It is common for those in power to use the Bible to justify their greed and hatred. The lust of the GOP to throw people off of their benefits while raiding the treasury is disheartening to me and it needs to be addressed.
I do not believe that the Bible is meant to be a guide for modern political discussions, since that is not what it was written for, but since our opponents have chosen to quote the Bible in order to oppress and condemn others, I believe I should correct a few things.
First, when the Bible says, “If a man doesn’t work, he shouldn’t eat”, Paul wasn’t teaching Thessalonians about how to avoid their responsibilities for the poor. The poor didn’t have an option about working and there were no SNAP benefits, or anything like that in the Roman Empire.
The church community had set up “food banks” to feed the poor. The “man who would not work” was the idle rich man who refused to contribute anything of value, but just sponged off of others.
Paul is giving advice on the best way to manage their stores of food and advising that maybe allowing a wealthy man who refuses to contribute to raid the pantry isn’t the best way to run a community.
And I don’t know about you, but forcing a single mom, a disabled person, a homeless person, or anyone else to jump yet another hurdle in order to eat, and using this verse to justify it, really pisses me off.
I know that the cult will just call me a communist and a ignorant heretic, so this isn’t to change anyone’s mind. It is to alleviate guilt.
If you are compassionate towards those who need help, the bible is on your side. Not the side of the oppressor.
We can change the narrative and make the community better for everyone.
Sam Powell for Senate 