A Moral Dilemma: Should A Christian Pay Income Tax?

Should a Christian pay income tax?

 This is a question that demands a sober, honest response from those who desire to live accountable to God and before his fellow man.

Once a believer investigates the origins of the centralized state and finds it's against God's design for human government; and once the Christian discovers that the U.S. government has been illegally taxing the citizens' income to pay back the Federal Reserve, a decision must be made.

Our country is being controlled by a banking cartel of elite, powerful men. Because they manipulate the money, they manipulate both foreign and domestic policies. In other words, they're the REAL shadow government!

I am NOT telling you to quit paying taxes! However, these various articles re-shaped my worldview regarding taxation. I pray that you will also obtain a better understanding with which to posture yourself in belief and practice against wicked plundering.

Later posts will address legitimate ways to put more distance between you and Uncle Sam's wrongdoing. We'll also examine current tax alternatives, and how society can function quite well without the federal income tax.

First however, we must realize that centralized, man-centered government was started by Cain (and  followed by Nimrod) in rebellion to his Creator, and that our Lord sees statist control today as nothing more than resurrected Babels.

Norman Horn at LibertarianChristians.com has a thorough, eye-opening article based on the observations of early Jewish historian, Josephus: The Origins of the State.

For a good look into how the State now reaches and regulates every aspect of society--including religion--I recommend Nothing Outside the State Part I and Part II by Robert Higgs, posted on The Beacon from the Independent Institute.
What of any consequence remains beyond the state’s reach in the U.S. today?

Not wages, working conditions, or labor-management relationsNot health care; not money, banking, or financial services; not personal privacy
Not transportation or communication; not education or scientific research
Not farming or food supply; not nutrition or food quality; not marriage or divorce

Not child care; not provision for retirement; not recreation; not insurance of any kind
Not smoking or drinking; not gambling; not political campaign funding or publicity
Not real estate development, house construction, or housing finance
Not international travel, trade, or finance; not a thousand other areas and aspects of social life.

"One might affirm that the state still keeps its hands off religion, but it actually does not. It certifies certain religious organizations as legitimate and condemns others, as many young men discovered to their sorrow when they attempted to claim the status of conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. It assigns members of certain religions, but not members of others, as chaplains in its armed services."

Even though Holy Matrimony was instituted before the state, Christians are conditioned to seek "permission" (licensing) from the state to get married. In exchange for this permission, a couple may delight in getting certain tax benefits, but they also unwittingly surrender, by contract, their children to the State. (Are Marriages Illegal?) and (Five Reasons Why Christians Should NOT Obtain a State Marriage License.)

After the Israelites begged for a king like the nations around them, God's prophet, Samuel, warned that choosing to be governed by men rather than God would lay two heavy burdens upon them--taxation and civil service.

What Samuel Said about Solomon is an excellent article from the Mises Institute. Author Frank Chodorov explains how the opening passage--"In those days, there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." (17:6)--is not a disparaging comment, but stating a simple fact that self-government was the societal norm.

To be able to do that which is right in one's own eyes is to be free, and freedom was the way of life among the Israelites before the coming of the kings. Yet, they were not without government; they were not lacking in those social controls that are the essence of government. (The Torah)

The economy of the tribesmen demanded of the individual that he adjust himself to cooperative and regularized procedures; a man who indulged his caprice when the tribe was on the march in search of grazing land would be courting disaster; it was a case of hold together or die.

Tradition supplemented necessity in the orderly arrangement of life, for the tradition grew out of experience by the trial-and-error method and had proved itself beneficial. The laws of custom were sanctified because violation of them carried its own penalties, not only to the individual, but also to the group.

God allowed His people to be oppressed by other nations only when their ability to govern themselves responsibly under Him resulted in harmful, unchecked behavior that affected the community. It was NOT due to the lack of a strong, centralized government!

Chodorov's definitive classic from 1954, The Income Tax: Root of All Evil, is available at Mises and can be downloaded in PDF. Take a look through these chapters:

• Chapter 1 Solomon's Yoke
• Chapter 2 Politically Speaking, What is "Evil"
• Chapter 3 Yours Is Not Your Own
• Chapter 4 How It Came Upon Us
• Chapter 5 The Revolution of 1913
• Chapter 6 Soak The Poor
• Chapter 7 Corruption and Corruption
• Chapter 8 A Possible Way Out
• Chapter 9 Competition in Government
• Chapter 10 Union Forever
• Chapter 11 For Freedom's Sake

"As a result of income taxation, we now have a government with far more power than George III ever exercised. It is self-sufficient, independent of the will of the people. The elections do not alter that fact; these are merely periodic changes of the guard. Whoever is elected retains the power vested in the office and, as usual, tries to augment it. The end in clear sight is the liquidation of all social power and the advent of a regime of absolutism.

