I think that the health sector is partially responsible for taking us out of the enlightened self-interest/entitlement models, back into the charity models. Funding that would have otherwise been directed towards poverty relief, as an entitlement, is now headed straight to health clinics. Medical practisioners are emerging as the new social workers, determining who deserves and who does not deserve welfare, in accordance with their own ideas about what is deemed "healthy" and "unhealthy". Poor people are considered poor because they are ill (as drug, alcohol or mental "defectives"). Illness is related back to moral judgements relating to so called "life style" choices and those who are not deemed fit to compete in the capitalist market, are considered to have "only themselves to blame". The good news is, that some so called "illness" are defined as temporary whilste others are considered permanent and fixed. In other words, poor people can now fit in one of two catagories- either they have just temporarily hit bad times because of "lack of fortune", or are considered permanently disabled i.e "will remain unlucky for life". Medical students are not familiarised with concepts of social injustice as most of them went to private schools and grew up in the lap of luxioury..."luckily"!

A reasonably penetrating article, without obvious assumptions of right and left which have become de riguer in modern political discussion.

I suppose I was only peripherally aware of the important distinction between charity and welfare - yes, on the face of it, it is obvious, but few consider the implications it can have for the future of both conservatism and liberalism.

Of particular significance is always realising the importance of distinguishing welfare rights from simple charity...

Interesting stuff.

The Author said:

[After all, any genuine belief in social justice, whether religious or secular, should be sufficient to withstand political setbacks]

eer..sure.. until ur in the trenches, and the bullets are zinging over your head and around your ears and you suddenly wake up to the reality that you know its 'just a belief'.... rather than a belief grounded in something as enduring and eternal as the resurrection of Christ.

'Beliefs' by themselves are just ideas. They may be positive or negative, and if implemented across society have very different outcomes.

The far more important point is to have a belief with a firm foundation.

[Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."] (Matth 7:24-27)

As with the mans house, so with society, and its politics, and with us individually.

vivy, don't blame the medical profession for societies advocation of the victim mentality. Doctors, nurses or hospitals don't control social directions. One of the key reasons that there is an increase in charitable involvement is due to the heavy strain on the total system of social welfare. It's become it's own industry and a great deal of tax revenue is needed to simply keep the beast running, paying the millions in all worker salaries, rents and equipments and other perishables. Never mind the tax revenue necessary to maintain or treat existing community social needs, let alone manage a spike due to any environmental calamity or disease outbreak.

"Medical students are not familiarised with concepts of social injustice as most of them went to private schools and grew up in the lap of luxioury..."luckily"!"

Yes, one wouldn't want to depend on the destitute to provide for the needs of the community. If your willing to champion for an increase in welfare benefits and the taxation necessary to ensure that the poor get to medical school, I'll second it.

It is wrong to take what Christians say seriously. There are many cases where charity is used to subjegate poor communities by sending missionaries and embarking on stolen generation style programs. Many religious based charities are wracked with corruption and more still are too incompetant to deliver important needed aid. There are a few effective religious charities but those are rarer than hens teeth. Most of the most succesful have secularised. A good thing to because religion holds bias against many types of people. The purpose of Christian charity is to satisfy the ego of the believer this insincerity shows in the field.Many religion based charities are very selective in the kinds of people they will help. For many of the larger denominations charity has become a tax rort a good way to make profit. Many others are only responsive to 'hot' issues and so we see charity flooding away from the Sudan to Afghanistan to Indonesia to New Orleans. Anywhere where there are tv cameras. There are a minority of Christians who are sincere in helping others and often they will be starving along side orphans in places such as in South America. A close friend worked in such a place in Equador. Getting an Australian was a real boon for them to use his networks to get resources cheap for us. Many of the children and nuns had to work full time to feed the orphans. The orphanage faced famine in the past but the Catholic Churches input was to send them a lovely painted sign denoting it was a Catholic orphanage.

It doesnt matter what Christians claim. If Rudd is egalitarian it has nothing to do with the bible. Capitalism isnt secular , Costello is Christian and has no empathy at all for his fellow man and assesses everything to the value of the dollar. God does not exist, everybodies position is self relevant whatever spiritality they may attempt to claim.

West

Sure glad it isn't you we will be facing on judgement day. You certainly seem to have those 'evil Christians' motives summed up. Seems like a fixation for you.