Enablers For Drugs Through Christ

[Cracked]

I am not sure if anyone else has wrote about this before on this sight but it has been on my mind for a while now. Here in the local area where I live I see churches / religious organizations helping the people who are homeless or living in poverty by giving these people food or other forms of help for free just to bring them in and to have a way of preaching their faith to these poor people when they are in a weak state of mind.

Many of the people who live in poverty and homeless from what I have experienced are deep into using drugs or alcoholics. Almost every day when driving though town I see people waiting in line for some kind of hand out from a church or organization of a religion of some type or another. I have spoke to some of the people involved with this (humanitarian) effort and they seem to think that they are doing these people a favor by giving support through food or helping to pay for their rent or bills for one month.

Personally myself I think they are enabling the lifestyle of the drug users and alcoholics by feeding these people and helping them out in other ways so they ( the addicts ) can continue to live in the lifestyle they like to live. I do not think this is helping people but like I said enabling them be able to eat , live and do what they want without taking much responsibility.

I am curious if anyone else has noticed this in their local areas where they live. Hell the whole thing makes me sick just thinking about it. Anyways there it is. I said it. Have a nice day.

I hope to hear about other peoples opinions on this topic.Thank you for your time.

 

Douglas

[Guest Shiva H. Vishnu]

I am not sure if anyone else has wrote about this before on this sight but it has been on my mind for a while now. Here in the local area where I live I see churches / religious organizations helping the people who are homeless or living in poverty by giving these people food or other forms of help for free just to bring them in and to have a way of preaching their faith to these poor people when they are in a weak state of mind.

Many of the people who live in poverty and homeless from what I have experienced are deep into using drugs or alcoholics. Almost every day when driving though town I see people waiting in line for some kind of hand out from a church or organization of a religion of some type or another. I have spoke to some of the people involved with this (humanitarian) effort and they seem to think that they are doing these people a favor by giving support through food or helping to pay for their rent or bills for one month.

Personally myself I think they are enabling the lifestyle of the drug users and alcoholics by feeding these people and helping them out in other ways so they ( the addicts ) can continue to live in the lifestyle they like to live. I do not think this is helping people but like I said enabling them be able to eat , live and do what they want without taking much responsibility.

I am curious if anyone else has noticed this in their local areas where they live. Hell the whole thing makes me sick just thinking about it. Anyways there it is. I said it. Have a nice day.

I hope to hear about other peoples opinions on this topic.Thank you for your time.

 

Douglas

 

Well Douglas, the humanitarian efforts of christians through soup kitchens, homeless shelters, coat drives and a multitude of others, are to me the only redeeming quality of christianity. If you want to make something negative out of helping a homeless person eat for a day, that's of course your right, so I would suggest not giving money to the homeless or wasting any of your personal time in a soup kitchen. However, if you're just looking for another reason to knock christianity, and there are too many to count, I am puzzled why you'd attack the only good thing that's ever come of christianity.

[Lycorth]

In general, Xianity doesn't seem to be all that effective against poverty. To me, it seems that the gulf between impoverished and non-impoverished has only grown since Xianity came on the scene. Xianity has been around for 2000 years, trying to help the poor, and yet poverty and such are still problems.

 

Jeezus™ said that the poor will always be with us, right? Well, when people are only motivated to help so long as they can use that charity as a Trojan horse for evangelization and given handouts instead of genuinely helped out of poverty - like being taught how to not stay poor - it seems like the Lard and Slaver was correct

[Guest Shiva H. Vishnu]

In general, Xianity doesn't seem to be all that effective against poverty. To me, it seems that the gulf between impoverished and non-impoverished has only grown since Xianity came on the scene. Xianity has been around for 2000 years, trying to help the poor, and yet poverty and such are still problems.

 

Of course it's ineffective on the whole, that would require christians to actually be like jesus . But, there is no doubt that there are many homeless people, african children, and appalachian toothless albinos who are going to bed with a full stomach tonight because of the efforts of christians. Sure it's tainted with their evangelism, but would I prefer they not help the poor? No.

 

Jeezus™ said that the poor will always be with us, right? Well, when people are only motivated to help so long as they can use that charity as a Trojan horse for evangelization and given handouts instead of genuinely helped out of poverty - like being taught how to not stay poor - it seems like the Lard and Slaver was correct

 

Every christmas, the churches in the south have some program where the pew warmers buy presents for poor families that cant afford them. They don't make them listen to a bible study first, or at all. They just anonymously give them presents that they need, and some that they can enjoy. I'm no fan of christianity, but it's efforts like this, the ones done with the attitude that a good deed is all the evangelism necessary, that often make me respect a few christians even when i'd prefer not to. I didn't buy a poor family any presents last christmas. Did you?

[Lycorth]

I bought my family presents - they're poor, too. No charities were lined up to do that.

 

Most Catholic charities I've observed also hold off on the preaching. Then again, perhaps there's some truth to the Prottie claims of the Catholics, the once dreadful and feared monolith of Xian power, being basically an ultra-liberalized cult.

 

I can tolerate the ones of any sect who back off on the preaching and actually do something about poverty. The work gets done, at least. But there are also those who can't just leave it be and have to try and make converts. When I was a Prottie, I became familiar with churches who were like that, try to help but also lay the evangelization on thick.

 

And going to bed with full stomachs when you're in the hole is great, but helping to get people out of the hole and to stay out of it is another story. Not one Xian charity group I've known of tries to do this, yet many will kick in with the Jeezus™ tripe instead, especially those who like to make people think wordly suffering is a good thing, not a motivator to get out of the hole.

