You will argue that the difference is that tithing is voluntary. I would argue that to a believing Saint who wants to attend the temple and gain salvation in the celestial kingdom of God, it is not voluntary. It is a requirement. You can of course withold your tithing, but there will be serious repercussions.
Likewise you can withold your taxes or social security contributions from the government. You are free to do that, so long as you are then prepared to embrace the consequence
Here endeth the lesson.
I have been amazed at your sophistry... and your arrogance. You do not honestly try and make your point. you pretend to be for one thing while dishonestly describing it on the fringes as another. And you never answer simple direct honest questions posed by me, whether it be in asking you questions as to whether you believe that problems and losses of freedom in either of our countries would be solved with more government or less government, whether you are for or against government income redistribution programs that are forced on a whole populous, rather than directed to the needy, or even more specifically to whether you are for or against specific programs like NHS, or SS (or the British version of SS). I don't think these questions are confusing. They are not insulting, they weren't asked just once so you might have missed them. I can only conclude that you avoid them so that you can dance around with jots and tittles to jerk David13 around.
In giving your "lesson", you actually completely distort the Church welfare system. Normally I would think this would be due to ignorance, but from your previous posts, I would think that you would have a better understanding than you seem to show in lecturing David13.
Now for YOUR LESSON!
1) Church welfare does NOT come from tithing, it comes from Fast Offerings. I suppose if needs are high enough in the whole church that Fast Offerings don't cover it, then some tithing may be diverted to help, I don't know, but generally the money comes form Fast Offerings which are voluntary and the amounts are up to the members.
2) Just as you have dodged and weaved in the past, the assistance that the Church welfare program provides are highly "needs" and "means" based. The Bishop must ascertain whether there is a need for assistance, Also a larger portion of the Bishops time and efforts are directed towards helping people to overcome whatever it is that makes them needy, rather than encouraging this to be a permanent solution.
It is obvious that any charitable assistance involves money going from the haves to the have not. However, this is nothing like forced government participation in programs designed as a one size fits all redistribution system.
So how about it. DO you have the cojones and integrity to actually step up to the plate and actually honestly address the differences between various socialist redistribution policies in Britain, and the US, and and a more Libertarian (your own claim), free market approach to to the government role in society? Or are you going to just take shots at jots and tittles of what David13, may have worded inelegantly to just annoy him and play word games?
Well, will you step up to the plate, and be clear and honest?
Regards,
George clay