The Baha'i Studies Listserv > There is difference between means and ends. For example, there are so called > social justice passages in the Bible. They refer to religion permeating a > society so much that people's charity would be enough to alleviate poverty. > Jesus and the prophets talks to ordinary people to give to charity not the > gov'ts. Judeo-Christian-Islamic justice implies widespread charity in a > society, > tithing (10% JC or 2.5-20% I), and voluntary offerings.
Dear Stephen, I would say this is true in regards to Jesus who was not terribly concerned with how governments functioned. According to Acts of the Apostles, however, in the early church Christians shared all things in common, which goes far beyond charity. In any case, the prophets condemned the government and the priesthood for poverty, not people's lack of charity. . hey prohibited practices like usury that led to such poverty in the strongest terms.Taxations aimed primarily at the peasant farmer were condemned as well. Our own bankruptcy laws in this country are based on biblical principles although recent laws have eroded these Now, in regards to charging interest Baha'u'llah does annul the Biblical and Qur'anic prohibitions and states that a reasonable amount of interest may be charged (with the House of Justice deciding what is reasonable.) Usury or exorbitant interest charged to the poor is still condemned. While the Huqullah is entirely voluntary and cannot be coerced, Abdu'l-Baha also spoke of a graduated income tax. I don't get the impression that this is voluntary. At the same time Abdu'l-Baha insist that complete economic equality is neither possible or desirable. He recognized that people need incentives. > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alms > > In Judiasm, Tzedekah means both charity and justice (as well as fairness and > righteousness). Which certainly suggest that justice must include carrying for the poor. > Who's to say an increase in the job market, more self-employment, more > independent contractors, more investors, more business owners isn't the > solution? I'm sure it is part of the solution. One of the reasons industrial capitalism was never as exploitive in the US as it was in England or Europe is because during the time of the Industrial Revolution American workers always had an alternative which their European counterparts did not posses. The ready availability of land meant they could always had the alternative to be self-employed (as farmers) rather than work for the big corporations. Unfortunately that is no longer an option for most people. Unbridled capitalism today tends to favor the big multi-nationals, not small business and self-employment. Also, without affordable health care self-employment is not really an option for most people. > > Really, the issue requires us to reflect on how wealth is created. Contrary to common opinion Adam Smith never saw a 'social welfare' state as incompatible with the 'invisible hand' of the free market. His protest in the *The Wealth of Nations* was a condemnation of mercantilism, which had led to colonialism. If you read his earlier work *The Theory of Moral Sentiments.* Adam Smith vigorously defended such public services as free education and poverty relief, calling for greater freedom for the those who receives support from the state, unlike the punitive Poor Laws which existed at the time. He also acknowledged the importance of interventions on behalf of the poor and the underdogs of society that might result from a free market system He stated the following principle:. "When the regulation, therefore, is in favour of the workmen, it is always just and equitable; but it is sometimes otherwise when in favour of the masters." Adam Smith, like Abdu'l-Baha supported both the profit motive and social values which transcended it. Both believed these values should be expressed, not merely in acts of charity but in the policies of the state. warmest, Susan __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[email protected] Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-535782-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [email protected] Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[email protected] Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
