Motives and Intent. Stephen, thank you for sharing the additional data flow about Terrell's written piece, it is key to understanding just how intent are those like him. Please understand that Ray and I, and others on this list, know people who deeply believe that this is the way everyone should come to live, that they do not intend to live in a secluded utopian village.
While I do not think that we could possibly have a Bush in the White House through 2016 (Jeb after GDubya), I do think that another term for the current occupant in the White House will empower the fundamentalists and literalists who truly want to take everyone back to a past time, based on the biblical structure as they interpret it. - KWC > Ray Evans Harrell wrote: > ... I think it is a liberal thing to do to be > sure that we read a few of the people who Bush listens > to. This man says he didn't vote for Bush. I suspect > Bush is too liberal for him. ... > But I think his view is important to know and answer... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Social Security and the Family > ----------------------------- > Timothy D. Terrell [cut] ... > > The presence of Social Security can serve as an excuse for > family members, and the church, to dodge their > responsibilities to widows and orphans... > ... parents may not be as concerned > about maintaining a close relationship with their > children, or church members with their church. When one is > not financially dependent on another, one may be less > inclined to resolve differences and pursue peace. > ... the family should be the first recourse when > disaster strikes. Social Security bypasses the church, and > makes the church and the family unit less economically > relevant, and therefore less effective. > > How, then can our society move toward a more family- and > church-oriented system of economic dependencies, and away > from our current dependency on the state? ... > a renewed recognition of the mutual > responsibilities family members and church members have > toward one another, and a preparation to meet those needs. > > As difficult as the politics may be, eliminating Social > Security is, I believe, a moral obligation. The closer we > move to reestablishing the family as an economic support > network, the stronger our society will be. Gosh Ray, this fellow sounds like a (theological) crank who thinks that "state-run" social programs should be abolished so that people will have no choice but fall back on their own godly resources and re-discover the importance of church and family. No doubt. Even so, his economic arguments don't seem very sound. Doesn't he misconstrue the social security system as a bad personal savings account rather than as a good insurance scheme? Strikes me (as in RG Collingwood's wonderful image) like being in a nightmare in which a fellow insists on translating the Greek word for trireme as "steamship" and then goes on and on about the Greeks' inadequate understanding of steamships. Besides, his theological politics is driving the argument: church and family are the core institutions of society; therefore, anything that takes away from their power over our lives should be abolished. As Arthur says - here's another "political economy", another view. I'm perfectly happy for him to construct a utopian village of god so long as he doesn't insist we all must live in it. The Center for Biblical Law and Economics, of which Prof Terrell is Director, proclaims on its web-page (correct URL: <http://www.christcollege.org/html/cble/index.html>) that "law and economics constitute the foundations of order in a society, and what men think of law and economics depends on their theology." Further: "With a theological foundation in the Reformed tradition, the Center presents a world view that acknowledges the Lordship of Christ over all of life. Thus, no law can be properly legislated, and no case properly adjudicated, without reference to God's Word. Economics likewise must be informed by Scripture. "The Center for Biblical Law and Economics ... is unique in its explicitly Reformed foundations, and its focused approach to law and economics that probes more deeply than more broad-based groups can." Stephen Straker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Vancouver, B.C. _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
