Do the Gospels elevate praxis above cognos

I read with much sorrow the article by Rev. Bryan Berghoef in the December issue of the Banner in which he makes the following erroneous claim about the content of the Gospels.  Now although I object to much of the content of Rev. Berghoef's article I will limit my criticism to this one claim that he makes about the content of the Gospels.  The claim reads as follows:

"If you read the gospels, you’ll see that Jesus spends nearly all his time focusing on how we should live, not on details of doctrine or belief..."

which according to him is the erroneous sole focus of our long standing, Three Forms of Unity.

After reading his article I went back to the Gospels, particularly to the Gospel of Luke, to see whether his characterization of them as being primarily focused on "practise" was true or not.  In my search for the veracity of his statement I found the following verses which I believe contradict his claim and demonstrate that a concern for doctrine runs throughout the Gospel of Luke and by extension also the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John.  All Bible references are taken from the English Standard Version.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. (Luke 2: 46-47)

Further on in Luke after the completion of Jesus' temptation by Satan in the wilderness it says:

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (Luke 4: 14-15)

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place.  And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.  And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4: 42-44)

In Jesus' own comment on the purpose of his life he says the following:

"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5: 32) 

This commentary by our Lord on his ministry definitely shows that "cognition" is of primary focus to the gospel message.

That there is no hierarchy of differentiation between how we should live as opposed to what we should believe is shown in this quote from our Lord which he uttered after he had been told that his mother and brothers wanted to see him:

"But he answered them, My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:21)

Prior to this we read of John the Baptist that he preached to the people:

"So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people..." (Luke 3:18)

Notice in these passages the priority that is given to hearing the Word of God.  In a world that is bound by time the only way in which our doing can ever come into conformity with the expressed will of God is if we first 'hear' the word.  And the word we must hear is Jesus Christ crucified and risen.  We must first come know him through preaching (Rom. 10: 14) and after we have come to know him we must prove our knowledge by how we live.

The creeds and confessions all address this central and only question- "But who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:20b).

This is further confirmed in the book of Luke when after the resurrection we see what it was that Jesus chose to instruct two of his disciples in as he walked with them on the road to Emmaus:

"And he said to them, 'O foolish ones, ans slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into 'his glory?'  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24: 25-26)

In the book of Luke Christ concludes his message to the disciples with this statement:

"'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'"  '"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  'You are witnesses of these things."'

In conclusion I believe that if Jesus took the time to pour over the Law, Prophets and Psalms with his disciples that he would also gladly spend time going over the Canons of Dort with us who are also his disciples.

Have We Misjudged Islam?

The November issue of the Banner made me ask myself, is it possible that for over 1000 years the church has been wrong about the Muslim religion? Since I do not want to be found guilty of giving false witness against people of the Muslim faith, I decided to do some research into their writings and see what there is to see. This essay is the fruit of that research. I will try to divide my findings into major categories of clear differentiation between the Muslim and Christian faiths.

Muslims are at war with the People of the Book

47. O ye People of the Book! believe in what We have (now) revealed, confirming what was (already) with you, before We change the face and fame of some (of you) beyond all recognition, and turn them hindwards, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers, for the decision of Allah Must be carried out.
 82. Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.
84. Then fight in Allahs cause - Thou art held responsible only for thyself - and rouse the believers. It may be that Allah will restrain the fury of the Unbelievers; for Allah is the strongest in might and in punishment.
 88. Why should ye be divided into two parties about the Hypocrites? Allah hath upset them for their (evil) deeds. Would ye guide those whom Allah hath thrown out of the Way? For those whom Allah hath thrown out of the Way, never shalt thou find the Way.
44. Hast thou not turned Thy vision to those who were given a portion of the Book? they traffic in error, and wish that ye should lose the right path.
 46. Of the Jews there are those who displace words from their (right) places, and say: "We hear and we disobey"; and "Hear what is not Heard"; and "Ra'ina"; with a twist of their tongues and a slander to Faith. If only they had said: "What hear and we obey"; and "Do hear"; and "Do look at us"; it would have been better for them, and more proper; but Allah hath cursed them for their Unbelief; and but few of them will believe.
 50. Behold! how they invent a lie against Allah. but that by itself is a manifest sin!
 51. Hast thou not turned Thy vision to those who were given a portion of the Book? they believe in sorcery and Evil, and say to the Unbelievers that they are better guided in the (right) way Than the believers!
 52. They are (men) whom Allah hath cursed: And those whom Allah Hath cursed, thou wilt find, have no one to help.
 54. Or do they envy mankind for what Allah hath given them of his bounty? but We had already given the people of Abraham the Book and Wisdom, and conferred upon them a great kingdom. Some of them believed, and some of them averted their faces from him: And enough is Hell for a burning fire.

