You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the industrious out of it.

You don't multiply wealth by dividing it.

Government cannot give anything to anybody that it doesn't first take from somebody else.

Whenever somebody receives something without working for it, somebody else has to work for it without receiving.

The worst thing that can happen to a nation is for half of the people to get the idea they don't have to work because somebody else will work for them, and the other half to get the idea that it does no good to work because they don't get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Was that from a recently broadcast sermon?

I always enjoy listening to Adrian Rogers' sermons. As a rule, they contain a lot of Scripture-based wisdom and were delivered with one of the best speaking voices I've heard.

From Wikipedia: In fact, the quotation is part of a longer sermon by Dr. Rogers' from 1984 in a larger series titled God�s Way to Health, Wealth and Wisdom (CDA107), but it also appears as a passage in Dr. Rogers' 1996 work Ten Secrets for a Successful Family complaining that "by and large our young people do not know either the importance or the value of honest labor"

Words of wisdom. Even more appropriate now than when they were originally written.

Often said, but is that really true?

Who owns the natural resources of the nation that are not on private property? You could say the government stole them from Native Americans, but things like off-shore oil were never known nor claimed at the time by anyone. So if the people own off-shore oil collectively through their government, then when a lease is sold and royalties are paid on that oil, who did the government take that oil from?

Another example. The government funds research that makes discovers that have commercial value far in excess of the cost of that research. The internet is but one example and many more came from the space program. In such cases the government is creating wealth, is it not?

What about basic infrastructure? Is there any evidence that the U.S. highway system generates less economic value than what it cost to build and maintain it. If so, we should warn China to stop throwing money away building all those highways.

How about the Panama cannel? Did it not make back far more than it cost to build it, even before the U.S. gave it away?

How about free public education K-12? As bad as it is, does anyone think educating kids is a poor investment of taxpayer money? Yes, there are specific cases, but overall in the last 100 years, would the nation be richer or poorer if it didn't educate kids at taxpayer expense?

I know the idea that the government can in fact generate wealth doesn't play well with many on 24hr, but just to accept simplistic dogma without questing it is not the American way, at least not in the America I was raised in. And yes, growing up on a farm my hands have done real work.

All good points, but I find it interesting that it's called a sermon. I want my preacher to help me stay out of hell, not tell me how stupid our government is.

This post was not intended to offend anyone. I should have used the word 'speech' rather than 'sermon' in the title.

That said, I venture that all those who have expressed a negative reaction to the points have never had a callus on their hands.

Flame away.

A preacher should preach the whole counsel of God. There is a lot more in the Bible than just showing man how to go to heaven, thus staying out of hell. Indeed, the Bible has a good bit to say how a man should not be slothful and work to take care of his family. Nothing wrong at all with what Bro. Rogers preached. Wished he were still around to give us more insightful messages.

Thank you for the encouragement.

Agreed, if a man doesn't work he shouldn't eat. But that's got nothing to do with poor policy decisions by .gov.

It's a good message, speech, rant...whatever you call it. I just found the "sermon" reference odd, which apparently wasn't accurate anyway.

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

2 Thessalonians 3:10

This is one of my favorite Bible passages. In my opinion, the key part is "will not work" rather than "cannot work". God help me, but I'm a lot more charitable to someone who can't work.

Yep neither did that preacher calling out the black kettle.

Is it a sin to not support those that refuse to help themselves?

Is it a sin to complain about what you are willing to pay for?