Huh? Can someone tackle this?

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THE BIBLE & POLICY [Jonah Goldberg]

Interesting, but I’m not sure I have any response to this:

Okay Jonah, I liked your article “What is a conservative?” from May 11th. However, I an evangelical Christian, disagree with you that Jesus doesn’t have any useful advice about how to fix Social Security. God, through the Bible, has given us all the knowledge we need to deal with all life’s issues social, political, etc. Let me give you a few quotes from the Bible (I prefer the New American Standard translation, but use whichever you prefer) for political topics: Representative Government: Genesis 18:13-27 Employer rights and free market economy: Matthew 20:1-15

Welfare for those who won’t work: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Social Security/Welfare/Medicaid for those who can’t help themselves: Leviticus 19:9-10, Leviticus 23:22, James 2:15-16, I John 3:17-18, see also the book of Ruth… bottom line; it’s the job of the church, not government

Property ownership: Leviticus 25:23-31

Taxes: 2 Kings 23:35, 2 Chronicles 24:6, 2 Chronicles 24:9, 2 Chronicles 24:10, Matthew 22:17, 21, Mark 12:14,17, Luke 20:22,25

Gay Marriage: Genesis 2:20-24, I Corinthians 6:9

Death Penalty: Genesis 9:5-6

War: Ecclesiastes 3:3,7,8

Give me a topic, any topic, and I bet you that the Bible addresses it somewhere with God’s wisdom on how to handle it.

Kind Regards,

Posted at 12:30 PM
 
jlw said:
THE BIBLE & POLICY [Jonah Goldberg]

Interesting, but I’m not sure I have any response to this:

Okay Jonah, I liked your article “What is a conservative?” from May 11th. However, I an evangelical Christian, disagree with you that Jesus doesn’t have any useful advice about how to fix Social Security. God, through the Bible, has given us all the knowledge we need to deal with all life’s issues social, political, etc. Let me give you a few quotes from the Bible (I prefer the New American Standard translation, but use whichever you prefer) for political topics: Representative Government: Genesis 18:13-27 Employer rights and free market economy: Matthew 20:1-15

Welfare for those who won’t work: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Social Security/Welfare/Medicaid for those who can’t help themselves: Leviticus 19:9-10, Leviticus 23:22, James 2:15-16, I John 3:17-18, see also the book of Ruth… bottom line; it’s the job of the church, not government

Property ownership: Leviticus 25:23-31

Taxes: 2 Kings 23:35, 2 Chronicles 24:6, 2 Chronicles 24:9, 2 Chronicles 24:10, Matthew 22:17, 21, Mark 12:14,17, Luke 20:22,25

Gay Marriage: Genesis 2:20-24, I Corinthians 6:9

Death Penalty: Genesis 9:5-6

War: Ecclesiastes 3:3,7,8

Give me a topic, any topic, and I bet you that the Bible addresses it somewhere with God’s wisdom on how to handle it.

Kind Regards,
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I do apologize and forgive me for my ignorance, but what are you trying to tackle in this? Are you trying to associate Biblical teachings to a specific political party?
 
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Sooner4Christ:
I do apologize and forgive me for my ignorance, but what are you trying to tackle in this? Are you trying to associate Biblical teachings to a specific political party?
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No no no. I saw this, and not having my bible within reach to investigate his claims and analyze how the bible passages apply, I thought I would thow it over to someone who might be able to in the meantime.
 
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jlw:
No no no. I saw this, and not having my bible within reach to investigate his claims and analyze how the bible passages apply, I thought I would thow it over to someone who might be able to in the meantime.
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Online Bible available at the USCCB website: usccb.org/nab/bible/index.htm 👍
 
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jlw:
No no no. I saw this, and not having my bible within reach to investigate his claims and analyze how the bible passages apply, I thought I would thow it over to someone who might be able to in the meantime.
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Well for discussion purposes we can take 1 scripture reference at a time. I will be more than willing to discuss these claims and analyze them myself. I’m sure many people would like to see how these apply.
Representative Government: Genesis 18:13-27

Does Genesis 18:13-27 imply that we should have a representive Government?
But the LORD said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?’ 14 Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, “I didn’t laugh.” But he said, “Yes you did.” 16 The men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom; Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way. 17 The LORD reflected: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 now that he is to become a great and populous nation, and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him? 19 Indeed, I have singled him out that he may direct his sons and his posterity to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham the promises he made about him.” 20 6 Then the LORD said: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, 21 that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.” 22 While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham. 23 Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? 24 Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?” 26 The LORD replied, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham spoke up again: "See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes!