This, it cannot too often be repeated, was an inevitable consequence of income taxation. The citizen is sovereign only when he can retain and enjoy the fruits of his labor. If the government has first claim on his property he must learn to genuflect before it.

When the right of property is abrogated, all the other rights of the individual are undermined, and to speak of the sovereign citizen who has no absolute right of property is to talk nonsense. It is like saying that the slave is free because he is allowed to do anything he wants to do (even vote, if you wish) except to own what he produces.

The case for repeal )of the 16th Amendment) rests on this tradition. If there are still enough Americans who are of the opinion that that government governs best which governs least, if there is among us a group willing to risk their fortunes, their lives, and their sacred honor for freedom, then repeal has a chance. If, on the other hand, the habits of mind acquired under income taxation have completely obliterated the American tradition, then any effort to restore citizen sovereignty is futile.

It is never too late to put up a fight for freedom." (Chapter 8)

Mind you, he wrote these compelling words to a slumbering nation 56 years ago! Are we beyond slumber, America, re we comatose?

Where is the Church--those believers who are to be thermostats, not mere thermometers that reflect the nation's moral temperature! Do we understand the seriousness of blind tribute to Caesar?

Whenever we attempt to interpret a passage of Scripture, classical hermeneutics teach us to always look at the historical/cultural settings that surround it. The Tribute Passage, where Jesus tells us to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's", is one of the most misunderstood passages of Scripture; consequently, it is one of the most misinterpreted. It is NOT a ringing endorsement by Jesus to pay taxes!

I recommend the scholarly article posted at Lew Rockwell's site by Jeffrey Barr: Render unto Caesar: A Most Misunderstood New Testament Passage. (The position of the Catholic church is worth noting).

Plus, LibertarianChristians.com has a great article by Christopher Bevis, Caesar and God in Context:

So, what does Jesus here imply belongs to a Caesar who tried to rival God for worship and loyalty? Financially speaking, the most that statist Christians can get from this story is an endorsement of a flat tax limited to a single digit percentage of a manual labourer’s annual income.

Furthermore, this money was used to finance local government, local security and road construction. It was never sufficient to prop up bloated international government agencies, failing businesses or indebted home buyers. But since Jesus implicitly shut Caesar out of the Temple with his answer, even this conclusion is debatable at best.

Morally speaking, though, Jesus was refusing much more than a coin for himself or his Father. His answer was a rejection of the blasphemous power of state-controlled money, issued by thieving moneyers at the behest of false gods. Even today, such money is backed by the ability to threaten and use state-sanctioned violence on a massive scale. Those who give such orders today shelter beneath the doctrine of “sovereign immunity”, and those who carry out the orders try to absolve themselves by pointing to “the chain of command”.

Caesar’s “power” (such as it is) entails appearing to reap without sowing, promoting or unmaking just weights and measures on a whim of public policy, taking or preserving the lives of others in the name of the “big picture” or the “greater good” – and reaping personal and national disaster in due course. No wonder Jesus, the Prince of Peace, rejected such power whenever it was offered to him.

It all boils down to this: Taxation is theft; it is a scandalous portion of the money we righteously earn that is taken by force--accompanied by a threat of fine or imprisonment for non-compliance. The State is run by power brokers building a Babel that delights in competing with God and acting as a god to its serfs.

We are told a lie when statists insist our stolen money helps run government services. First, the government itself no longer obeys the Constitutional limits set upon it, yet it commands explicit obedience from its constituents.

The government must pay for its excesses. The money borrowed from the Federal Reserve to enlarge its borders and gobble up more power is stolen from the people and returned--with interest--to the Fed.

Money to run government services, according to the Constitution, can be adequately earned through excise taxes, tariffs and other legitimate forms of  revenue--not a tax on people's earnings!

In one of my earlier posts, I reported the arrests of former IRS agents Sherry Peel Jackson and Joseph Banister who boldly stood up and told the truth about the agency. In addition, they took highly personal steps against unlawful plunder. Yet, ordinary citizens are also being targeted by the IRS. Here's the story of what happened to a Christian couple in Florida who were LEGALLY trying to avoid personal income taxes:

Without warning, in the early morning on a day in 1996, Internal Revenue Service agents, sporting seizure papers and accompanied by police officers, towed away cars parked on Cummings Road in Pensacola, Florida. So began a long ordeal between a Christian ministry and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that continues today.

