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In reply to the discussion: WaPo Guest Columnist - "From Jesus’ socialism to capitalistic Christianity" - Great Read! [View all]BarackTheVote
(938 posts)Mark 12: 14-17
They came and said to him, Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyones opinion. You do not regard a persons status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay? Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at. They brought one to him and he said to them, Whose image and inscription is this? They replied to him, Caesars. So Jesus said to them, Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. They were utterly amazed at him.
We are instructed to pay duly enacted taxes; once that money is in the hands of the government, which, in this country, is a representative of the people, it is our moral imperative to see to it that those taxes go, in part, to protecting the most vulnerable among us, which is one of the most important instructions Christ left with his followers.