56. Those who reject our Signs, We shall soon cast into the Fire: as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise. 61. When it is said to them: "Come to what Allah hath revealed, and to the Messenger.: Thou seest the Hypocrites avert their faces in disgust. 76. Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject Faith Fight in the cause of Evil: So fight ye against the friends of Satan: feeble indeed is the cunning of Satan. from thee. 89. They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks;-

101.When ye travel through the earth, there is no blame on you if ye shorten your prayers, for fear the Unbelievers May attack you: For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies.

113. But for the Grace of Allah to thee and his Mercy, a party of them would certainly have plotted to lead thee astray. But (in fact) they will only Lead their own souls astray, and to thee they can do no harm in the least. For Allah hath sent down to thee the Book and wisdom and taught thee what thou Knewest not (before): And great is the Grace of Allah unto thee.

116. Allah forgiveth not (The sin of) joining other gods with Him; but He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who joins other gods with Allah, Hath strayed far, far away (from the right).

Islam is a religion of salvation through works

57. But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, We shall soon admit to Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath,- their eternal home: Therein shall they have companions pure and holy: We shall admit them to shades, cool and ever deepening.
59. O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.
65. But no, by the Lord, they can have no (real) Faith, until they make thee judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against Thy decisions, but accept them
74. Let those fight in the cause of Allah Who sell the life of this world for the hereafter. To him who fighteth in the cause of Allah,- whether he is slain or gets victory - Soon shall We give him a reward of great (value). with the fullest conviction.
 43. O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say,- nor in a state of ceremonial impurity (Except when travelling on the road), until after washing your whole body. If ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands. For Allah doth blot out sins and forgive again and again.
77. Hast thou not turned Thy vision to those who were told to hold back their hands (from fight) but establish regular prayers and spend in regular charity? ...."Short is the enjoyment of this world: the Hereafter is the best for those who do right: Never will ye be dealt with unjustly in the very least!
 79. Whatever good, (O man!) happens to thee, is from Allah. but whatever evil happens to thee, is from thy (own) soul. and We have sent thee as an apostle to (instruct) mankind. And enough is Allah for a witness.
92. If he belonged to a people with whom ye have treaty of Mutual alliance, compensation should be paid to his family, and a believing slave be freed. For those who find this beyond their means, (is prescribed) a fast for two months running: by way of repentance to Allah. for Allah hath a...
103. When ye pass (Congregational) prayers, celebrate Allah.s praises, standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides; but when ye are free from danger, set up Regular Prayers: For such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times.
125. Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good, and follows the way of Abraham the true in Faith? For Allah did take Abraham for a friend.
160. For the iniquity of the Jews We made unlawful for them certain (foods) good and wholesome which had been lawful for them;- in that they hindered many from Allah.s Way;-
The Book of Light 24:31

1. [11.114] And keep up prayer in the two parts of the day and in the first hours of the night; surely good deeds take away evil deeds this is a reminder to the mindful.
2. [2.173] He has only forbidden you what dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that over which any other (name) than (that of) Allah has been invoked; but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring, nor exceeding the limit, no sin shall be upon him; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
3. [4.31] If you shun the great sins which you are forbidden, We will do away with your small sins and cause you to enter an honorable place of entering.
4. [5.3] Forbidden to you is that which dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that on which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked, and the strangled (animal) and that beaten to death, and that killed by a fall and that killed by being smitten with the horn, and that which wild beasts have eaten, except what you slaughter, and what is sacrificed on stones set up (for idols) and that you divide by the arrows; that is a transgression. This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your religion, so fear them not, and fear Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion; but whoever is compelled by hunger, not inclining willfully to sin, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
5. [40.14] Therefore call upon Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience, though the unbelievers are averse:

The fist of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded: and if they are wanting, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, the Lord (glorified and exalted be He) will say: See if My servant has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers. Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion. (Hadith Qudsi 9)
Fasting is Mine and it I who give reward for it. [A man] gives up his sexual passion, his food and his drink for my sake. Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: a joy whin he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord. The change in the breath of the mouth of him who fasts is better in Allah's estimation than the smell of musk. (Hadith Qudsi 10)

