So two interesting things happened today. First of all, in my Honor's Class (Issues of Social Justice; a class that looks at current Social Issues from both a Secular and a Spiritual viewpoint) a guy working for some organization that hire top tier College Graduates to teach in low-income and low success level school districts all over the United States for 2 or more years. Initial thoughts: Nope, not gonna do it. Thoughts at the end of the program: Great idea. I can't do it. Why? First of all, I'm not going to effectively be able to work in Public Schools. I don't know how anyone of my faith could. There is such oppression of spirituality in some Public Schools, often especially Christian Spirituality it makes me sick. The Founding Fathers didn't want a Godless nation, they wanted a Secular Government, there is a difference. Second of all, they pay way too much. I'd feel guilty working with that kind of salary right out of University. I mean, yeah, I'd probably enjoy having the money, I'd probably use it to pay off debt from the student loans I think I'll likely end up receiving, but... I don't think I should be earning that kind of money and using it on myself. I'd feel... guilty, knowing that its significantly more than my parents have lived off of (as a family of 5!) in Bangladesh. Yeah, yeah, different standards of living etc, but you know what? Right off the bat I'm thinking: that's a lot of money to hand a new college-graduate.
I think the main thing was of course I couldn't stand to teach kids, especially anyone below the High School level, especially kids who are likely really badly educated (functional illiterates in 8th grade? Breaks my heart, I'll be honest, but I couldn't stand to teach someone like that. I need to be around people who think on my level, the level of a rather intelligent University Student). I'd be a bad teacher, combine that with students who are really far behind in their education? Yeah, I'd probably go insane.
But... on that note, I want to bring up a related idea. One of my friends mentioned how she couldn't watch the State of the Union (where the US president speaks to the members of Congress about what he wants to do that year) because Obama is such a Socialist. She claimed that “spreading the wealth” and “socialism” where not American.
Now, in all honesty, I don't give two hoots about what is or isn't American. I grew up in freaking Bangladesh and in my opinion a lot of the Gung-Ho Patriotism that Americans have is somewhat over-rated. A lot of Americanisms are unnecessary. Some of them (The American Dream?) are really cool and I like them, but at the same time, I don't really care if an idea is or isn't American, so much as is or isn't it Biblical.
So, here's a thought? What does the Bible say about caring for the Poor and Needy? What did Jesus do for the Poor? What did God command the Israelites to do for their fellows found in need? What did the early Church do in regards to their less fortunate brethern? A whole friggin' lot!
Jesus healed the sick and the poor. He show love to the desperate: the blind and lame beggars, the women sick for twelve years. He went out of his way to touch people, to love people, to heal people. He showed compassion on the forgotten.
The Old Testament has a large amount of laws regarding the Poor. If you read the story of Ruth you know that Ruth survived by “gleaning” the grain from the fields of the rich landowners. God's laws allowed people in her situation to do this and, hopefully, get enough food to survive even if one didn't have gainful employment or your own land to farm. The Bible has rules and laws that help the desperate remedy their situation, mostly involving forced labor and temporary enslavement, but the point was that someone desperate enough to steal for a living or sell all their land to eat a loaf of bread could gain some respect or skill or more land if they were willing to pay for their mistakes of financial mismanagement, or if they were willing to accept that sometimes people have hard times. God's system of Government provided for the Poor and Needy.
Finally, what did the Early Church do? Well, they did the same! In Acts we read stories of men and women who gave all they had to the poor. The literally sold everything they owned and put it as the disciples feet. The disciples then used this money to provide for the Orphans and Widows amongst them. The Church cared for the Poor and Needy just as their God commanded them.
So, with that in mind? What's our response? Is this idea of redistributing the wealth Biblical? Is the idea of making sure that we don't have a population in a chronic state of poverty? It seems to me that we have a responsibility, as followers of Christ, to walk in his footsteps. It seems to me, as scholars of the Bible, that we have a need to follow the commands of our holy text. It seems to me, that as members of the Church, we have a command to do as the early church did.
Socialism isn't American? Well possibly not. But it seems to me at some form of socialism is very much Biblical.
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