>>>>If a person is truly religious and wants to go to heaven, then the giveaway is not voluntary - it's mandatory. I don't have a problem with the government helping out as long as they don't get too far outside reality.
>>>
>>>SET DISTRACTION ON
>>>
>>>Does this mean that God keeps score. So if I give away 50% of my money to the gov't so that they can do whatever it is they do with it, and my neighbor gives away nothing, I get a ticket to heaven and my neighbor doesn't?
>>>
>>>I think you must think in spiritual terms, not the physical, when discussing the Bible.
>>>
>>>SET DISTRACTION OFF
>>
>>What do I know. Jesus told the rich man to give all his wealth to the poor if he wanted to go to heaven. Would it have mattered if he gave it directly, or if he allowed the 'government' of the time to do it for him, so long as it ended up in the hands of the poor? I know Jesus liked to speak in parables, but "give your wealth to the poor" seems pretty straightforward to me.
>
>He did not say 'give your wealth to the government'. He did not say 'give your wealth to the government so it can be eliminated in administrative overhead and the small percentage remaining can be allocated to pet projects'.
>
>God is not involved in Obama's plan.

I never said He was. John quoted the bible, so I quoted the bible back at him. On the other hand, Jesus did tell you to "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's", and I'm pretty sure he meant that money and earthly stuff is Caesar's when he said that. Not that I think Obama is the new Caesar or anything like that. ;)