Modern day Lazurus and the rich man

Today's Gospel reading and sermon topic in church was the parable about Lazarus and the rich man from Luke chapter 16 (and of course I always think of the scene from Godspell when I hear this story!)  In a nutshell, a poor man named Lazarus and a rich man both die and go to heaven and hell, respectively.  Lazarus had begged at the rich man's door to no avail.  In the torments of hell the rich man begs for mercy and for Father Abraham to warn his surviving family so they won't go to hell, too.  Father Abraham's response is essentially "Tough.  Nothing will convince them to repent."

The pastor's sermon interpreted this parable in a modern-day context, complete with numbers on North Carolina's unemployment, food stamp, Medicaid, and other poverty indicators.  Yes, the sermon was politically bent (it was a supply pastor - my church is currently seeking someone full-time).  The pastor implied that our politicians, who mostly are rich and mainly represent the interests of the rich, have been acting as the rich man did when he denied Lazarus scraps from his abundant table.  It made me wonder how right-wing Christians would respond to this interpretation.  I imagine they would say things like "Poverty should be alleviated through the church and other private, charitable organizations.  Government is a non-moral entity, and when charity is left to the government, problems and inefficiencies result."  Some of the more ignorant folks may also argue something like "Poor people are poor because of their own choices.  If they didn't make so many bad decisions, stopped being lazy, and got jobs, they could help themselves."

I hear out-of-touch, clueless, insensitive crap like this all the time, and I'm sick of it.  Here's my piece:

1) Even if all the churches and other charitable organizations in the U.S. were to double - I think even triple - their giving and outreach, it would NOT meet the need of the impoverished here in our very own wealthy nation.  Admittedly, I don't have the references for this on hand.  I read this in a commentary written by a pastor in The Lutheran magazine.  She noted how church attendance and involvement (and hence donations) have steadily declined in recent years, while the need has only increased.

2) Personally, I do give, but at very low levels, so it would be hypocritical of me to rant against those who give nothing...and yet.  I read about studies like this and this and, well, I do see the rich man from the parable in some segments of our society.  Part of me thinks the lack of charitable giving combined with an anti-social-safety-net mindset often stems from a genuine, honest ignorance of how bad some people have it.  Again, I shouldn't be hypocritical - I don't fully understand and appreciate the hardships of poverty myself.  But I can't help thinking...what if every single American in the top ~60% income bracket (or something) were to spend an hour - just a single hour - working at a soup kitchen, food pantry, or homeless shelter?  And have a single conversation with a member of the working poor to learn their story?  I really think this brief glimpse could open so many hearts and minds and dispel the notion of the "lazy poor" who just "get a job already" or "learn how to make a budget and not wastefully spend."

3) Speaking of the working poor, here are some fun stats and debunking of the "prosperous poor" myth.

4) Most of the people who are in favor of food stamp cuts are also against the minimum wage.  Again, this mindset just screams "out-of-touch."  Just how exactly do you expect people to get by?  Oh, food pantries?  And how much do you yourself donate to food pantries each week?

5) Also, most of the people who argue the government shouldn't "give handouts" because they are a "non-moral" entity also believe, incongruously, that the government SHOULD regulate a woman's reproductive rights. 

Again, I don't mean to come across as some holier-than-thou, generous, charitable saint.  I'm not.  I'm tremendously blessed and I can give so much more in terms of time and money, but instead I make excuses and elaborate rationalizations of why I don't have time.  But while I can certainly do more, I strongly believe (based on the data) that we as individuals and private entities cannot do this alone - government involvement is needed.