IRS agents seized the property in a claim for $10,000 of unpaid taxes. The alleged tax violators had mailed written responses to the IRS, but IRS agents chose to seize property without notice rather than write a reply to the accused. What would become years of intimidation had begun.

Today the accused, a man and his wife, convicted of tax fraud, are spending their time in separate federal prisons. He won't get out of jail until 2015. His wife just has now entered federal prison and will spend a year in jail.

What terrible crime did Ken Hovind commit?

Hovind, a retired school teacher, started a ministry to teach kids about creationism--Creation Science Evangelism.

Back in 1989, Kent Hovind officially took a vow of poverty, as Roman Catholic priests who belong to an "order" do today. Catholic priests who take a vow of poverty, which is recognized by the IRS, are exempt from paying Federal income tax.

For those who have taken such a vow, earnings are considered the income of the religious order, or in Hovind’s case, part of his ministry. In essence, Hovind owned nothing, had no salary, and all of his needs, housing, food, transportation, were met by the ministry.

He had no personal wealth, and he was not an owner of any real estate or other property, the ministry was. All of CSE’s real estate was put into a trust. Years later, newspaper reports nebulously reported Hovind failed to pay his taxes. It was a moot point. Hovind, like ordered Catholic priests, officially had no income.

Kent Hovind was arrested and charged with twelve counts of willfully failing to withhold, deposit, report, and pay federal income and FICA (social security) taxes for employees from March 31, 2001 until December 31, 2003. The only law he was informed that he violated was 26 U.S.C. § 7202. (26 U.S.C. § 7202 has a 5-year penalty and he is in jail for 10.)*

When their day in court arrived, 5 of 6 former and current employees testified they had paid their own taxes, so the IRS’ argument that the Hovind’s (or the ministry) owed the government hundreds of thousands of dollars was specious.

It appears that the IRS could not easily invoke fines and penalties upon Kent Hovind because of his vow of poverty. In fact, a 2005 Grand Jury declined to investigate Hovind any further after submission of his affidavit which explained his dedication to ministry work and how he began his ministry with a vow of poverty, which he adhered to religiously.

To the IRS, this was not a ministry but rather Kent Hovind doing business as Creation Science Evangelism. So let’s pretend, for a moment, Hovind really was a business like the IRS tries to make it appear. But the IRS didn’t follow their own rules here. Churches and ministries do not have to apply to the government to be tax exempt.

According to IRS Publication 526--Organizations That Qualify To Receive Deductible Contributions--You can deduct your contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization. To become a qualified organization, most organizations other than churches and governments, as described below, must apply to the IRS.

In the IRS’ own words a church "is automatically tax-deductible." Read the rest of the article about the Hovind case by Bill Sardis at Lew Rockwell's site.

Sardis' closing comments are compelling:

"Americans will hear of the Hovind case. They will say, "Ya, that’s that creation guy, got himself into trouble with the IRS. He should have paid his taxes like everyone else."

Yes, we should all be good citizens and pay into the government Ponzi scheme, and relinquish our privacy rights and not hide anything from the government, and make no effort to avoid (not evade) taxes. Americans aren’t likely to pay attention till the IRS is prosecuting them.

At the current writing of this report, the Federal government is covertly auditing small business bank accounts for any appearance of tax evasion. The Federal government assumes it has the right to audit every bank account in America because it is now an insolvent government that must look for new sources of income. It is possible the IRS will estimate taxes owed and withdraw funds directly from small business bank accounts rather than audit every small business.

The American people largely appear to be oblivious to a government that has slid past socialism to fascism. Americans might admit to the socialist claim, but they wouldn’t recognize fascism if they saw it. It is not in their vocabulary.

"In Nazi Germany, Christians were confronted with the Bible scripture to "render unto Caesar" to compel their cooperation. As the nation slides further into debt (another $12 trillion of public debt is planned by 2013) government will legislate more and more ways to raise taxes, pay fines, etc.

"The Hovind case was not about law, it was about a country that cannot distinguish the over-reaching arm of government, beyond what the 10th Amendment to the Constitution allows, from an all-authoritarian, totalitarian government, that often, but not always, operates under a dictator. The State has replaced God.

"The Hovind case was about a citizenry that cannot fathom that their country does any wrong.

"The U.S. Constitution serves as a perfect cover for American fascism. Constitutional limited government is gone. The fear of imagined terrorists produces a need for the public to rely upon an all-authoritative protector.

"America is a constitutional Republic in name only. Efforts to remove guns from potential criminals are a cover for negating the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. The principle of "no taxation without representation" is negated by gerrymandering of Congressional districts. Government must strike down tax dissenters lest the populace rise up against unfair taxation.

