On Christmas Day, the Spokesman-Review published an editorial by Ryan Messmore, a research fellow in the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at the Heritage Foundation, a "conservative" think-tank. While I agree with some of what he says, I also find much of it deeply offensive.
He starts by saying:
Christmastime is a season of gratitude. Whether it's because we reflect upon the birth of the Christ child or the blessings of the past year, the holiday often prompts a sense of appreciation and thankfulness, as well as the tradition of gift-giving.Good, except that it is not the birth of the Christ child, but the Incarnation of the Christ, the Messiah, and the date comes from the dedication of the Nativity in Bethlehem in about A.D. 326. But then he continues:
And this year, the season of giving and receiving gifts comes in sharp contrast to a succession of months pervaded with a sense of entitlement.
An entitlement mentality - a sense of being owed something for nothing - settles in when people interpret wants as needs and then view those needs as rights. And once something is understood as a "right," people tend to hold government responsible for providing it.First, on what basis does he claim that there is a pervasive sense of entitlement, an entitlement mentality. Most of those I know who are poor and needy are just that. Through circumstances sometimes within their control but usually not, they are out of work, or are faced with some family or health crisis or something beyond their control, or the aftermath thereof, and it is not about entitlement; it is about survival. Most are not holding the government responsible, but are simply grateful when there is help.
Second, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary , the very first definition of "want" as an intransitive verb is "to be needy or destitute." In simple English, "wants" are "needs." And as a transitive verb, definition 3b is "to suffer from the lack of <thousands still want food and shelter>."
I would have expected more from a Heritage Foundation research fellow than this sophistry. He continues:
This "government-owes-us" mentality threatens not only the spirit of Christmas but the very fabric of a just and prosperous society.
For America's founders, the list of basic individual rights included life, liberty and property. The founders asserted that God provides these rights and governments are responsible to protect them.I believe there is a sense in which the government does indeed owe all of us something, but this has little to do with, and is no threat to, a spirit of Christmas. It is rooted not in this distorted reference, but in the actual words of the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed....
Over the years, the list of what Americans think they deserve from government has ballooned. Visit an "Occupy" protest encampment, and you'll hear claims for the right to a high-paying job, home ownership, comprehensive health care and freedom from college debt. Many Americans think retirement at age 65 is an automatic right, regardless of circumstances.Notice that he changes from a list of rights to a list of what a small rabble that claims to represent the majority but in reality only represents a small fringe claims are deserved. These statements are unsupported, and I do not believe they are even true. I believe that what most Americans consider rights has not changed.
Many events of 2011, from the uprising in Greece to the downgrading of America’s credit rating, revealed the dangers of runaway spending on Social Security and other entitlement programs. Less noticed was the degrading effect an insidious entitlement mentality has on the moral fabric of a people.
Such a “we’re due” attitude can suppress aspiration and sap the ambition to work. It often accompanies envy and class warfare. And it can weaken personal bonds of mutual responsibility and care among citizens.
This outlook, of course, clashes with the attitudes of gift-giving and thankfulness that mark the Christmas season.
Gifts create a kind of momentum of good will that bind both giver and receiver in a more personal relationship. The giver often is motivated by the desire to help, while the receiver usually is motivated by gratitude to give back, at a minimum, an expression of thanks.
This seemingly basic dynamic is important when it comes to tackling social ills. If conditions permit, gift-givers often have a vested interest in seeing that the desired objective of their help is achieved.Again, the first problem I have is this continuing idea of a pervasive entitlement mentality. In the case of Social Security, a contract exists which should be fulfilled. Comparing America with Greece, and a contractual entitlement with other types of programs, and gift-giving with helping the poor and needy, and connecting an unexplained dynamic with social ills is the grossest of sophistry.
Entitlements foster a different social relationship, mainly because governments typically deliver the benefits through impersonal, top-down programs.
Entitlement programs are funded by taxes, which government mandates under threat of penalty. The requirement often fosters a sense of resentment among taxpayers rather than a desire to help others.Perhaps someone can explain how a resentment over taxes is antithetical to a desire to help others.
And on the other side, an entitlement mentality tends to undercut the feeling and offering of gratitude. In fact, sometimes that sense of entitlement tempts recipients to “play” the system, leading to waste, fraud and long-term dependence on the dole.
In short, ever-expanding entitlements aren’t just a fiscal liability; they’re a moral threat as well. They have the power to shape cultural attitudes and social dynamics. Americans need to be aware of this potential, so we not only can avoid financial collapse but also foster the kinds of relationships most conducive to genuine compassion and flourishing.
As we celebrate the holidays, let’s give thanks for – and diligently protect – our God-given rights. But let’s also pay attention to the dynamics that play out with the giving and receiving of presents.There will always be some who "play the system." To suggest that those receiving Social Security are not grateful, to equate true contractual entitlements with other kinds of assistance for the poor and needy, and to suggest a moral threat without supporting such a claim is an offence to true conservatism.
This is a season for reflecting especially on gifts of grace – blessings to which we aren't necessarily entitled. May gratitude move us to give freely and generously to others in the New Year.Only with this final paragraph of his column do I wholeheartedly agree.
