Social Justice... Does it really mean the lazy never have to work again?

[Don Corleone]

I purposely picked an inflammatory title (though, in my defense Soly, it's very clear and explanatory), because I'm personally struggling with the whole concept of 'Social Justice' right now. It's actually a hotbutton issue in my church. Many take it at face value to mean that without a doubt, Jesus would have been a socialist.

But is that true? Social Justice has a context beyond Christianity, so I'm going to un-muddy the waters a bit and ask that we leave the religious context of the phrase out. Let's just look at it as it's own stand alone principle....

On it's surface, it seems obvious. Yes, we should make certain nobody is homeless (that doesn't want to be). Yes, we should make certain that people aren't starving to death. I think it's a small minority that would argue we're not responsible for each member of society's basic needs. This is what makes the "Social Justice" argument so compelling.

Yet, when it comes to execution of policy in conjunction with that principle, many feel that "Social Justice" means that everyone is entitled to own their own abode, regardless of whether they earned it or not. They take it to mean that all of their utitilities, including digital cable and broadband internet access are automatically provided. They take it to mean that everyone should have their own vehicle. Most importantly (to me), it they take it to mean that nobody should be compelled to actually labor to earn these things.

This is where I have a big problem with the whole concept of Social Justice. Do we really believe that Gahndi or Martin Luther King Jr. REALLY believed and fought for the right of everyone to smoke grass, play X-box all day and get a government check for it?

Again, I'm purposely being pointed. Attack my view as heartless if you wish. But if you really want more adherents to the principle of social justice, we need to define it in such a way that a majority can support it. It shouldn't be a blank check for every crazy moral relativist desire the Left can come up with. I would happily part with an additional 10% of my paycheck, if I could be convniced every last dime went to feeding hungry children, or training single mothers out on their own. But I am not going to take food and clothes away from my own daughter to give it to some 22 year old punk who's too lazy to get a job. Sorry.