Didn't the Hebrews INVENT the modern rationale for taxation?

[Some Moran]

Think about it. :)

On Edit:

Well, prior to the introduction of the tithe as a part of Mosaic Law, taxation was used to fatten the pockets of kings, empires, and pharaohs as opposed to the poor and those who needed it.

I should have been more clear in my first post, but I meant to point out the irony in the religious right's War on Taxes

[Brucey]

1. No, I heard it was the

Clintons.

[tom_paine]

2. More specifically, it was Clinton's Penis

Damn, that organ gets around!

[KittyWampus]

3. The History Of Taxation?

Gee, never really thought about it... how intersting!

[denverbill]

4. No.

[BlueEyedSon]

5. The Romans?

not sure....

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

6. explain yourself before I flame you with what appears to be a "set-up"

for Jew bashing.

[Some Moran]

7. Hmmm...

Well, prior to the introduction of the tithe as a part of Mosaic Law, taxation was used to fatten the pockets of kings, empires, and pharaohs as opposed to the poor and those who needed it.

I should have been more clear in my first post, but I meant to point out the irony in the religious right's War on Taxes.

[Brian Sweat]

8. I don't think it was meant to be anti-semitic at all or to paint

Jewish people in a bad light. The poster is just trying to point out how ironic it would be if the ancient Jews, upon whose religion Christianity is based, had come up with the concept of taxation as a way to help the poor, when so many of the modern "Christians" are so dead set against using taxes to help the poor.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. Fair enough but without the opening statement which he edited in

it did not communicate that. I am NOT one to run around saying ANTI-SEMITIC at everything (I thinkone can verify as much from my prior posts) but it is often an opportunity for some. ;-)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. And Jesus himself, when asked whether

Jews should pay taxes to the Romans, took a coin, asked whose picture was on it and when the people answered, "Caesar's," said, "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's, and to God, that which is God's."

[Tinoire]

11. Yeah and a few other things

My favorite is "Gleaning" which was a welfare system built into the Mosaic Law that provided for the poor, the foreigners, the widows, and the orphans.

LEV 19: 9-10 and DEU 24:19,21 mention this.

"And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the lord your God" (Lev. XIX. 9, 10). "when thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow" (Deut. XXIV. 20, 21).

These provisions were the agricultural poor-laws of the bible, the transgression of which was punishable with stripes. In the book of Ruth there's a description of the manner in which the fields were gleaned. The poor followed the reapers at their work, and gathered all the remains of the crop, both those that fell out of the hands of the reaper and those that escaped the sickle (Ruth II. 2).

Harvesting like this left about 30 % in the field for the poor but they had to work for it by harvesting themselves. If you went hungry and starved to death, it was because you were too lazy to work. Also you had to glean by hand and couldn't use machines or tools.

I wish our country would enact such a thing!

[KittyWampus]

14. The Gleaners- Beautiful Painting by Millet!

Thanks for reminding me :)

[Tinoire]

15. That is a BEAUTIFUL painting!

Thank you for sharing that...

I envy anyone who can paint in that kind of detail. What masters! Wow....

[TheReligiousLeft]

12. Gleaning was a common practice

The outsides of vinyard etc were left unharvested so the poor could eat that. An interesting note on Jews and taxes is that since the return from exile the Jews (both dispersed and non) asked most every group that controlled them to exempt them from taxes so they could send it to the Temple instead. Even cooler more often than not they won this right!

[David Zephyr]

13. Groan.

Please consider changing the title of this thread, dude. I don't know where you are going with this and I hope your intentions are innocent, but the last thing that Jews today need is being blamed for the concept of taxation, which was around before Abraham ever left Ur. After all, Mel Gibson is bringing back the "the Jews killed Jesus" crap at theaters near us all next year, right?. Isn't that enough? And "Hebrews"?

[Tinoire]

16. I hope no offense was meant

I didn't see it- I thought the poster was trying to paint it as a good thing but you have a valid point.

Btw, I'm glad everything turned out ok for you with the fire... We were pretty worried but I just found out you were spared. WHEW!