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Friday, January 23, 2009

Render unto Caesar - or not??

Regarding Jesus' teaching to “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (“Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ”) (Matthew 22:21), we should always pay our taxes.

Today however, the situation is different and quite a bit more complex and begs the question: Is paying taxes that will be used for the federal funding of abortions, material cooperation with intrinsic evil and therefore a mortal sin? How can I then follow Christ's teaching by rendering unto Caesar knowing that which I render will be used for the greatest sin of all; the murder of innocent babies and infanticide?

Which would then be the greater evil, not rendering unto Caesar or allowing my taxes to be used for abortions? Could I then not pay taxes based on my religious beliefs? Would that jeopardize the tax-exempt status of the Catholic Church? Which is more important?

See how far we've gone from God?

What do you think?

2 comments:

Cody Gregg said...

A Christians job is to follow The Word of God. If our government does evil with tax dollars the people who supported that spending by voice and the people who oversaw that and did not stop it will be held accountable. Our job is to do what our superiors tell us to do because no matter how Godly or un-Godly they are, they are still in that position by God's allowance.

Bob Cavalcante Jr. said...

Well, a Catholic Christian must also equally heed the Magisterium, the teaching authority of the Catholic Church that is guided by the Holy Spirit, equally the will of God as much as Sacred Scripture.

One could then argue that perhaps God put them in power only to test our resolve to do the right thing in light of free will. We do also have the free will to sin or to do right in the eyes of God.

Reason dictates that if it comes down to a choice between the two, either not paying taxes where no person is mortally hurt or funding the infanticide of countless unborn babies, the choice should be clear to anyone who has properly and reasonably formed their conscience.

I'm not talking how Godly or un-Godly that politician or leader is, but that they cannot force ME to do that which is inherently evil. I do know right from wrong and will not blindly follow anyone into hell, that is not what God expects of us. He expects us to defend all innocent life first and foremost. Everything else comes from that.

Here's where separation of Church and State comes in. The proper practice of my religion does not permit me to morally support abortions in any way, including funding such as is done with Planned Parenthood. Knowing that, paying taxes to that same government then becomes materially aiding intrinsic evil in the grave sin of infanticide and is therefor against my religion.

Now THAT sounds like one heckuva court case!

Who is the Catholic Conservative American?