Christian family fined after arguing taxes 'against God's will'

[conuly]

JFC, buddy, didn't you ever hear that you're supposed to "render unto Caesar"? Of course, if you're so opposed to paying taxes you can always give all your wealth and income to the poor rather than gathering up riches here on earth, that'll lower your tax burden a darn lot AND make you better Christians.

Comments

[wpadmirer]

Yeah, they are clearly skipping parts they don't like in the Bible. (grin)

[conuly]

They had a VERY selective reading.

[malada]

Oh, it's simple!

"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

Who are we? God's people! So we render to God!

*throw money in the air* "What God takes is God's and what lands on the ground is ours!"

(all the money falls on the ground)

They drive away on tax payer roads.

-m

[conuly]

*snrk*

[cactuswatcher]

Certainly not the first "Christians" to selectively read the bible. Certainly not the first selfish idiots who think paying taxes is for other people.

[conuly]

Seriously.

[oracne]

LOL.

[dewline]

Amen. Just...amen.

[the_siobhan]

People who don't pay taxes can live without access to any of the things your taxes pay for. No roads, no schools, you can only eat un-inspected food, you have to figure out what to do with your own trash, and you now drink water out of the pond.

[conuly]

How about no money, since currency is regulated by the government?

[kengr]

The "render unto Caesar" verse was all about money and taxes. If *I* was the judge, I'd have asked them what, exactly, they thought that verse was about.

[greghousesgf]

and no cops or firefighters. If you're a crime victim or your house burns down tough titty.

[cellio]

Also, trips to the ER are your problem, not the public's. If you or your insurance cover it then great, but no tapping into public funds because you're supposed to be above all that.

And you're homeschooling your kids, of course, or paying for private schools.

[greghousesgf]

and if you're on disability like me you're REALLY fucked.

[cellio]

I assume *you* realize the benefits of the distributed funding/risk and aren't going to try the stunt that those folks did.

[greghousesgf]

course not! I'm honest. I am also an atheist.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

I wish upon them unpaved roads with tree stumps nearly axel high.

Oh, they don't get off so easy with their trash, I want that regulated. They have to pay a liberal arts major to define the distinctions between trash, garbage, compost, and hazardous waste.

[maju]

Such breathtaking arrogance.

[conuly]

I KNOW. Did they seriously think they could win?

[kengr]

Haven't you heard of the "sovereign citizen" idiots in the US? Or the idiots that took over the wildlife refuge here in Oregon (and argued that the federal government couldn't restrict their grazing on public lands before that)?

[conuly]

Don't get me started on them.

[jessie_c]

They wanted to make a precedent of being oppressed to have something to hang their narrative on.

[ioplokon]

I mean. I think there is a viable pacifist argument to not pay taxes that go to funding the machinery of war (which is what a huge portion of our federal tax revenue goes to). Like, I don't know how strategically effective it is (probably depends on your media reach and skills) but philosophically, I see the point.

[conuly]

That was not their argument.

[ioplokon]

Right, I just meant, I don't know whether it's something to abandon as a tactic just bc these idiots tried it and also am kind of interested in what other people think of it as a strategy in other instances (I think the big difference is that people who refuse to pay 'war tax' are expecting to be arrested). IDK, the peace movement's slide into cultural irrelevance is really interesting to me.

[cellio]

Also, as soon as you open the door to selective funding (you can't use my taxes for X), you have to allow it for *everyone* for *all* things. The far righteous here in the US who are up in arms about a few pennies of their precious tax dollars possibly providing morning-after pills for rape victims (because that's messing with God's will!) do not seem open to the idea that others would withhold money from support for churches and their pet causes. That tax-exempt status has financial implications for the rest of us, after all.

The whole point of having a government with a budget is that we're all stuck with the allocation decisions. We don't get to individually pick and choose. Would I prefer different priorities, and for that matter much less government control over our money in the first place? Sure! But so long as we *have* this system, we all have to play by the same rules.

[ioplokon]

You misunderstand - I'm not arguing that it should be legal to refuse to pay taxes (eg: I don't support the Peace Tax Fund) but that, in some circumstances, tax resistance & subsequent arrest can be a potentially useful civil disobedience tactic to register protest. To me, the ideology behind not wanting to provide morning-after pills is suspect, not necessarily the tactic to advocate it (after all - those people also vote for politicians that support those policies and who would nominate judges who support those policies, and I don't think we should abolish voting).

[cellio]

Aha. I did misunderstand you, so thanks for clarifying. And I agree that visible resistance can be a useful tool.

[jessie_c]

Let me guess: Prosperity Gospel types?

[greghousesgf]

if being religious gets you money why are so many homeless people religious?

[jessie_c]

They bought into the propaganda, of course.

[greghousesgf]

I would never say this aloud to them but every time I see some bible thumping homeless person I can't help thinking "if there is a god he's doing a pretty fucking lousy job of taking care of you"

[silveradept]

If you fail to render under Caesar what is Caesars, Caesar has a tendency of getting theirs anyway and rendering you closer to God.