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THE QUESTION
Financial Responsibilities and Moral Obligations
In tough times, do those of us who handled our finances responsibly have a moral obligation to bail out those of us who didn't? Are we our brother's keeper economically?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on March 3, 2009 5:27 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Love Your Neighbor and Don't Tax Him
Forced charity is bad for us because in removing our liberty to choose between goods it makes us perpetual dependents. By cutting everyone a check or putting everyone in "one size fits all" programs it is radically inefficient and often harms the giver and the recipient.
Posted by John Mark Reynolds, on March 9, 2009 7:13 AM
Compassion Not Compulsion
Yes, in tough times, those with resources ought to share them with those who are in need, not because Caesar orders us to, but because, as people of faith, God's compassion and love for the downtrodden compels us.
Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on March 9, 2009 5:56 AM
Community Reponse, Not Government Response
The reason we are in this economic mess is the exact opposite -- self above everyone else. The only way truly out of this is through a generation of selflessness.
Posted by Matt Maher, on March 9, 2009 5:45 AM
Help the Poor Without a lot of Questions
Bottom line? It is quintessentially Christian to help others in need.
Posted by Leith Anderson, on March 9, 2009 4:46 AM
Care For One Another, But No Coddling
There is a time for justice, letting the financially irresponsible suffer. But there is a time for mercy
Posted by Willis E. Elliott, on March 9, 2009 2:57 AM
Economic Recovery Built on Fairness, not Vengeance
The attempt to aid the poor has been labeled "socialism." The result is that the greed of a few has come close to destroying the capitalist system that gives hope to so many.
Posted by John Shelby Spong, on March 9, 2009 12:28 AM
A Nation of Individuals?
No one, however innocent, will be able to escape the consequences of this crisis even though none of us individually were responsible for it.
Posted by Arun Gandhi, on March 9, 2009 12:15 AM
Our Brothers' Keepers, Not Their Guarantors
We are responsible for each other. But the fact that we are obligated to bail each other out, for both moral and economic reasons, does not mean that we must restore all those who have lost out to their former glory and meet their every expectation.
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on March 5, 2009 8:01 AM
If You Escaped the Meltdown, What Should You Do?
If you have escaped a collective economic disaster, it's your obligation to help the less fortunate. This is simple morality, and most people abide by it. The heroes of every calamity are those who expand beyond fear.
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on March 5, 2009 7:20 AM
Define "Responsible"
The core teaching of Goddess traditions is simply this: we are all interconnected and interdependent. If we recognize that truth, if we acknowledge that we must all pull together, we can steer through even the heaviest rapids. But if we start pushing people off the raft and fighting over the oars, we will all go under, responsible and irresponsible alike.
Posted by Starhawk, on March 5, 2009 6:46 AM
Erring on the Side of Compassion
I don't want my compassion for someone to be dictated by their IQ or whether they made dumb decisions. Any of us can find ourselves without a job and facing unexpected hardships. But I don't want to subsidize habitual irresponsibility, either.
Posted by Michael Otterson, on March 5, 2009 5:30 AM
Brothers' and Sisters' Keepers?
Being generous through governmental social policy -- ouch! even when we weren't asked -- can leave the nation better off.
Posted by Martin Marty, on March 5, 2009 5:27 AM
A Religious Obligation To Help All Those Suffering -- Not Just The Poor
Judaism is a system of obligations and responsibilities, not rights.
Posted by David Saperstein, on March 5, 2009 2:20 AM
A Tale of Two Brothers, and a Sister
Economic crisis is about all of us. We are all connected.
Posted by Mathew N. Schmalz, on March 5, 2009 12:52 AM
It's Not Only Moral To Help Your Neighbor, It's Smart
I believe that extending a helping hand -- yes, via higher taxes -- to my neighbor is not only morally required but makes good sense from a self-interested standpoint. All of us who congratulate ourselves on having "played by the rules" ought to take a hard look at the fact that the rules aren't the same for everyone in this country
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on March 3, 2009 4:41 PM
Charity is a Just and Ethical Obligation
Giving charity is not a special act of the good heart, but an obligation like any other legal obligation. It is not just that one is benevolent out of the goodness of his heart; rather, he is obligated to do so.
Posted by Adin Steinsaltz, on March 3, 2009 2:52 PM
Cain and Abel's Mortgage Company
Cain is the poster-child for the banks and mortgage companies, the investment brokers and the whole sorry chain of folks who are now trying to duck their responsibility for the incredible disaster they have helped create. This includes financial reporters who mostly cheered on the whole sorry system of greed for the sake of greed.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on March 3, 2009 12:43 PM
Charity and Responsibility Begin at Home
We have been living way over our heads, believing not only that we are entitled to do so, but that we are entitled to other people's money if we fail to live up to our own expectations.
Posted by Cal Thomas, on March 3, 2009 11:57 AM
Even When Our Brother is a Loser
However much we may resent helping those who have been careless and who possibly absolutely delighting in risk taking, we have a duty to help for the sake of society.
Posted by Julia Neuberger, on March 3, 2009 10:37 AM
"Forgive Us Our Debts..."
The financial crisis reminds us that the point of forgiveness is, yes, that you may have got it wrong but it's time for a clean start.
Posted by Nicholas T. Wright, on March 3, 2009 5:53 AM
My Brother's Keeper? What About Us?
There is a crisis in this land, and it's not all about Wall Street. Main Street is on life support.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on March 3, 2009 12:00 AM
FEATURED COMMENTS
ivri5768: Jesus referenced or paraphrased this passage from Deuteronomy: For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying,...
stevestegman: Yes, as the old saying goes, what goes around comes around. It's morally good and good for business.
Don't expect the rich and the peopl...
Carolyn57: My mother was a teenager during the Depression and she told me many times how her Mother would buy milk, eggs, etc. for neighbors whenever s...
