You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. ~Exodus 20:17
I have purposely been staying away from all blogs including my own. I am disturbed by many things of political natures right now and I wanted to have time to clarify my thoughts. I have mentioned in the past that I am politically minded, but I do not usually mention politics on my blog. I align myself with few groups because mostly I am very conservative and typically conservatives tend to be highly self-reliant, independent, principled people. (I hope I live up to that standard.)
In our Sunday School lesson last week, we covered the Ten Commandments and I realized something I really had not thought of before. I knew the first four commandments were in reference to God and the following six in reference to others, five of which were based on actions, but the tenth one is just a bit different than all of them. Now I know that entertaining the thoughts is the same a committing the sin in action to our Lord, but the tenth one is specifically about our yearnings. Coveting is a yearning of the heart, and it leads to committing sins against all the other commandments, as in one will covet the wealth of another before he steals it; lie to get it; dishonor God and parents in the process, and so on. Coveting could be considered the root of all evil.
I have been watching with strange fascination the soul-sick protesters now spreading their demonstrations across the globe wondering how the course of human events will try to balance itself, as it historically does. I am concerned about how bloody it will get as the numbers are swelling emboldening the protesters to grow more confrontational along with some of them calling for violence. Even though they actually are a very small percentage, when mobs rule, they do not govern themselves well. I have watched the self-described peaceful demonstrators goading police officers there to keep the peace and wonder how peaceful this mob would remain if those in uniform were not there.
Beyond all that though, I have been trying to see behind the signs and masks, and even beneath its pretty packaging that these who call themselves the 99% and say they are fighting for me as one of them. Because their message is not one but many, too many in which I cannot find agreement, even with some alarming anti-Semitic malevolence. Peering into depths of its soul, what I have found is that these protests are mostly about money: people wanting other people's money. People hating people who have more than they do. People who are willing to take money from other people believing they have rights to it. People who willingly borrowed money but do not want to pay back the loans because they feel they are in debt unfairly.
People not trusting God for His provision in their lives.
This is why I do not agree with this movement, nor do I sympathize with these people except in this: I see these protesters as soul-sick people. They have broken just about every one of the Ten Commandments while peacefully protesting, if not yet in action, then certainly in their hearts by coveting. I am sad for them and those who support them, for they are being supported by people who have profited in the very capitalistic society they claim to hate and wish to bring down. (If hypocrisy itself was a sin, it would be the one of which we all are most guilty...and I include myself most of all here.)
They do not see that no matter what form of government is in place, it will be corrupted by money because governments have power made of people with corruptible hearts. They do not see that placing more taxes on the rich only make them pay more for goods themselves and so they gain nothing. They think that if we tax the rich more they will be satisfied, when there is no satisfaction for coveting; they will always just want more. Given the opportunity, most of them would become what they protest against...it is human nature.
I am supposedly one of the 99% because I am not in the top 1% of the rich, but I would rather align myself with the 53%. Those are the ones who are paying income taxes while 47% pay no income taxes and some of them, some of which are friends of mine, are getting an earned income tax credit, which is money given to them above what they paid in, a redistribution of wealth. That redistributed money comes from the 53%, not just the top 1% which actually pay nearly 40% of the all federal income taxes collected. We are a very diverse group that is not a group, just individuals who make enough pay income taxes, according to our current tax laws.
I feel I have been taxed enough already like others in the TEA Party. I would like to see a radical revamping of our tax code and our government downsized. I would like my tax dollars to stop funding things against my religious beliefs, particularly abortions. I will pay off my own debts. I will try to trust my Lord to provide and be thankful for that with which He has entrusted me. I will try to be content with what I have even in this coming winter of discontent.
In our Sunday School lesson last week, we covered the Ten Commandments and I realized something I really had not thought of before. I knew the first four commandments were in reference to God and the following six in reference to others, five of which were based on actions, but the tenth one is just a bit different than all of them. Now I know that entertaining the thoughts is the same a committing the sin in action to our Lord, but the tenth one is specifically about our yearnings. Coveting is a yearning of the heart, and it leads to committing sins against all the other commandments, as in one will covet the wealth of another before he steals it; lie to get it; dishonor God and parents in the process, and so on. Coveting could be considered the root of all evil.
Beyond all that though, I have been trying to see behind the signs and masks, and even beneath its pretty packaging that these who call themselves the 99% and say they are fighting for me as one of them. Because their message is not one but many, too many in which I cannot find agreement, even with some alarming anti-Semitic malevolence. Peering into depths of its soul, what I have found is that these protests are mostly about money: people wanting other people's money. People hating people who have more than they do. People who are willing to take money from other people believing they have rights to it. People who willingly borrowed money but do not want to pay back the loans because they feel they are in debt unfairly.
People not trusting God for His provision in their lives.
This is why I do not agree with this movement, nor do I sympathize with these people except in this: I see these protesters as soul-sick people. They have broken just about every one of the Ten Commandments while peacefully protesting, if not yet in action, then certainly in their hearts by coveting. I am sad for them and those who support them, for they are being supported by people who have profited in the very capitalistic society they claim to hate and wish to bring down. (If hypocrisy itself was a sin, it would be the one of which we all are most guilty...and I include myself most of all here.)
They do not see that no matter what form of government is in place, it will be corrupted by money because governments have power made of people with corruptible hearts. They do not see that placing more taxes on the rich only make them pay more for goods themselves and so they gain nothing. They think that if we tax the rich more they will be satisfied, when there is no satisfaction for coveting; they will always just want more. Given the opportunity, most of them would become what they protest against...it is human nature.
I am supposedly one of the 99% because I am not in the top 1% of the rich, but I would rather align myself with the 53%. Those are the ones who are paying income taxes while 47% pay no income taxes and some of them, some of which are friends of mine, are getting an earned income tax credit, which is money given to them above what they paid in, a redistribution of wealth. That redistributed money comes from the 53%, not just the top 1% which actually pay nearly 40% of the all federal income taxes collected. We are a very diverse group that is not a group, just individuals who make enough pay income taxes, according to our current tax laws.
I feel I have been taxed enough already like others in the TEA Party. I would like to see a radical revamping of our tax code and our government downsized. I would like my tax dollars to stop funding things against my religious beliefs, particularly abortions. I will pay off my own debts. I will try to trust my Lord to provide and be thankful for that with which He has entrusted me. I will try to be content with what I have even in this coming winter of discontent.
~ My Lord, thank you for being my God, Lord of my heart. Help me to be content in You and Your provision. Please reveal Yourself to these people who so much need You in their hearts. ~
