Sunday, Nov. 08

There has been talk recently about how you're not a good Christian if you don't support government health care, or health care reform as it has been called. This is a misguided view, however, and though logical at first glance, a closer look reveals something quite different.

Being Christian means you're supposed to help the less fortunate, but Christianity is about individual choice of whether you want to help or not. Supporting government health care doesn't make you more Christian because you have no choice as to whether you want to help someone or not. The government takes your money and does it.

The government proposes forcibly taking money through taxes and using it to insure or provide health care for the less fortunate. It's a nice sentiment, but are government officials more Christian for doing this? Not really, because they're not giving their money to help the needy. They're no different than the thief who gives someone else's money away. Will those of us paying into this program be more Christian for it? No, because we didn't willingly give our money to help others, we were forced to, the same as the person who got robbed in the prior example.

Taking away personal choice and forcing people to be charitable isn't Christian and doesn't make anyone more Christian. Those who are using Christianity to push this agenda might find more success following 1Peter 5.3, where it tells about leading by "not lording

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it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." They could have a trial person where all government officials, employees and their families were covered by this health care reform. If successful, they'd have no problem getting support. If disastrous, the whole country wouldn't be adversely affected.

GABRIEL NEIL OLESON

Drury