At 03:53 PM 1/12/2002 -0800,Harry wrote: >Welfare for the rich - that is privilege certainly costs us a lot more >than welfare for the poor. But, my point was that all privilege should be >ended. For I believe in justice (before charity) and privilege is the >exact opposite of justice.
Whether we like it or not, Judeo-Christian values still greatly influence our culture. One major difference, noted by some biblical scholars, between the Hebrew (old) Testament and the Christian (new) Testament is precisely what you have stated in the above quote. The Hebrew Testament's moral foundation is justice as expressed in the ten commandments. The Christian Testament's moral foundation is expressed in Christ's two commandments of love: love God and love your neighbour as yourself. I do not for a second believe that our law makers concern themselves with either of these codes. I do believe that some individuals' sense of values that shapes their perception of truth grows out of one or both of these codes. You believe in justice before charity. Some might believe in charity (love) before justice. You believe the opposite of justice is privilege; some believe (Dan George) the opposite of charity is selfishness. "The quality of mercy is not strained" Brian McAndrews
