Journal smittyoneeach's Journal: Context? Context? Hahahaha 20
Jesus said render unto "Caesar" that which is Caesar's. In this context, Caesar isn't just referring to one individual, but to the government which he stands for. It is through government that Caesar ever could claim authority such that you have to render undo him anything.
15. Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
16. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
17. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
18. But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
19. Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
20. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21. They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
22. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
A few points:
15. The Pharisees came for a bit of gotcha journalism.
16. They start by buttering Jesus up.
17. Then the gotcha question: as a matter of Jewish religious law (because the taxes in question were collected via tax farming, not a proper legal code) is it kosher to pay taxes?
20. Jesus specifically asks whose image is on the coin before him. Jesus is explicitly referring to the individual on the face of the coin. He is doing it precisely NOT to be referring to the government in question, damn_registrars. You have the scene Completely. Backward.
21. By personalizing the question in this way, Jesus both directly answered it, and utterly refuted some dishonest interlocutors.
Aside: are you going to pick up the Communist Manifesto Reading Group project after the election?
Caesar was the face of government (Score:1)
But nice try.
It's too bad it wasn't just a picture of a building. But, hey, that's how parables work. Do you know what is a medda for?
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The original question was theological, not one of civics, and asked for rhetorical ambush purposes, not serious discussion.
Not that I'm really holding forth much hope of useful analysis from either of you.
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Yeah, Actually I see your "context" quite clearly, and would apply the same to real estate, or any other natural resource you like to claim as "property" to *render unto Caesar*(or anybody else). It is you who fails to see the meaning. The air, water, and land belong to god.
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All this statist pap is a follow-on rendering. Go ahead and make stuff up; just be clear about your creativity.
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Go ahead and make stuff up...
LOL! And you call me the projectionist! Hooah!
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Eh, whatever, the argument remains open on what *belongs to Caesar*. And I don't feel like swimming through the primordial goo that sloshes between you and d_r to find your "context". Context of what?
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the argument remains open on what *belongs to Caesar*
I should think you, of all people, an admirer of the ambiguous response.
I both agree and disagree (Score:2)
I believe he is referring to the governmental power that *issued the currency*. In his day, Roman politicians would often issue currency with their picture on it. Without mass media, it was the way that they could get their picture out among the people.
Tax farming was specifically to soak up all this fiat currency, so that it wouldn't cause major issues.
Likewise today, the FED issues the currency. They own it and lend it to you specifically for the payment of debt, public and private. For this service,
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But I do think that tax farming should occur. The Federal government should bill the States to fund the federal government, and have authority to impose a sales tax against the states to meet their number. But as long as the States meet their number, the citizens of the State should have the power to figure out how they wish to be
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What I'm pointing out is that under any given fiat currency system, funding the state is only half the equation of what taxes should be.
The other half is preventing inflation.
The reason why the infamous-among-Austrian-Economists Worgl miracle occurred, before the central banks shut it down, was because it was not only an experiment in locally controlled currency, but also locally controlled taxes. The Certified Compensation Bills used as local currency had an automatic 10%/month tax on them, sucking them b
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Interesting point on Worgl, though. I'm ignorant on this one.
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Only partially. The rest, he was discussing hypocrisy.
The effective yearly tax rate on Worgl's freegeld was 120%. I think you could fund a whole government on fiat currency alone at those rates.
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The question asked was political in nature. Any answer he gives has political implications whether he likes it or not. Even saying you're politically-neutral has political implications.
Secondary or tertiary, at best. Our politics-in-everything day is a source of great woe, when sports (formerly a haven from such) feature athletes prostituting themselves in the service of lousy policy. Sweet, sweet Progress.
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The ancient Greeks used the Olympics to one up each other just like countries do with the modern counterpart.
US sport had not been political until recently.