"The greatness of America, its pioneer spirit and its standard of living, is about to come to an end. The Federal government hides the fact it spends over a trillion dollars a year on war making, or more than half of the U.S. annual budget, essentially robbing money from its future. Medicare and Social Security are aggregately under-funded by $75 trillion. There is no way Americans today are going to be provided the healthcare and pension checks they were promised.

"When the citizenry finally does wake up, the only way the State can maintain control is to quell all opposition, threaten imprisonment, keep the people financially impoverished and in bread lines, so they cannot mount up meaningful resistance. Searching for food on the table, they become more dependent upon a monster that the nation’s forefathers warned about.

"Oppressive countries imprison dissenters. Kent and Jo Hovind look out from behind bars, wondering when or if America will ever wake up."

As confessing Christians, we must ask for courage, not comfort as we seek to honor Christ and model truth before others. Sadly, our modeling today speaks of Solomon-like ungodly alliances with the State. Like the king of old who made excuses for pandering to his women, American Christians don't want to upset the statist "apple cart", so they compromise to accommodate those who have politically seduced them.

I also think of Samson and Delilah. Every time I read his story in Judges, I'm amazed that although he knew full well of his lover's attempt to uncover the source of his strength to aid  her Philistine 'pimps'--the enemies of God's people--Samson could not bring himself to cut ties with her. (Judges 16:4-31)

One night, Delilah's charms finally wore down Samson's resistance and he revealed the secret to his strength--his long hair. He then fell asleep in her lap.  When the seductress awoke her victim, he was bound in chains. The dazed Samson thought he could break them apart as before, but he soon discovered that while he slept, Delilah had cut his hair.

Christians keep trotting back to the State for grants, marriage licenses, tax exempt status, and more. The Church reclines comfortably, getting stroked in the lap of the seducer.

What is the state doing while the Church sleeps? Delilah takes her greedy "cut" from the fruit of the labor of God's people that leaves them weak, blind, and enslaved.

One less Christian knocking on the door of the prostitute State may not seem like much; in fact, we see that a few here or there who take a stand for righteousness are easy targets for persecution AND prosecution.

But what if Christians, combined with citizens from all walks of life and creeds, stood firm together to no longer keep up gaudy "Delilah" (the government)!

Indeed, would there be enough IRS manpower to prosecute thousands, even millions? Would Delilah be forced to change her ways--even shut down her illegal business activities? And what about her "pimps"? Would the Federal Reserve be forced to shut down altogether after nearly a hundred years of organized crime?

A groundswell has already begun.  Let's remember the words of Benjamin Franklin when the Declaration of Independence was signed:

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

Interestingly, the founding fathers did not hang at the tyranny of King George, but many did lose their homes and fortunes. Yet, look at their outstanding legacy.

Today, we face tyrannies that far surpass what our forefathers knew. What would they think of us today? What would they say to us? Are you of the moral fiber of a Samuel Adams or a John Hancock?

In my next blog, we'll critically look at some of the tax alternatives being put on the table across the nation, such as the Fair Tax and Flat Tax, and discuss why these are still forms of statist theft and enslavement that can be abused.

Again, each one of us must not be afraid to face the truth and assess where we are--asking God for His individual leading as to which path we are to take, and the distinct mark we are to leave in history. We are not to compare ourselves to others nor judge the paths they take.

However, we MUST judge ourselves, our citizenship, and yes--even what we call our Christianity if--after learning the truth--we choose to comfortably re-prostrate ourselves before the State.


*Christians appear to be paralyzed to oppose a wrong, their complicity with what appears to be a Biblical exhortation not to "cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning." (Book of Leviticus 19:13) The current Social Security system is going to cheat future generations out of trillions of dollars.

The Securities and Exchange Commission describes a Ponzi scheme as a system where one continues to put money into a system on the "rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul" principle, as money from new investors is used to pay off earlier investors until the whole scheme collapses.

The Withholding Tax may be the law by prevailing practice, but that doesn’t make it moral or right. In fact, it may be unconstitutional because it interferes with the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence.

If somebody doesn’t begin to stand up to a government system that by all definitions is a Ponzi scheme, American society will crumble in economic insolvency, as we read in the daily newspapers now.

Until the laws and regulations regarding taxation are changed, the citizenry is obligated to pay taxes and employers are obligated to withdraw funds from employees’ payroll checks. But this makes citizens complicit in the crime.(Sardis)

In addition, here's a great article by Dann McCreary: Does the Bible Condemn Tax Withholding?