...My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him... (Hadith Qudsi 25)

The Prophet said, "Paradise has eight gates, and one of them is called Ar-Raiyan through which none will enter but those who observe fasting." The Prophet also said, "If a person spends two different kinds of something (for Allah's Cause), he will be called from the gates of Paradise." (Volume 4, Book 54, Number 479:)

Islam's teachings about Christ

157. That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah.;- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-
[32.4] Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six periods, and He mounted the throne (of authority); you have not besides Him any guardian or any intercessor, will you not then mind?
171. O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His apostles. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs.
 172. Christ disdaineth nor to serve and worship Allah, nor do the angels, those nearest (to Allah): those who disdain His worship and are arrogant,-He will gather them all together unto Himself to (answer).
The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord? So they will come to Adam and will say: You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand He made His angels bow down to you and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with you Lord so that He may give us relief from this place where we are. And he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge (Quran Chapter 11 Verses 45-46), and he will feel ashamed and will say: Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham). So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention the talking of a life other that for a life (Quran Chapter 28 Verses 15-16), and he will fell ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: Go to Jesus, Allah's servant and messenger, Allah's word and spirit. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future. So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself. He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. So I shall raise my head and praise Him with a form of praise that He will teach me. Then I shall intercede and HE will set me a limit [as to the number of people], so I shall admit them into Paradise. (Hadith Qudsi 36 )
[6.101] Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when He has no consort, and He (Himself) created everything, and He is the Knower of all things.
[9.30] And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!

Islam on Women

"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments.... "
[2.282] and call in to witness from among your men two witnesses; but if there are not two men, then one man and two women from among those whom you choose to be witnesses, so that if one of the two errs, the second of the two may remind the other;

The Prophet said, "I looked at Paradise and found poor people forming the majority of its inhabitants; and I looked at Hell and saw that the majority of its inhabitants were women." (Volume 4, Book 54, Number 464: Narrated 'Imran bin Husain)

Allah's Apostle said, "The first batch (of people) who will enter Paradise will be (glittering) like a full moon; and those who will enter next will be (glittering) like the brightest star. Their hearts will be as if the heart of a single man, for they will have no enmity amongst themselves, and everyone of them shall have two wives, each of whom will be so beautiful, pure and transparent that the marrow of the bones of their legs will be seen through the flesh. They will be glorifying Allah in the morning and evening, and will never fall ill, and they will neither blow their noses, nor spit... (Volume 4, Book 54, Number 469:)

In the latter passage it seems that Paradise is mostly about men and that the company of women are one of man's rewards.

Final Observations

I find that as one reads the Qur'an you come to see that there is a major difference in writing style between it and the Bible. A difference in style which is reflective of deeply profound differences surrounding the two faiths view of God. This difference is that in the Qur'an Allah does not ever speak in the first person. This is completely unlike the Bible's references to God where God persistently speaks in the first person, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Ex. 20:2); God said to Moses, "I am Who I am." And He said, say to the people of Israel, 'I' AM has sent me to you.'"Ultimately God revealed himself directly to men through the person of Jesus Christ. The very Christ whose deity is denied by the Muslims.

