I don’t know about vengeance, but… many, many years ago, as a teen, I played in the orchestra of a large Southern Baptist megachurch.
I became rather disillusioned with that flavor of Christianity when that megachurch raised millions of dollars to relocate from the edge of an inner city neighborhood to a nice, new suburban campus, in part because they were having trouble getting members engaged so close to the urban blight.
What about people who live where there aren’t many churches or charities? Those people are just SOL? Or is it an out of sight out of mind situation?
I’m not sure who you mean, exactly. On a personal level one of my favorite charities is World Vision, which operates just about everywhere that they can safely get their people, and has a big presence at refugee camps taking in people from places they can’t safely get to.
I’m also a supporter of International Justice Mission, which also operates in some … shadowy places.
Like downtown Detroit?
I’m saying that if you elimated all government social programs and relied on charities there would be countless people falling through the cracks. It’s a terrible method of protecting your fellow citizens.
Are you claiming that there are no charities serving people in downtown Detroit? Or no Christians? Or both?
Or is it a joke because there are no longer any people in downtown Detroit?
I assumed Joe meant like war-torn countries or Muslim countries or something.
But in all seriousness, um, there’s tons of charities, many Christian, serving people in downtown Detroit.
And one that has a history of epic failure pretty much throughput the whole of human history.
I am claiming that a patchwork of charities regularly results in significant gaps in who is able to receive help. And generally, those same charities suffer the same economic issues as those they are designed to serve exactly when they are needed the most. There are reasons national social welfare programs were started and it wasn’t because charities were efficient at helping the poor.
Are you saying this to mock them?
Because, even you can’t believe this is true.
Yeah, I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you… I think there’s room for some social programs in government. (And probably some changes to legal spending requirements for charitable foundations too… which are currently required to spend more in times of plenty than in hard times.)
Just pointing out that I don’t think that “Christians prefer vengeance against their opponents than loving/caring for their neighbors” is an accurate description.
I’m not saying I agree with them, but yeah, I think an awful lot of Christian voters who oppose government-run social programs are also pretty generously supporting private charities and do think that money is better spent than their tax dollars that go towards social programs.
This is bullshit.
Well both religious people and Republicans are more generous than non-religious people or non-Republicans. Doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to think that religious and Republican is probably the most generous combination.
1 third give an average of $0 to all charities, the remaining 2 thirds give an average of 4%. Do you feel this is an adequate rate to meet the needs of social programs?
This counts donations to churches, which are just a sham to keep more money within their same community tax free.
Thank you for proving my point
That doesn’t surprise me.
But another important question is: to whom do they give? Is it only to people like them?
I think there are two parts to charity. One is being willing to give what you have. But the other is having the imagination to recognize the suffering of those who are not like you.
also
Sheesh.
And I think there is room for voluntary charity. I just think it is woefully I’ll equipped to meet the needs.
Like when mitt Romney bragged about how much he gave to charity, and it was nearly all just his tithing to the Mormon church, who would just turn around and use the “charitable funds” to encorage the oppression of others.
All “charitable donations” are not for the good of society.
Many on the religious right do more harm than good for society.