{"id":382,"date":"2013-01-07T11:23:01","date_gmt":"2013-01-07T17:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ebcsv.com\/blog\/?p=382"},"modified":"2015-05-21T05:48:38","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T10:48:38","slug":"should-the-rich-pay-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebcsv.com\/pa\/should-the-rich-pay-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Should the Rich Pay More!?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Paying your fair share\"images\"<\/h4>\n

Is it morally responsible and Biblically faithful to expect the rich to pay more than the poor? With all the debate over \u201cgoing over the fiscal cliff\u201d, deficits, entitlements and debt ceilings, it has become increasingly in vogue to beat up on the rich and make them the brunt of national scorn.\u00a0 To be sure the Bible is filled with admonitions to the rich to be careful to not make their riches their God, but the Scriptures are also filled with examples of very godly men and women who were wealthy.\u00a0 Wealth itself is not the problem- only the love of money that is condemned.\u00a0 When a rich man is faithful as a steward of God, his wealth is a great blessing to the kingdom and to others.<\/p>\n

Of course the logic behind this redistributive philosophy goes something like this:\u00a0 \u201cThey have so much, they wouldn\u2019t miss it anyway!\u201d\u00a0 Since they have made their money and are living so lavishly, wouldn\u2019t it seem plausible to only make them give a little more?\u00a0 And so the Socialist mantra goes- but does this square in the real world?\u00a0 We could examine the economic theories behind all this and analyze the statistics of how much increasing the tax burden on the rich would actually help, but instead lets look at a passage in Scripture to see what God may say.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel\u2026\u201d Exodus 30:15.\u00a0 This verse is part of a statute that God directed Moses to institute in Israel concerning the care of the Tabernacle.\u00a0 The passage directs that everyone over the age of 20, at the time of National census was to bring a \u201ctax\u201d to the Tabernacle for the care of it.\u00a0 This was in addition to the regular tithe that was exacted on Israel for the care of the poor and support of the Levites.\u00a0 In this Theocratic system, there was no separation of Church and State.\u00a0 Instead, the State and Religion were merged into one entity.\u00a0 Therefore, the equivalent of our taxation was the tithe and this shekel offering.\u00a0 The tithe was proportionate to income and the Shekel tax was a flat tax.\u00a0 Both treated the rich and poor exactly the same.\u00a0 Everyone paid their fair share.\u00a0 There were no exemptions and there were no discounts.\u00a0 This is true justice.\u00a0 The rich are not penalized for their initiative nor are the poor incentivized to stay poor by entitlement.<\/p>\n

God knows best- Just something to think about.<\/p>\n

Tim<\/p>\n

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