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November -
December 2005 The Sabbath Sentinel
Editorial
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Compassion ... So Called
by Ken Ryland
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Through two recent hurricanes we have witnessed once again
the incredible generosity and compassion of Americans in general
and Christians in particular. People from all over the U.S.
streamed into the American Gulf coast to pull people they have
never met from rooftops and minister to the hurting and the
hungry. Without regard for themselves, they came to feed, clothe,
and shelter the homeless. Many have stayed to help rebuild the
lives and dreams of strangers. Churches from 2,000 miles away
quickly organized disaster relief teams to provide food, water,
and clothing. Some have taken leaves of absence from their jobs
to rebuild houses, clean away debris, and restore electricity,
water, and sewerage. This is the best we have to offer as a
country, and it was very much in evidence in the aftermath of
hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These heart warming scenes of
heroism, restoration, and self sacrifice were, thankfully, the
norm in these disasters just as in the times past.
We also got a glimpse of a very ugly side of American life. In
retrospect, it is true that the American press grossly
exaggerated the problems in New Orleans. There were preliminary
estimates of 10,000 deaths, as well as reports of rapes and
murders inside the city's domed stadium where many of Hurricane
Katrina's refugees fled for safety. Although it was bad enough,
there were really only about 1,000 who died in all the states
affected by Katrina, and the stories of rapes and murders inside
the stadium were fabricated to gain the attention of the press.
It seems that the press was more than willing to believe such
exaggerations without proof.
In contrast to what we all witnessed in New Orleans, those who
prepared themselves by heeding the warnings and either leaving
the impact area or making extensive preparations fared much
better. These people were prepared to take care of themselves and
to help others in need all with no desire for personal
recognition. They demanded little in assistance, and, as a
result, were quickly overlooked by media types and politicians.
After all, who is interested in the self reliant and independent?
They offer no opportunity to display a politician's or news
anchor's compassion on every TV screen in America.
What has become evident is that we have two distinct definitions
of compassion. Most Americans will do whatever is necessary to
help others in times of need. We continue to live on the legacy
of our Christian past where the Golden Rule was the standard of
conduct that most citizens considered to be the norm.
Unfortunately, because of the institutionalization of
"compassion" through our welfare system, we have
created an entire class of people who are perpetually dependent
on the tax dollars (compassion?) of other citizens, and have
little regard for the burden they place of hard working and
independent citizens. I am not talking about those who have
genuine need and are not capable of taking care of themselves. I
am talking about people who make a living by living off the hard
work of others. These are the people who harassed police, looted
stores, and threatened those who managed to maintain a supply of
food and water. It was these people who horrified America and the
world.
Is this a problem of government or the Church? Some may say the
government has created this problem. However, I think that many
churches have been more than willing to surrender to the
government their God given responsibility of taking care of the
poor and needy. This is particularly true of liberal
denominations. They seem to see government welfare as an
extension of the Church's obligation toward the needy. If there
is a problem concerning the separation of Church and State, this
is where it lies. On the other hand, Bible believing churches not
only accept as one's individual responsibility the Bible's
mandate to care for the needy, they also believe the words of
the apostle Paul, "If anyone will not work let him not
eat," (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The apostle also states in
Ephesians 4:28, "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather
let him labor doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be
able to give to those who are in need."
By allowing government to assume an increasingly greater role in
supplying the needs of our citizens, we have created a permanent
class of needy people whose lives never get any better and who
see the "compassion" (handouts) from their government
as their right. Since government operates as a political force
and not as a moral force, there is never a sense of obligation on
the part of the recipients of welfare, nor is there
accountability for the dollars and services rendered. This kind
of government "compassion" is nothing less than
pandering for the sake of votes. Moreover, for those who would
like to see the government expand and the Church retreat, this is
the perfect formula for creating dependence in the people for
their favorite politicians and government programs. By its very
structure, this kind of welfare dependence makes the people
subservient to Caesar, not to God.
Lest anyone think that this writer is condemning the poor who are
caught in this welfare bog, I blame politicians who have seized
on the misery of the poor, and I blame the Church in general for
not standing up on its hind legs and fighting to keep the poor
out of the hands of Caesar's lackeys. Much of government
justifies its existence by maintaining people in a state of self
perpetuating dependence. The job of the Church is to free them
from their dependence on worldly systems and bring them into a
dependence on the only One who can save them, Jesus Christ. One
of the most insidious results of keeping the poor on the
government welfare rolls is that it robs them of opportunities
to make decisions that most people make as a matter of routine.
Rather than take the initiative to improve their education, their
employment (if any), and their financial circumstances, they are
encouraged by overzealous politicians and bureaucrats to keep
taking the handoutsall which prevents them from escaping
their compassion imposed prison. This situation also tears
families apart and breeds suspicion and resentment toward
authorities. They feel trapped in their poverty and helpless to
free themselves from it. Any Christian who would support the use
of government to control the lives of people in this manner needs
to reexamine his values in the light of Scripture.
As a society our sense of compassion appears to be losing its
compass because much of the Church is forfeiting its role as a
powerful moral force in our culture. The rails that keep this
country from falling off the cliff are the moral laws of the
Bible, and at this point the Church is not engaged enough in
politics, business, or the culture in general to keep our aimless
culture from killing itself with "compassion."
TSS
November
-December 2005 The Sabbath Sentinel
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