[6.102] That is Allah, your Lord, there is no god but He; the Creator of all things, therefore serve Him, and He has charge of all things.
Another major difference between the Qur'an and the Bible is that the Bible is written as a narrative whereas the Qur'an is a collection of disparate, nonsensical and sometimes contradictory sayings. The Quran could not be written as a narrative because Allah, for Muslims, is incomprehensible to man's mental faculties. For the Muslim since man is not made in the image of God there can be no human knowledge of God. This total disconnection between the creator and his creation is also the reason why Muslims deny the true nature of Jesus Christ. The fact that the Qur'an is not written as a narrative does away with any attempt by Muslims to deflect criticisms of the Qur'an by saying that such criticism is based on the error of pulling passages out of context. However there can be no context if the writings are not connected to each other. In the end each passage of the Qur'an stands on its own.
Next I would point to the fact that the Qur'an is heavily dependent on the Bible for much of its material eg. events and major characters. In other words Mohammed was a plagiarist. But not only does the Qur'an plagiarize the Bible it also distorts all of the Bible passages that it does incorporate. Here as an example is the Qur'an account of the creation of man from, The Adoration:
[32.7] Who made good everything that He has created, and He began the creation of man from dust.
[32.8] Then He made his progeny of an extract, of water held in light estimation
[32.9] Then He made him complete and breathed into him of His spirit, and made for you the ears and the eyes and the hearts; little is it that you give thanks.
Islam has other holy books in addition to the Qur'an:
[5.68] Say: O followers of the Book! you follow no good till you keep up the Taurat and the Injeel and that which is revealed to you from your Lord; and surely that which has been revealed to you from your Lord shall make many of them increase in inordinacy and unbelief; grieve not therefore for the unbelieving people, (The Dinner Table)
This leads to the conclusion that Islam is actually a Christian heresy that is not at all of a separate revelatory origin as the Muslim's claim and that Islam therefore would in the end add to the Bible.
32.3] Or do they say: He has forged it? Nay! it is the truth from your Lord that you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you, that they may follow the right direction.
Lastly I will cite this saying from the Qur'an which I believe demonstrates that Islam is inimical to Western ideas of democracy:
[32.18] Is he then who is a believer like him who is a transgressor? They are not equal.
It should also be mentioned that the Muslims claim that the Qur'an was written word for word by Mohammed as Allah instructed him. This means of authorship for their holy book is a vast divergence from the Christian teaching on the inspiration of the Bible. The Christian teaching on Biblical authorship holds that God did not override the personalities of the Biblical authors but that through the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit, God worked with their personalities to infallibly write the scriptures. This difference on the importance of personality is what explains why civil government structures of the two cultures has taken such divergent paths. This fact also portends the profound change in governmental structures that the West can anticipate as more adherents to the Islamic faith come to populate our societies.
In the end for us it is a question of whether or not we want to fashion and believe in a sanitized version of Islam for our own consumption and benefit or the real Islam that is to be found in history- past and present- and its writings.

Belhar; Confession or Political Polemic?

Is the Belhar Confession in fact a confession or is it a political polemic pretending promulgating itself under the guise of religion?  One way to take a stance on this is to look at the origin of the Belhar and contrast it to the issues which gave rise to the church's historical confessions. 

When looked at from this perspective it is clear that there is a vast difference between the factors which led to the Belhar's creation and the creation of the Church's other confessions.  The Belhar has arisen not out of concern for the gospel and the church but as a consequence of a specific societal reality, namely that of Apartheid, which is a policy that arose to deal with a specific society structure and not to address a church heresy or to defend the church from a hostile world.  This is rather interesting to note because if the historical creeds and confessions of the church have not dealt with societal issues then we need to ask ourselves why not.

The reason certainly cannot be because there were no societal inequities at the time of their writing.  If we look at the structure of the societies of their day we will see that societal inequity was pervasive in all of the countries where these documents were crafted. Rather the truth is that all of these confessions and creeds focused on some very central Biblical themes such as; the nature of God and man, the way of salvation, the Church, and the role of the magistrate or civil government.  All of this material is dealt with purely terms of how all these things relate back to God.  But is this the only reason why none of these church standards do not address societal injustices? 

I would offer one more reason as to why none of these confessions were written with an eye to social inequities and that is that they are following the example that is set for us in God's word itself, especially in the New Testament.  In the New Testament we encounter a Jesus who has no desire to overthrow the Roman rulers and who when confronted on the issue of Roman rule, replies to his inquisitors by saying, "render unto Ceaser what is Cesar's and unto God what is God's".  We find Paul telling a runaway slave that he must return to his master.  We hear Paul telling people who are married at the time of their conversion that they are to remain married to their unconverted spouses rather than dissolve their holy union.  When it comes to making change in this world the New Testament is consistently focused on making a change in people's hearts.  Whereas the Belhar has as its ultimate goal the reforming of secular society apart from the reform that must go on in human hearts. 

When one reads the Belhar you come away with this impression which is that this confession was not constructed to give Biblical instruction to the church of God or to give a defence of the church in response to persecution but rather to advance a political agenda.  This purpose comes out especially in the last part of the confession where the confession interchangeably talks of the meaning of the Cross for the church and then talks about its meaning for society as a whole.  Such a use of the cross is a hallmark of "liberation theology", and it is not denied by the supporters of the Belhar that the confession does espouse this teaching.