OK… the only part of this scripture that I saw that might have to do with promoting a representative Government is between 17-19. Maybe I’m struggling here, but I see no part in how this promotes a representative Government. If anything it sounds like he wanted Abraham to be a spiritual leader. When you look at verse 19, when the Lord states:
19 Indeed, I have singled him out that he may direct his sons and his posterity to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham the promises he made about him."
Anybody else have any ideas?
 
Give me a topic, any topic, and I bet you that the Bible addresses it somewhere with God’s wisdom on how to handle it.
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Hmmm. OK, how about:
Embryonic stem cell research.
Adult stem cell research.
Cloning of humans.
Cloning of animals.
Space Exploration.
Organ Donation.
Organ Selling.
Using Cell phones while driving.
The morning after pill.
Internet Porn.
Downloading Music.
Use of short selling.
Futures Trading.
Genetically enhanced corn and wheat.
TV soaps.
Police car chases.
Speeding. (Is 1 mph over the limit sinful?)
Sex Education.
Income Tax.
Use of the Historico-critical method in bible study.
Use of transliteration rather than literal translation in bibles.
 
QUOTE Give me a topic, any topic, and I bet you that the Bible addresses it somewhere with God’s wisdom on how to handle it. QUOTE

How about:

UFOs?

The ancient extremely large etched designs in some parts of the world, perfectly proportioned, and can only be viewed from the sky?

Crop circles?
 
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JimG:
Hmmm. OK, how about:
Embryonic stem cell research.
Adult stem cell research.
Cloning of humans.
Cloning of animals.
Space Exploration.
Organ Donation.
Organ Selling.
Using Cell phones while driving.
The morning after pill.
Internet Porn.
Downloading Music.
Use of short selling.
Futures Trading.
Genetically enhanced corn and wheat.
TV soaps.
Police car chases.
Speeding. (Is 1 mph over the limit sinful?)
Sex Education.
Income Tax.
Use of the Historico-critical method in bible study.
Use of transliteration rather than literal translation in bibles.
Click to expand...
Being Catholic in Faith, I believe while it may not explicitly state the answers to all the criteria that you stated, it does however implicitly imply how we should respond to the various topics you have listed. While I don’t believe in Sola Scriptura, I do believe the the BIble is the inspired word of God. Sometimes even we have questions if something is right or wrong, and while it doesn’t specifiy a specific example of that in the bible, we must seek guidance from the Holy Spirit, and we believe the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit. The Church through apostolic tradition and the Bible should always be shared in equal esteem. The Church does offer the gift of discernment through confirmation and we really need to ask for the Holy Spirits guidance, and listen to Him in topics like this.

Can these answers be found explicitly in the Bible, obviously not, but we sure can find where it imply’s based simplistic morals.

For example take the 10 Commandments for example and try to categorize each one of them.

Thou Shall Not Kill
Embryonic stem cell research. (Embryo is a Human life despite how society wants to define Life)

Adult stem cell research. (I’m not sure if this is killing Human life, does it kill the person’s spirituality, does it cause damage to one’s soul)

The morning after pill. (Whether one is pregnant or not, the act implies a selfish act and the act is killing of what has already been created)

I’m not refuting your post, but merely discussing the topic further. Those are just a few examples and I used THou Shall not Kill as one of them.
 
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Sooner4Christ:
Sometimes even we have questions if something is right or wrong, and while it doesn’t specifiy a specific example of that in the bible, we must seek guidance from the Holy Spirit, and we believe the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit. The Church through apostolic tradition and the Bible should always be shared in equal esteem. The Church does offer the gift of discernment through confirmation and we really need to ask for the Holy Spirits guidance, and listen to Him in topics like this.
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I agree with you. Because the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, it is able to remain a source of guidance about moral matters, even those which were not thought of at the time the scriptures were written. That is why the Catholic Church can be a sure guide while “bible alone” churches can not.
 
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