Rab Naaman of Makor said: I complained, 'There are two men and only one gives to the poor.' God said, "you are wrong. There is only one man, because he who will not give to the poor is an animal.'"A current variation of that might be, 'There are two parties. One talks about an entitlement mentality but offers little or no help, as if almost everyone who has needs, who is poor, who is unemployed, thinks they are owed something, or that their problems are their own fault. The other offers many government programs, some of which actually do help a little, but the motivation is political, and meanwhile much of what is done is of little real help.
James Michener, The Source, p. 519 (in the style of the Talmud)
The following story is from a column by Paul Graves published in the Spokesman-Review on July 1, 2000:
Throughout the centuries many religions have appeared among mankind. A few have been tolerant of others and not tried to impose their ideas. Some have even realized that they are not some sole repository of all truth. But none have ever been consistent with their own teachings. Paul taught persuasion by preaching, but after the rise of Constantine, Christianity was imposed by force in many areas of Byzantine and Roman rule. Islam has seen many transformations. Some of their expansion was facilitated because of reaction to earlier "Christian" excesses. The Crusades were in part a reaction to earlier excesses on the part of some Muslims, and yet many atrocities were committed by the Crusaders on fellow Christians and others even before crossing into Asia. The people they were then fighting against were Turks and Kurds, not Arabs. When they captured Antioch, Arab leaders came to them seeking alliance against the Turks, but were rejected.Once upon a time a visitor came to the monastery looking for the purpose and meaning of life. The Teacher said to the Visitor, "If you seek Truth, there is one thing you must have above all else.""I know" the visitor said. "To find Truth I must have an overwhelming passion for it.""No," the Teacher said. "In order to find Truth, you must have an unremitting readiness to admit you may be wrong."
"When you once describe a venture as a holy war you surrender all capacity to judge honest alternatives."
Michener, p. 678
Christianity is not alone in having a Golden Rule: "Do to others, as you would have them do to you." The Talmud of Judaism said, "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow men." Brahmanism said, "Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you." Buddhism said, "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself find hurtful." Confucianism said, "Do not unto others that you would not have them do unto you."
At this point I feel it necessary to point out a fundamental principle concerning interpretation, especially when the subject of religion and of the concept of God is to be discussed. It is the rule of consistency. Any interpretation not consistent with who and what God must be if He really is God must be rejected. Any interpretation not consistent with the clear words of received Scripture must be rejected. Any interpretation not consistent with observable, testable evidence, must be at least suspect, if not rejected. This holds whether you follow the Bible, The Koran, or any other form of Scripture. Where the Scripture is clear, we are bound. Where the Scripture is silent, we have liberty.
Anyone who calls for the extermination of others in the name of his god must not be followed, for if God is anything he is a God of life, and we are not the judges, but he is the Judge. This is not to say that we are not to exercise discernment, or that we should not be strong and prepared to defend ourselves in the face of evil. For if good is to triumph over evil, if liberty is to triumph over tyranny, we must be strong indeed. As long as there are people on this planet, there will always by some who are so filled with evil that their continued presence among is is like a cancer that must be completely removed, but that is an issue for another time.
Anyone who calls for the extermination of others in the name of his god must not be followed, for if God is anything he is a God of life, and we are not the judges, but he is the Judge. This is not to say that we are not to exercise discernment, or that we should not be strong and prepared to defend ourselves in the face of evil. For if good is to triumph over evil, if liberty is to triumph over tyranny, we must be strong indeed. As long as there are people on this planet, there will always by some who are so filled with evil that their continued presence among is is like a cancer that must be completely removed, but that is an issue for another time.
14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of their heart. - Jeremiah 14 (KJV)
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits . Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. - Matthew 7 (KJV)
I do not believe that salvation is about what you know, or who you know by name, or what religion a person follows; but rather it is most importantly about what you do or don't do for the least among us.
The very first lines of the Qur'an (Koran) states clearly what must be the among the most important ideas about who and what God must be if he is truly God:
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update: On Saturday, December 31, after I had published this post the day before, the Spokesman-Review published a satirical article by Shawn Vestal also dealing with the Ryan Messmore piece.
The very first lines of the Qur'an (Koran) states clearly what must be the among the most important ideas about who and what God must be if he is truly God:
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds, the merciful, the compassionate, the ruler of the day of judgment! Thee we serve and Thee we ask for aid. Guide us in the right path, the path of those Thou art gracious to; not of those Thou art wroth with; nor of those who err.If God is who and what he must be, he must be both Transcendent and Imminent. He must be both the creator of all that exists, and the merciful and compassionate judge of each person individually.
7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, norshut thine hand from thy poor brother: 8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. - Deuteronomy 15 (KJV)
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law ?" 37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 22 (NASV)
28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all ?" 29 Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL ! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD ; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' 31 "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." - Mark 12 (NASV)The most important things in life, then, are these: Love God, Love your fellow human beings, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, receive the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners.
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update: On Saturday, December 31, after I had published this post the day before, the Spokesman-Review published a satirical article by Shawn Vestal also dealing with the Ryan Messmore piece.
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