[Buddha-l] NYTimes.com: Let Us Pray for Wealth

[Joy Vriens]

Stan wrote,

>How is paying exhorbitant amounts of taxes to the government a more religious act than paying to charities of one's choice?

"Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like this tax collector. 
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' 
But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' 
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke Chapter 18

The beauty of taxes in a good functioning society would be that the money goes to those who in need of it. Food, lodging, studies, health care etc etc All those things that e.g. the gospels recommend. And  it is also a more humbling and therefore justifying experience then to give it to handpicked causes chosen on the basis of arguments and motivations that are not always very humbling. For a Buddhist it comes as near to the absence of the three circles as one can get as a member of society: the subject, the object of the giving and the act itself are so diluted that it almost looks like the simple act of survival of society itself, almost devoid of the notion of individual selves.   

>Govenrment funds all sorts of things that are antithetical to religion, for instance, abortion and the resulting harm done to the woman on all levels (not to mention the killing of an innocent human being).

I am equally concerned about the harm being done to women and think it's good the government uses my tax money to improve the situation. I read that every day one woman is killed by her husband or boyfriend in the States. And that is only the top of the iceberg. I expect the situation to be similar in other countries. Since I am not a woman, I think it's fair that women decide themselves what exactly harms them and I am glad to contribute removing the harm and causes of harm. It is better to prevent dramatic outcomes by improving the situations leading up to them. But that costs money, which I am happy to give. We all share the same world and can improve it if we work together and contribute to this according to our means. 

>Also, your tax dollars help fund the current wars on terrorism.  I happen to support these wars, but if you consider war antithetical to religion, then my question still holds. 

This a sore spot indeed. I don't like my tax money being used for wars that create more weapons, more wars and more killing of innocent human beings and I would certainly let my government know how I felt about that.

Joy