperity, that those who are able are not supposed to work for what they have, or that the people expect the government to provide for them. There is instruction in the Bible that the people are to obey those in authority, pay their taxes, and don't cause trouble - even slaves were ordered to submit to and obey their masters. BUT. . .if the government orders us to disobey God, we are to obey God and not government.
Bringing the train back onto the tracks here, I think many mainline churches are declining because they distort the core elements of Bible teaching that is from top down (i.e. a God to the people) concept. They promote a leftwing social gospel in which people decide what is right or wrong and the church becomes unimportant in that. God's law gets lost in the shuffle. A theology based on people law instead of God's law becomes empty and pointless after awhile, most especially when Jesus the Christ as Lord and Savior becomes less and less relevant and important amidst other teachings. Those who enjoy the social contacts their church offers them will stay, but many will fall away. And while I grew up in the Methodist church and attended the Presbyterian church all during my college years, sadly both have somewhat fallen victim to that mainline church phenomenon and I think both, along with other mainline churches, have suffered the consequences of substituting an ecumenical social gospel for a strong message of salvation.