Christian Right: Poverty is Not Our Issue
The Christian right's response to today's anti-budget action in DC:
Conservative Christian groups such as Focus on the Family say it is a matter of priorities, and their priorities are abortion, same-sex marriage and seating judges who will back their position against those practices.
"It's not a question of the poor not being important or that meeting their needs is not important," said Paul Hetrick, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, Dobson's influential, Colorado-based Christian organization. "But whether or not a baby is killed in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy, that is less important than help for the poor? We would respectfully disagree with that."
Of course, fight for that unborn baby and leave the poor mother to fend for herself once it's born.
posted by storiesinamerica @ 4:22 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Apparently you are unaware of the many Christian charities that support unwed mothers.
Speaking of Christians and charity... Note anything about what sort of organizations are doing the hard work in New Orleans?
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18473
I keep looking for the Objectivist Mutual Aid Society, but it never pops up.
And Christians are in Iraq. Christian groups are doing amazing work. My point is that the Jerry Fallwells and Pat Robertsons of the world are hypocrites because they'll use their media machines to ban gay marriage and overturn Roe v. Wade, but they never take the government to task for its out of control spending habits (multi-million dollar bridge to nowhere) and failure to (pretend) to care about the poor.
You really need to do a little more research before you start typing. Jerry Falwell's Liberty Godparent House has been providing educational and medical services - free of charge - to hundreds of poor, unwed mothers since 1982.
Also, I think a little research will also reveal that Falwell is hardly a fan of excessive government spending.
The man has uttered more than his fair share of foolish statements over the years, but to say he doesn't care about the poor is simply dishonest. Enough with the hate-speech.
Hate speech?
After the election, Jerry Falwell said Americans who didn’t vote for George Bush did not “take the Bible seriously.” He also told CNN Democrats were on an “anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-religion kick."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6601018/
Why not address the issue at hand than bring out the "hate speech" card?
I think I mentioned that Falwell has said many foolish things.
The issue at hand I was addressing was your statement:
"...but they never take the government to task for its out of control spending habits (multi-million dollar bridge to nowhere) and failure to (pretend) to care about the poor."
That statement is uninformed at best and dishonest at worst. Not altogether unlike the Falwell statements you linked.
Oh yeah, and this statement as well:
"Of course, fight for that unborn baby and leave the poor mother to fend for herself once it's born."
You might want to look into Jerry Falwell's Liberty Godparent House before you pursue the veracity of that comment any further.
The Christian right puts the majority of its resources into slamming gays, chipping away at abortion rights and pressuring Harriet Miers into withdrawing her nomination for the SC, but when it comes to slashing food stamps for the poor and raising the minimum wage so single moms might get by, they remain silent.
I can only suggest that you might pause to consider that there are many people in this country who have a hard time matching your level of enthusiasm for the efficacy of government entitlement programs in addressing problems like poverty.
But getting back to the issue at hand...
Recalling your recent Journey into the Heart of Redness, here's some data you should find interesting...The "Generosity Index" comparing red states to blue states.
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2005/11/generosity_inde.html
Top 10 givers are all red states...those same states that are disproportionately populated with "religious right" types. Of the stingiest states, 9 out of the 10 are blue states. Draw your own conclusions.
And regardless of how much money you think the "religious right" spends on the various issues you cited (how mcuh does "slamming gays" cost, anyway?), your statement that poor mothers are ignored by the likes of Jerry Falwell doesn't make your statement any less false.
I have to weigh in here: The most important issue for people like Jerry Fallwell is ensuring the greeters at stores like Target and Lands End say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." Self-described "religious conservatives" in the House spent their time yesterday introducing a
resolution "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected."
'Tis the season, "Christians"
And there's also this: Jerry Fallwell's Liberty Counsel threatened to sue a Wisconsin elementary school because it planned on singing the lyrics "Cold in the night, No one in sight" to the tune of Silent Night. Fallwell claimed this revision was part of an effort to secularize the Christmas holiday. Actually, the school was just performing a copyrighted play that contains numerous songs about Christmas, including the grand finale, an audience-led group singing of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." The play has been performed in churches around the country. Fox News gave the Liberty Counsel a platform to issue its threats. Desperate to get out of the media spotlight, the school changed its play, even though the Liberty Counsel's charges had no merit.
Three more cheers for Falwell!
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