Are You Praying For Peace But Still Paying For War? A Christian Perspective
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| Christ's Way |
One of the most complete violations of Christ's commandments is the waging of war - the organized, efficient destruction of human beings. To advocate violence, according to Jesus Christ, is to exist outside God's kingdom: "If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over... But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." (John 18:36) Jesus' very betrayal and arrest serve as yet another exhortation against killing. When a follower of his strikes the slave of a high priest, Jesus cries out, "No more of this!" Then Jesus touches the injured man and heals him. (Luke 22:51) In his parables such as the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus makes clear our inheritance - a commitment to love our neighbors. Through his own example of sacrificing his life, Jesus shows us that love reaches its fulfillment when extended to the enemy. Love, as Christ taught, is not merely an emotion, but a concrete action. Thus it is not surprising that for its first two centuries the early Church forbade Christians from serving in the Roman army.
More and more Christians are finding militarism incompatible with Christ's teachings. The advent of modern warfare threatens to annihilate God's creation through the use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Military aggression against third world countries has become a fact of life we cannot ignore. The United Sates requires Christians to support militarism and violence through the payment of federal taxes. And while the government provides alternative military service to conscientious objectors of draft age, there is no such provision for tax payers who are conscientiously opposed to war and militarism.
| Christian Stewardship |
We are called to use the gifts we are given, both material and spiritual, in a responsible manner. Through the Church, many Christians share their resources to meet the needs of the world, but at the same time we are each contributing over 50% of our tax dollars to the U.S. government's military budget. While each day the U.S. spends $165 million on the military, 60,000 people die of starvation worldwide. Let us ask ourselves whether our works of compassion are not undone a thousand times by our voluntary contribution to destroy the "enemies" through our tax payments. Many Christians have come to believe that Christian stewardship requires them to refuse to pay for war. many more are giving this issue prayerful consideration.
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.
Martin Luther King
| Christ, Not Caesar |
Being obedient to the laws of our country is generally recognized as following the Gospel, but conflicts between allegiance to God and to the government sometimes arise and deserve our careful consideration. the apostle Peter's declaration that "we must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29) summarizes many Christians' approach to this problem of conscience. While Paul seems to describe the government in Romans 13 as the limited instrument of good, he concludes the passage with a declaration about the overarching demands of love. "Love never does any wrong to the neighbor, hence love is the fulfillment of the law."
Jesus' answer in the passage concerning the lawfulness of paying taxes to Caesar (Mark 12:13-17) confounds our expectations as it did the original witnesses to the encounter. His answer, "Render to Caesar the things that our Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." reminds us to act in accordance with the authority to which we have submitted ourselves. This sometimes results in the need to disobey the laws of our country in our obedience to Divine Law. Moses' mother and sister (Exodus 2:2), the three wise men (Matt 2:12), Peter, Paul and Jesus himself (Mark 6:1ff) were such "lawbreakers."
Though not the only action one might take, refusal to pay taxes for war can be an essential act of love, a means of preventing the suffering of others.
We are war tax resisters because we have discovered some doubt as to what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God, and have decided to give the benefit of the doubt to God.
John Stoner, on a poster from Mennonite Central Committee
| War Tax Resistance as a Christian Witness |
War Tax Resistance - the refusal to pay all or part of one's federal income tax of the federal excise tax on telephone bills - is an act of civil disobedience. Following the example of Christ's teachings, we must be willing to accept the consequences of the actions we take out of obedience to the higher law of God. a war tax counselor or lawyer can help you explore the variety of methods and related consequences to find the one that is best for you.
Some forms of war tax resistance carry little or no risk, while others involve potential civil and criminal penalties. Often the IRS will send only notices of taxes due. But the IRS may also attempt to forcibly collect unpaid taxes. Many war tax resisters are supported in their witness by the people, often members of their church or local peace group. Group support can help make such intrusions into one's personal life less threatening as well as an experience of spiritual growth.
Most people fell that war tax resistance is incomplete if it stops with not paying. Using resisted taxes in alternative ways can be important in strengthening human society, Such redirection of taxes is usually done either through outright gifts to churches, service organizations and peace groups, or as loans to alternative and escrow funds. These funds use the pooled tax money of member resisters to make grants or loans to life affirming causes. There are currently about 40 such funds in this country.
| A Long Tradition |
The early Church saw Caesar's tax for the pagan temple in Rome as a temptation to idolatry. Many refused payment and were severely punished. Under the 4th century Roman Emperor Constantine, Christianity became identified with the State, severely hampering its ability to critique government. It was not until the 16th century that a significant revival of Christian conscience brought the issue of taxes for war into the forefront of some Christians' lives. This was particularly true for the Anabaptists and similar groups of persecuted Christians in Central Europe. By standing up for the rights of religious freedom based on biblical and reformation teachings, they paved the way for religious freedom in this country. They held strongly to the principle of the supremacy of the individual conscience when it ran counter to the orders of the state.
The Historic Peace Churches - Quakers, Brethren, and Mennonites - brought the concept of refusal to pay taxes for war to this country in the 16th century and have provided the most apparent examples of war tax refusal.
Let not the fear of suffering, either in person or property, prevail any to join with or promote any work or preparation for war.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends, 1776
In this century the practice of war tax resistance has broadened dramatically from the traditional Anabaptist circles to include members of many other religious traditions, including Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist as well as a strong secular involvement, In the past few years a number of churches and religious organizations have taken public positions in support of war tax resistance and of members and employees involved in this act of conscience.
Original text by George Rodkey of Northern California War Tax Resistance