Now I believe that it would be ironic that the same church which would denounce Apartheid as being a heresy would embrace the heresy of "Liberation theology".  The way to counter one heresy is not by the adoption of another.  When it comes to theology I do not subscribe to the idea that "turn about is fair play."  The truths of the Gospel are much to important for us to treat them so disgracefully.

The only concern that the Bible wants the church to focus on is this one issue, "what must I do to be saved?"  If we look at the historical creeds and confessions we see that their concern is also with this sole issue and I believe that it is Belhar's divergence from this singular point that disqualifies it as being worthy of elevation to confessional status. 

The Fallacy of School Breakfast

The providing breakfast to school students may seem like a noble and caring act but I contest that it is in fact anything but.  I came to this realisation some years ago when I had the good fortune to receive a long term subbing assignment at the Samson Elementary School.  Naturally when I got this assignment I was very happy to have steady work for the foreseeable future.  Little did I know though that part of my teaching duties, in addition to lesson delivery, would be the daily dispensing of breakfast to my homeroom students.  Now this was a job that I had to perform everyday after having gotten my own children up, fed and then either off to school or a babysitter. 

One of the ironies of the whole situation was that the parents of these children weren't so busy with work that they couldn't feed their own children.  Actually quite the opposite was true.  The truth was that few if any of these parents actually had work.  All of this led me to conclude that I fail to see why if the feeding of their own children is not a priority for these parents, than why should it therefore be a priority for those of us who are responsible enough to work and feed our own children?

There are many naive arguments that are put forth in support of both school breakfast and lunch programs.  I will attempt to deal with two of them here.  The most prominent of these arguments is that "students will not learn on an empty stomach".  Therefore it is necessary that if we are to avoid wasting the school day that we provide the missing meal at school.  This statement is true but it only focuses on a small part of what is actually a much larger problem.  My own experience with the above school breakfast program showed me that students who do not have food at home will not become good students, who are willing to learn at school just because they are served breakfast.  The reason for this is that the fact that there is no food at home is indicative of a much more serious problem, that cannot simply be compensated for with a meal of cereal at school.  The more telling truth is that students who do not have access to food at home are invariably living in a situation where there is an absence of any responsible adult(s) to give structure to their daily life.  A constant lack of home stability is in reality the most influential factor governing a student's ability and willingness to learn.  It may also be added that such homes tend to be characterized by a lack of the internal supports that foster intellectual development and they are the ones where there invariably is no food.

Another liberal fallacy is the notion that the dignity of the child must be protected at all costs.  Therefore it is necessary that these breakfast be offered to all students.  Again I must say that as noble as is the intent, the truth is that attempting to level the children to the lowest common denominator is counter productive.  This argument is at its heart a Communist argument which says that material differences between people are bad and lead to oppression.  What the system is conditioning the children for is a socialist utopia where any individual achievement that differentiates you from those achievements that are sanctioned by or are attained by the group are frowned upon.  When seen in this light the best thing that can be done by parents who feed their children at home is to instruct their children that they are not to participate.

Next I would like to deal with the proposition that these children have no food at home because the families are too poor and cannot afford to buy food.  I contend that this argument is totally false.  In Canada only
10 %  of our income is spent on food that is cooked and eaten at HOME.  This is the same percentage as is spent by Americans and people from Great Britain.  Our society has done an excellent job of making food affordable at a level that is unprecedented in the history of man.

Next I would also like to point out that this seemingly kind act inculcates in our children the idea that no matter your level of irresponsibility someone will step in, at their own expense and at the expense of their children, and save you from yourself or your children from you. 

If there is anything that our schools need to do at 8am it would be for the school to offer a reading enrichment program.  The free breakfast might be easier to tolerate if it were actually tied to the receiver doing something rather than nothing.  Maybe attendance in such an enrichment program should be mandatory for those who want the breakfast.  We need to avoid completely giving young people the ideal that they can get something for nothing.  In our province it is a travesty to know that 44 percent of the adult population is functionally illiterate.  It would therefore seem that the school system has not been able to even accomplish its primary job which is the education of our children.  Maybe it is time to get rid of the educational group think that rules our classrooms and bring back individual accountability along with individual achievement?

Business Concessions

As a member of Town Council I would never be in favor of the town using tax concessions as a tool for bringing business to Ponoka.  One reason that I am not in favor of granting tax concessions is because it makes no sense for the town to not collect the one tax that it has exclusive claim too.  I know that supporters of the opposite view would argue that it is better to get the business to locate here and at least have the jobs but such an argument ignores the town's income reality. 

