Is it Christian to impress shame and humiliation on the poor people by ceasing state help (another socialism vs capitalism discussion)?

[arvo]

Dear @ZemD, do you have some economic evidence (e.g. peer-reviewed reserach, working papers from the IMF or Board of the Federal Reserve, Amercian Economic Association journals etc.?) which can support your claim?

I meant that if churches were given the amount of revenue states bring in with taxes, they would use more of it to actually provided needed goods and services, and have less administrative waste.

Or are you basing you claim on:

• just andecdotal evidence?
• disregarding the monetary value of volunteer work. When making efficiency assessment we should factor in the monetary value of the volunteer work as well, because work done in the service of the Church is not work done for the monetary value creation and it actually depletes the resources owned by the volunteers and payable to the charity in cash.

My guess is that carefully planned, with centralized supply chains, with large scale buying tenders and competition and bargaining power that comes with it - all this make government agencies more efficient. But again - it is my guess. I am not specialist in these questions, I abstain to make bold claims. But my guess is that planned help which is supported by the antrhopology research etc. should be really efficient. And not just help for food, shelter, but also intervention to provide education, skill building opportunities.

 

[ZemD]

I am basing my claim on the fact that government is wasteful and inefficient in everything it does.

 

[StudentMI]

I would suggest studying Catholic social teaching.

 

[Bill_B_NY]

The state should be subject to Christ the King.
Failing that, under a secularist or masonic or atheistic system - it’s hard to see how government action will have good overall results.

 

[JamesCaruso]

I don’t accept your premise that privat-based charities necessarily induce shame and humiliation. To the extent that some do, they need to work on that aspect until it is rooted out, but I can’t bring myself to believe that it is an inherent shortcoming and that state-run programs are necessarily better. And, like others have said before me, capitalism can still function well in a state that has welfare programs. And what is a private charity but a welfare program? All such programs, private or state-run, have criteria for distribution of whatever help they are providing. The way I see it, first, individuals should be charitable, then private organizations, and if the individuals and private charities fall short, government can pick up the loose ends. At least, that’s the way I feel it should be.

 

[upant]

Maybe state social programs are more Christian because their prevent the burden of shame and humiliation, because they function according to the Evangelical principle ''one hand don’t know what other hand has done so good"?

these so-called welfare programs do not have the welfare of the recipients in mind. they destroy the family unit and keep people poor.