My recent experience of the UK National Health Service (long post)

[Shearwater]

Originally Posted by Sea Demon

In terms of Christianity, it was never the intention of Christ to make people dependant on the vices of any government. And as you said, he wasn't here to assume the throne and cure all injustices. Christ was concerned for the soul of mankind. And man's free choice to serve his fellow man. The soul cannot do this by force of any government. Christ is greater than the state. Therefore, empowering government at the expense of personal liberty simply corrupts this vision IMO. "Assisting" others with other people's stuff at the voting booth is not generosity. In the end, I don't begrudge the TRULY poor from seeking assistance. Yet, there has to be an end to the ambitions of the so called "do-gooders". The deficit generating (bloated/government run) healthcare ambition in this country breaks the limit. And if there are no limits, than we have no freedom at all. Nor do we have individual liberty or freedom of choice. This is called tyranny from where I come from.

Here's my 0.02$:
First of all, I think that religion should be kept out of politics, and that people who drag it into politics (sorry for my wording, I'm really not getting at you) must stomach the fact that not everyone shares their interpretation. In any case, being a staunch agnostic myself, I can only conjecture what the viewpoint is that you were critically referring to in your post.

In general, I think that the Christian religion is, as a whole, much too fundamental (and basically not actually concered with matters of 'this' world) to allow for any ready made answers in political issues such as these. Also, I am firmly convinced that there is no simple interpretation of Christianity. Of course, faith is always a personal choice. But living within a society, or at least a community, is part of the human condition. I can see why some people can argue that general healthcare can in fact be some a form of Charity (in the Christian theological sense). I just think that that while a persons's faith is an individual choice, Christianity can very well have a social dimension.

Hope that didn't sound offensive - as I've said, it's only a hypothesis.