Comments on: Christianity and healthcare reform

By: Christianity and Welfare « Notes From Babel

Christianity and Welfare « Notes From Babel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:05:40 +0000

[...] a comment » Every now and then someone will quote this passage from the Acts of the Apostles to suggest some level of credence to the notion that Christians ought [...]

By: timkowal

timkowal — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:50:34 +0000

The passage from Acts underscores the importance of recognizing natural, God-given rights to our property and labor, as in the conservative framework, as opposed to the positive, state-appropriated licenses to property under the progressive framework. The believers described in Acts do not suggest in any way that our bundles of rights ought to be entrusted to the state. Instead, they recognize the common source of our rights, a gift from God to man, whose stewardship over those rights ought to be a testimony of that relationship. Just as there is no need to appropriate parents’ property rights to their children, Acts does not in any way suggest that a Christians’ property rights ought to be entrusted in the state so that they may be re-appropriated to their fellow citizens. The sharing among family members, and charity among believers, has nothing to do with political egalitarianism.

By: elsewhere | The League of Ordinary Gentlemen

elsewhere | The League of Ordinary Gentlemen — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:48:09 +0000

[...] about abortion and federal subsidies, the affable yet befuddled Michael Steele, abortion again, and Christianity & healthcare reform (among other things). If you’re interested stop by and leave me some comments about how [...]

By: dennis sanders

dennis sanders — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:15:55 +0000

Erik,

I thought you might want to know that I wrote a blog post on the subject yesterday: http://republicansunited.us/2009/11/what-does-the-lord-require-of-republicans/

Hope it gives more food for thought.

By: What Does the Lord Require of Republicans? | Republicans United.

What Does the Lord Require of Republicans? | Republicans United. — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:08:42 +0000

[...] Republicans, but when it comes to caring for our fellow sisters and brothers there is very little. E.D. Kain makes the case that many in the base of the GOP are not acting that “Christian:̶… I think fiscal conservatism and Christianity are compatible, but I don’t think that reconciling [...]

By: davidlosangeles

davidlosangeles — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:14:10 +0000

Mr. Kain,

The question of health care reform is not a religious debate, it is a political debate. It is about using the organs of government to achieve a particular goal, in this case changing how health care insurance is provided. This should be a fairly cut and dry debate about costs and benefits of various policies.

The opponents of health care reform are injecting religion in an attempt to preclude exactly that technical discussion where they do not have any strong arguments to a discussion where they feel they have stronger arguments. This is a diversion to avoid discussing the real issues.

Whether health care reform is or is not consistent with Christianity first excludes all non-Christians from the discussion. Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, &c are immediately excluded from the discussion which is not very democratic in my view. Moreover, even among Christians who gets to decide what is or is not Christian. Conveniently of course it is conservative Christians who have the upper hand in that discussion.

However, most importantly, what is or is not “Christian” is not the standard against which public policy is evaluated, at least not in this country. Even if a public policy were somehow to be determined to be antithetical to Christianity but were good public polity, what difference would that make?

While Christian may wish to debate among themselves whether health care reform meets the standards of Christianity, the public debate that matters about health care reform must necessarily preclude that question.

By: E.D. Kain

E.D. Kain — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:17:49 +0000

We’re on a similar page, Dennis. The Christian Democrats have a lot of good ideas to offer – especially in Germany but also Northern Europe. I was hard pressed to decide between American Tory and Christian Democrat for the blog title!

By: dennis sanders

dennis sanders — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:12:58 +0000

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. While my politics are on the center-right, I have always been informed by my faith to find ways to care for the poor. As a Christian and as a minister, I have believed in caring for those who are without food and having been without health care at some point in my life, I have wanted to find a way to make sure people have access to health care. Conservative politics are supposed to find ways that are not so centralized and I agree with that. Take health care: I don’t support the Democratic plan of single payer health care because I am not crazy about such heavy government interference and the history of horribe mismanagement. That said, the Christian answer is not to just ignore the problem, but find ways methods where the government can insure people have health care without running the show. I think in this case, conservatives should be looking at things like the Singapore plan or something along that scale instead of talking about the spectere of socialism.

One of the things that I have been interested in is Christian Democracy with its focus on subsidarity and Catholic (and Reformed) social teaching. Since the Christian Democrats are the center-right party in many European countries, maybe its time to start looking to this as a way to make conservatism in the US more humane.

By: E.D. Kain

E.D. Kain — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:53:05 +0000

Absolutely. Special interests are a huge problem in government, and should be the focus of both parties at this point – but of course, that isn’t going to happen.

By: fleetlee

fleetlee — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:27:18 +0000

Excellent post. I think we are going to need to reform government and the corruption the lobbyists money has created before we can have “community” again in this country. Both Dem’s and Republicans are outraged by the “government” and try and shout at each other rather than look for workable solutions. People are frustrated they really have no voice because most Congressmen only listen to the money.