Can charity be forced?

With the government currently shut down, one of the things that I have been praying for most has been the families impacted by the removal of SNAP benefits. 42 million Americans will have less in their fridge as a consequence.

Part of me is so saddened by this, that this could have real consequences for kids just like mine and their quality of life. So many people are just barely skating by, if one thing jars their system the consequences could be dire.

The other part of me is frustrated that we have created a society that is so dependent on government subsidy, though I myself am a beneficiary (think child tax credits, pastoral housing, etc.).

I want to help people, and I do not want them to suffer. I think we do have an obligation as a community, a society, to care for those who cannot care for themselves.

And yet, I often wonder, is the current way of “charity” through taxation and government intervention the best way of helping the least of these? I look at the socialist movement happening in NYC with skeptical eyes.

Maybe government intervention is the only way. After all, I hardly know the people in my little village. How can my resources be impactful in such a complicated world?

But maybe that’s the root of the issue. We hardly know one another, and therefore couldn’t guess where to start in helping one another. If we committed to building up local economies, employing our neighbors, and knew them enough to provide reliable charity on our own, would we need broad government intervention?

If I was going to be taxed, SNAP is something I don’t mind those dollars going towards, even if there is grift in the system, though I would want it to be better. But the consequence of not helping needy families is heavy on my heart.

Regardless of what the government does, and my own inability to personally help 42 million people, I can commit to the 42 people directly around me. By that I mean the families and households within my vicinity. Helping with food and chores and providing spaces of community to combat isolation.

If we each know and take care of our neighbors, moments like this become less painful or scary.

Taxation may be forced charity, but that does not remove our obligation to be charitable to the people around us.

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