When it comes to income the town cannot tax the employment income of its residents.  That prerogative belongs solely to the province and the federal government.  The only tax that the town can levy is that on the property which belongs to the  businesses and homeowners in its jurisdiction.  Therefore when a town grants concessions those concessions are a hit to the town's bottom line but the town must still provide infrastructure services to the business and its employees.  If the business doesn't pay for these services that means that another town resident and business will have to pay those costs. 

Secondly I am opposed to government at any level that proposes to use the tax system for anything other than what is its proper purpose which is to pay expenses that are incurred in the running of the government.  The use of the tax system as tool to manipulate the economic decisions of individuals or businesses only serves to erode the tax system itself by reducing taxpayer confidence in the system's equity of application.  And in the end it also serves to cheapen the value that is attached to the services that are provided and causes the taxpayers to hole their politicians, who are responsible for administration of taxes, in disrepute.

More importantly though the basis of this argument is to be found in the idea that governments by following certain fiscal policies can grow themselves out of a deficit.  However this argument can only be used by national governments.  I do not think that this argument can be applied to municipal economics because municipalities cannot issue money or set interest rate policy as a way of growing themselves out of debt.  Therefore it is my position that ultimately no one wins when tax concessions are used to alter economic behaviour.

Changing of the Guard

Should the citizens of Ponoka vote for a new slate of Town Council members or should they stick with the old ones?  When you have two candidates for each available seat, that becomes the central question for this election.

In my recent candidate's profile I accuse the present council of being too insular and unresponsive to the voices of Ponoka's residents.  Now  some of the paper's readers may wonder in what way our town council is guilty of this.  The evidence for my accusation is that historically the members of council have come from a very narrow population group or "clique".  The people who have been on council have usually come from the ranks of the self employed or retired.  The reason for this is that the people in these two groups have some control over their daily schedule, whereas those who must make a living for themselves but who do not have such time managment flexibility are unable to serve in public office.

This fact though has resulted in Ponoka, like many small communities, having historically been run by an Oligarchy of a few people who share a common mindset.  Now in the early days of Ponoka this system may have worked well for the town but I do not believe that it is a political system that meets the needs of today's more dynamic society.  And therefore I believe that it is necessary for the town's residents to choose candidates who are of a different mindset.  On that note I would like to point out that it is interesting to see how many of the incumbent candidates are now trying to distance themselves from their historic performance.

By the criteria that I have established above it then also is evident that not all the new candidates are actually any different than the incumbents they are running against.  Some of the new candidates also fit into the same narrow mode because they are part of the same business population and therefore are likely to share in the same current council mindset.

Property taxes

Are property taxes inherently regressive in nature, since they are not set according to a person's ability to pay but rather according to a propery's value?  Should property taxes be based upon income or a person's ability to pay?

Now although it is true that property taxes are based upon the value of the improvements that have been applied to a given piece of land there is no connection between what is determined to be the tax and the wealth of the individual property owner.  Property taxes reflect the costs that a jurisdiction has incurred or can anticipate incurring as it tries to serve its citizens.  As such property tax then is not a tax at all but rather a way for the jurisdiction to recoupe some of its coasts pertaining to the services which it provides.  Property tax then should be more correctly understood as the means whereby the town covers the expenses that it incurs as it tries to do its number one job, care for its citizens.

Property taxes are also the performance by the town of a task that all corporations must do and that is, recapitalization.  Private corporations can recapitalize by doing one of two things, selling bonds or selling stocks.  For a non profit corporate entity such as a town the only things that it can do in order to recapitalize, is to sell bonds or collect taxes or both.  The only stock that a town has is the property that it is composed of but which for the most part, is held in private hands.  In other words the citizens and businessmen of a town are the share holders of the town.  As the towns shareholders it is incumbent upon them that they, each year, provide the capital that the town needs in order to survive. 

We can see from this that when people and businesses pay their property taxes that they are really enriching themselves and that every dime in taxes that is paid is also returned to them in the form of services provided. 

Because of the close connection between the tax payer and local government property taxes are probably the most efficiently utilized form of taxation known to man. 

