Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I Decided to Un-Bite My Tongue!

As I read through some of my favorite blogs, I see people who are worried and stressed about the economy...as am I. I also see some finger pointing from one party to another and I am going to step out of the box and point that finger at ME!

I - as a Christian - would like to take this one step further by saying that Christians have failed as well....NOT just politicians! You see - the old testament (Christian and Jewish) clearly states it is not the Governments responsibility to care for orphans, widows, elderly and even the ill, it is suppose to be the Christians responsibility! What has happened to extended families? Why is it the norm to send out our elderly away to nursing homes? (Please note: I am not talking about elderly people who are physically or mentally ill who must have professional treatment - as in Alzheimer patients!) My whole family is in the medical profession and I at one time was a Surgical Tech...and do you know how many couples divorce because the healthy partner cannot handle the 'stress' of the ill partner? It sickens me!

Looking more closely at the wise words of King Solomon, you will see how we should be resourceful, not wasteful; giving, not hoarding; tender hearted, not haughty! This advice goes into every aspect of our lives, from our relationships to our spending habits!

Who made up the idea that young people should make a parallel move when they leave the house to go out on their own. It is as if they expect to live with no less than the way they lived when they were supported by their parents...which took their parents multiple years to build!

All over the country we have these huge luxurious "Houses of Worship" that lay dormant most of the week while the cost of them lays on the back of the FEW who even still tithe the minimum 10%....money that God clearly states should be going for better purposes than buildings...

Maybe the first step of change should be going back hundreds of years to the best advice about the way we should live and act as a loving community...no matter what your religion of choice is!

okay - stepping off of my soap box now~

10 comments:

Sometimes It's Good said...

You are absolutely right! You go girl!

Kari (GrannySkywalker) said...

Wow! So well spoken!

I marvel at how one candidate lays out his plan for this, that and the other - all the while saying how it won't raise our taxes one thin dime, but pretty much all he lays out is to be paid for by the government. Where's the government getting the money to pay for all this?? And why aren't we relying more on communities to help one another? Who actually thinks the government should be obligated to meet every person's every need in life? Does no one need to be personally responsible for themselves and their family, or anything else for that matter, these days? Any why isn't EVERYONE asking these questions?

Kari
P.S. I agree whole-heartedly with your abortion stance.

bj said...

Oh, Julie...I am clapping hard here!
What a brave thing to post about. You are so right...we need to get back to the extended family loving and caring for ea other... You did a wonderful job of telling it like it is !!
I have thought so much about you and wondered if you got the fence fixed and everything back in it's place after Ike's visit...sure hope so and that all is well in your world.
love, bj

Justabeachkat said...

A BIG amen! What a well written post!

Hugs!
Kat

Robin said...

My number one agreement is the thing with kids leaving home and thinking they can live like their parents!
It really does take a village to raise a child and not enough families are connected enough anymore!

LivingTheLife said...

Amen...sister...well written. Right on as far as I'm concerned...I wish everyone could read what you have written! Well done!!!

Blessings...
Teresa

pedalpower said...

That's so true about people expecting to live the way their parents do...when it took the parents at least 20 years to get to that place.

I think young people are missing out on a sweet stage of marriage...when you marry and move into that first small apt. or house. That time when you work and save together for something you dream of having. And you actually have less things to care for and more time enjoy each other.

The drive to own a huge home right out of the gate has pretty much done away the market for smaller starter homes in many areas.

This is a great post Julie. Good for you.

Cathy Miller said...

Preach on, sister!

vivian said...

amen! you are right.. I do believe that most of are problems stem from the break down of the family. And also to greed and poverty. its a scary world. I dont like thinking about it to tell you the truth. Lots of prayer is needed for our world!!
hugs
vivian

Anonymous said...

The Bible tells us to render unto Ceaser what is Cesar's and render unto the Lord what is the Lord's. Basically, pay your taxes to keep your community in good condition and go to the Lord to heal your personal self.

While I agree, in theory, that the breakdown of the family is a serious issues, one has to look at why the families are breaking down. Extreme poverty is the destroyer of communities and families. Economical injustice and a "caste" system brings out an ager that gives us the inner city, the crimes of passion when people feel helpless, white collar crimes and even, in extreme examples terrorism (eductated people with sufficient funds can't be convinced to blow themselves up for someone else's gain.)

Quite frankly, there are many in this country who are trying to form committed relationships and families, but, termporarily, my state of CA decided to allow religious biggotry rule and destroy the lives of many LGBT citizens.

It is possible to realign how the givernment spends the budgets and care for one another and still not raise taxes on the middle class. Why we pay billions for a bomber and pennies for education is a clear example of that. But, until the people stand up, this will continue. Thankfully, Obama has the clear sense and foresight to make a change that is so desperatly needed in this country and in this world. I would suggest to Kari that instead of stating how you "marvel," that you actually read the tax and spending plans. There is nothing to marvel at. Everything is made very clear.

Unfortunatly, the Bush/Cheney economy and all those Americans who are still blinded by their fear and smear tactics will likely fight Obama and those trying to sae this country. We are still going to suffer from the Bush/Cheney economy for a couple of more years, that is inevitable. It took Clinton a few years to clean up after Bush Sr. and Reagan's mess. He gave W a surplus and now look...

So, if you think the family is the backbone, perhaps legislative policies that allow for more families to form, for more vacation and sick leave, for a livable wage, an elevated minimum wage, increased education spending and more social safety nets to keep families together would be what any real Christian would be demanding.