Bishop Savas is Wrong on Taxes on the Poor and the Rich

Bishop Savas Zembillas Wrong on Taxes

Bishop Savas (GOA)

by Chris Banescu -
Bishop Savas (Zembillas), GOA’s Director of the Office of Church and Society, has launched into yet another missive against conservatives whom he frequently condemns of hating the poor and only protecting the rich. On his facebook page, the main venue where one can find the bishop’s real views and interests, he recently posted a blame Republicans editorial from The New York Times titled “The New Resentment of the Poor.” Apparently forgetting that envy is a sin and truth-telling a virtue, Bishop Savas highlights his class-warfare passions in several false claims he posted in the discussions related to the NYT article.

This is not the first time Bishop Savas has posted such biased hit pieces on his facebook wall. He has a long history of supporting pro-Democrat and anti-Republican views via his many postings of overwhelmingly liberal and leftist-leaning commentary from NPR and The New York Times, his favorite sources of “balanced and objective” news and views. However, this latest editorial further showcases his superficial and misinformed thinking on taxation via several outlandish statements that distort the truth and advance a leftist/progressive agenda.
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The Non-Christian Christians of the Netherlands

Klaas Hendrikse

Klaas Hendrikse

by Chris Banescu
In an attempt to become more hip, modern, worldly, and relevant various Christian denominations have abandoned, over the years, many of the Christian sacraments, traditional forms of worship, and even universal moral precepts and teachings of the faith. Endless streams of “enlightened” pastors and priests or priestesses have interpreted and re-interpreted the Scriptures in ways that significantly diluted or distorted the actual teachings of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Christian faith as taught and practiced by the ancient Orthodox Christian Church since the time of the original Apostles. Few, however, while still claiming to be Christian and remaining sane, had ever fully crossed the line into outright and complete apostasy. That is no longer the case. Several Protestant “churches” in the Netherlands now proclaim that God doesn’t exist, Christ was just a man, and there is no life after death.

A prominent figure of the mainstream Protestant Church of the Netherlands (PKN) is ‘reverend’ Klaas Hendrikse, author of the infamous book Believing in a God that does not exist: the manifesto of an atheist pastor. In his sermons Mr. Hendrikse paints a dark and hopeless picture of human existence and the meaning of life: [Read more...]

St. John Chrysostom vs. Communism

St. John Chrysostom vs. Communism by Chris Banescu –
This amazing quote was written by St. John Chrysostom. Those strong warnings regarding core principles that form the foundation of socialist/communist ideologies should have been heeded by the Church and taught to the people.

St. John Chrysostom:

“Should we look to kings and princes to put right the inequalities between rich and poor? Should we require soldiers to come and seize the rich person’s gold and distribute it among his destitute neighbors? Should we beg the emperor to impose a tax on the rich so great that it reduces them to the level of the poor and then to share the proceeds of that tax among everyone? Equality imposed by force would achieve nothing, and do much harm. Those who combined both cruel hearts and sharp minds would soon find ways of making themselves rich again.

Worse still, the rich whose gold was taken away would feel bitter and resentful; while the poor who received the gold from the hands of soldiers would feel no gratitude, because no generosity would have prompted the gift. Far from bringing moral benefit to society, it would actually do moral harm. Material justice cannot be accomplished by compulsion, a change of heart will not follow. The only way to achieve true justice is to change people’s hearts first—and then they will joyfully share their wealth.” – St. John Chrysostom on the poor from On Living Simply XLIII

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Church Groups Foggy Up Stem Cell Initiative

by Chris Banescu

Another campaign of stem cell disinformation and misdirection is in full swing in California. The sponsors of Proposition 71, the “California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act,” are promoting a measure that would allow researchers a constitutional right to experiment on embryonic stem cells, and equip them with almost $3 billion in public funds. The drafters of this initiative have cunningly phrased their proposition to purposely avoid using the words “embryo” or “embryonic.” Hoping to obfuscate the real biological issues at hand, supporters of Proposition 71 are deliberately trying to circumvent an honest debate on the issues and legalize research on human embryos without the public’s full understanding of the truth.

On July 8, the California Council of Churches issued a press release titled “California Church IMPACT Endorses Proposition 71.” The announcement touted the measure — slated to appear on the November 2004 ballot — as providing much needed funds and support for “the development of lifesaving therapies and cures for diseases that could save the lives of millions of California children and adults.” [Read more...]