My Platform

Towns, Cities and Villages are probably the greatest and most numerous non-profit organizations on the planet, out numbering even the number of national governments, who rule them. Ponoka, like all governments, is organized voluntarily by it citizens for the expressed purpose of sharing certain costs which are too high for the individual to bear alone and for enabling the individual to share in economic and social benefits which cannot be gained by the individual outside of of the group dynamic. The organization of human society at this larger level enables the amassed individuals to become more than the sum of their parts.

There are three basic sources of operating revenue for our town:

Property tax assessments

Licensing and permitting

Government transfers- both federal and provincial.

As we all know, the first two sources of income are both paid by the business people and residents of the jurisdiction. Government sources of money are actually contributions that are made by residents of other jurisdictions to the residents of the receiving jurisdiction. In 2009 of the three largest sources of town revenue, one third came from Government transfers. This means that 1 dollar of every three that we need in order for our community to operate must come from people who are residents of other areas of this province or another province, who pay taxes based upon their income.

Although taxing property alone seems to not be the best means of taxation, it does have its advantages besides it being the only means of taxation that is open to local government. Some of the advantages of the property tax are outlined on page 9 of, Alternatives on Property Taxation by Joan M. Youngman :

They are highly perceptible to rate payers and promote accountability

Well understood

Cheap to collect

Difficult to evade

It is my belief that the idea of having infrastructure categories such as “Local Area Improvement” runs contrary to and undermines this basic purpose for which citizens organize themselves into these larger groupings of villages, towns and cities. The only way in which the idea that a neighborhood should be made to finance its own infrastructure needs is if the town can point to and say that the wear and tear that is sustained by installed infrastructure has arisen directly as a result of use by the local residents, and is in no way a consequence of normal degradation. Otherwise it is morally wrong for the town to charge those residents exclusively with costs of their replacement.

Such a change in town policy pertaining to the way in which some ongoing infrastructure needs have been funded will mean that taxes have to go up. However the current policy, although it has meant an overall exceptionally low rate of taxation compared to similar towns and has been a misrepresentation on the part of Council. The truth being that taxes have increased for those who have had to pay for their own “local area improvement”. The current policy has pitted neighbour against neighbour and has placed an inordinate financial burden on those who must live on fixed incomes.

If I were to be voted onto town council the areas which I think should receive the town's funding priorities are:

roads/sidewalks

policing

water/sewer

library

parks

These are the areas where I believe that the greatest community good can be achieved for the benefit of the greatest number of citizens.

Raising local property taxes alone is not going to close the town's income deficit. During my three year term of office I would also like for the town to enter into talks with the County of Ponoka for the purpose of amalgamating the two jurisdictions. I believe that amalgamation with the county is more in the town's interest than is the annexation of county land. It would seem that overall it would be fair for the county to acknowledge that its residents benefit from town services, such as the pool, library, shopping, arena; that are not provided by the county. The town of Ponoka is also a business and shopping hub for county residents. And for many it is the place where they retire from farming.

An advantage to the town, besides shared operational costs, would be a reduced number of councillors. Many county residents retire in Ponoka because living in an urban community affords more benefits,such as social and economic benefits, for the elderly than they can enjoy by staying in the sparsely populated countryside.

It is not my position that elected officials have the moral right to tell their electors what they will discuss with the town's residents or for how long they will discuss a matter. This is simply not their place. refuse to have further discussions with them when they have a grievance that is unresolved. Nor do I think that it is legitimate for the elected officials to hide behind provincial regulatory bodies and statutes, as a means of evading accountability. Nor should they drive this town's residents into penury as they look for justice in a property tax system that, in the interest of the politicians, has become opaque in its structure.

I would also work for a change to Ponoka's subsidized housing program which would require of those who reside in the units that they be working to get themselves out. No longer should the provision of subsidized housing be treated as an entitlement and a permanent place of for long term residence. Rather we need to structure the low income housing program around the concept of it being a way station. A place that affords the individual an opportunity to get a leg “up”. Rather than it being used as a permanent cheap storage facility for the lives of those who can work but who refuse to do so.

In the new system approved applicants would have to sign one year renewable leases which could only be renwed for a maximum of three consecutive years.  Priority would be given to applicants who are currently working and are living below the official poverty threshold.  If an applicant is not working he/she would have to submit a current resume or proof of fulltime attendance at a post secondary institution or enrollment in a trades program.  Once approved, continued maintenance of a person's residential priviliges would be contingent upon their maintaining either fulltime attendance at the post secondary institution/trades program or continuing proof that they are seeking fulltime work.