Theft: the action or crime of stealing.
Literally no one is unclear about that. I didn't ask you to define stealing.
Steal: take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it.
I understand what stealing is...though I hear people use it in a way that tells me they essentially don't. The government has the legal right to levy taxes. So that kills your charge right there. You may believe the level of taxes are outrageous or immoral, but you cannot call them theft.
Every law is backed by the promise of consequence if you fail to meet your obligations to it. True of the rate you object to and true of the one you find acceptable. So you can't rest on that as though it's meaningful only when you don't like the rate.
The government does not have the legal right to fund socialist programs. Therefore, any money that they take to fund such programs is theft.
Sure it does. Interstates, public education, etc. We the people can fund any program we find valuable to the society. It's perfectly legal, an operation of our laws and structures.
I have already said there is nothing inherently wrong with taxation.
And you're right. The rest is just deciding how much and applied how, which is why we elect representatives.
There is a limit to taxation, and God did not contradict Himself when He said a 10% tax is wicked, by saying "render to Ceasar what is Ceasar's."
Where in scripture does it say a 10% tax by Caesar is wicked? I'd agree that almost any tax Rome set out was abusive, if mostly because it wasn't voluntary in any sense of the word. You had to pay the conqueror for whatever he provided in return, which mostly seemed to be things that made it easy for him to continue to occupy and make money off of them.
What I know about our relationship to Caesar is this: Romans 13 makes it clear we are to submit to the lawful authority. Romans 13:6-7 are pretty clear about paying taxes, but I don't recall anything about percentages relating to secular authority and tithing is a separate matter.
No, it's not like beauty. Beauty is based on subjective opinion. God says anything above a 10% tax is tyrannical. That's fact, not opinion.
Not until you establish the fact of it, supra.
A wicked system that puts a burden on the people who are under it.
Rome was about as wicked a system as you could have. Christ said to submit to its authority. Any tax is a burden, but there's nothing inherently wicked in our system of taxation. We derive all sorts of benefits and if we don't care for the system we are free to find another compact and join it.
Have you ever tried to avoid paying some or all of your taxes? What happens?
You need to address what I actually wrote and not the point you think you can answer that I didn't. I said you don't have to remain a part of this system. You don't like the movie? Don't go to the theater. You don't like the justice system or the taxation system here, you can opt out. Or you can remain and meet your legal obligations while you attempt to convince enough Americans to change the system. What you can't do is watch the movie/derive the benefit and not meet your obligation under the laws of our compact.
So you separated half the sentence in order to write that... Remarkable.
