Steve J:

Read your whole Bible (Old and New Testaments). God makes it very clear that giving has to come from the heart and not forced by governments to use for less than Godly purposes. God’s Word also makes the receiver accountable — governments don’t.

Conservations give far more to charity than liberals, and it’s been associated with Christian commitments. Christian conservatives give more to the poor–they just do it more directly and for the most part through volunteering (as opposed to for a salary as in government workers). You know, from the heart.

Helping the poor is supposed to be the work of the churches, not the government. Maybe if people started attending church and if churches became less introspective and more interested in outreach, more would get done.