[snookums]

The food distribution is not enabling..christian or otherwise...what do you suggest...

Teach "them" a lesson..and let the addicts etc. go hungry?

It sounds like a punishment...and not the acceptance that almost anyone could be in the same situation at some point of there lives...Poverty is not a 'sin' nor is it a moral decline of some kind.

 

 

Its food....one of the basic needs of life....for fucksake! Free handouts are not so great.....they are not getting very much...try it yourself.

 

I don't agree with manyof the christian charity methods..they usually require the 'po' to make themselves available for the christian message...or to jump thro' some hoop or the other.

 

I basically don't believe in 'charity'...it basically sustains the business of conducting it...yep...it employs a huge number of 'well off' and middle class member's of society...

 

So...its the "well off" or the educated middle classes that 'feed off' the poor.....the welfare industry.!

 

One major thing...the top post doesn't mention....is that the vast majority of 'po' homeless people are Mentally Ill......its a huge calculated cost saving to society - that most modern western societies do not provide for mental illness - or other conditions such as old age.

 

Yep...so in that way.....you are benefitting (through the social wage)...from 'these' people misfortune.

 

Grrrr...!

 

Not charity...but a social net - to give dignity to the rights of each individual to benefit from our western society.

[Cracked]

Maybe I was being more on the negative side of things being that I think I am still going through my hate of xian phase. I personally have been through poverty going from house to house, living in my VW and going for long periods of being very hungry. I personally evaluated myself and did what I had to do to make my life better. I now have a great job but at one point I had three shitty jobs I did not like. Anyway I have spoken to many of these people (I use to be one) and a lot of them will tell you that they do not want to change their life. They may complain about their life but most do not take positive steps to make their lives better. I personally have helped many people out who I thought might be able to make their lives better by giving them shelter, food and even money. Hell I even use to buy kids xmas presents until last xmas when I was busy moving from my house. But I did give one person 1000 dollars so he could have a place to stay for a few months last winter (an AA member). For some reason most people I seem to help end up screwing me. I do not think I am better than anyone but I do believe that people can make their lives better if they really want to. Anyway I feel that things could be done in a better way like people helping others to make the world a better place and not because their cult tells them they should. People should have a certain amount off selflessness. I think maybe I got a little off track here but these are things that have been on my mind for a little while.

 

Thanks

Douglas

[snookums]

For some reason most people I seem to help end up screwing me. I do not think I am better than anyone but I do believe that people can make their lives better if they really want to. Anyway I feel that things could be done in a better way like people helping others to make the world a better place and not because their cult tells them they should. People should have a certain amount off selflessness. I think maybe I got a little off track here but these are things that have been on my mind for a little while.

 

 

 

I guess it does turn out that way - people can take advantage......&...."helping out" doesn't come with a guarantee that the person will reward you with a change etc etc... that's how it goes. What can I say...life is a risk.

 

I know what you mean about being angry with the christian cult that seems to force this issue.

*smiles*

[chefranden]

I am not sure if anyone else has wrote about this before on this sight but it has been on my mind for a while now. Here in the local area where I live I see churches / religious organizations helping the people who are homeless or living in poverty by giving these people food or other forms of help for free just to bring them in and to have a way of preaching their faith to these poor people when they are in a weak state of mind.

Please put spaces between paragraphs. For some reason indentation doesn't seem to take.

 

That is because they think of poor people the same way that you think of poor people. Which is too bad really.

 

Many of the people who live in poverty and homeless from what I have experienced are deep into using drugs or alcoholics. Almost every day when driving though town I see people waiting in line for some kind of hand out from a church or organization of a religion of some type or another. I have spoke to some of the people involved with this (humanitarian) effort and they seem to think that they are doing these people a favor by giving support through food or helping to pay for their rent or bills for one month.

Many people that have plenty of dough are into drugs and alcohol too. What are you going to do about them?

 

Many of the working poor are working their asses off for not enough money to live on. A good deal of these handouts you are complaining about are subsidies for employers (Walmart, Merry Maids, etc.) that won't pay a living wage. In addition, you may not have noticed, but in the last 12 years the Government has drastically cut aid to the poor while claming that this will make the poor better off because then they will work. (As if they weren't already working if they can.)

 

Well, as to whether the policy works, if you want to do some research, you will find that poverty has increased during the same period. In addition the buying power of the lower 50% (including the working poor) of wage earners has fallen, not increassed. So the stratagy of reducing aid is there to help redistribute wealth to Halliburton, General Electric, Chase Manhatten, and the like, while at the same time reducing the taxes of corporations and the upper 2%. Because of this the churches get to take up the slack in the name of proselytization.

 

Personally myself I think they are enabling the lifestyle of the drug users and alcoholics by feeding these people and helping them out in other ways so they ( the addicts ) can continue to live in the lifestyle they like to live. I do not think this is helping people but like I said enabling them be able to eat , live and do what they want without taking much responsibility.

 

Yep, these people love to be poor and have no prospects. All the world's poor are poor because they lack character. This is especially true in the States and doesn't have anything to do with shipping jobs over seas or giving jobs to illegal aliens for a third or less then what should be paid. No wonder that they try to numb their minds -- eh?

 

Character is judged by whether a person can afford to get drunk on Grey Goose, or has to resort to Ripple.

 

I hope to hear about other peoples opinions on this topic.Thank you for your time.

 

Douglas

 

As an ex-minister that used to work in the poorest county in Wisconsin, you have my opinion -- Walk a mile in their shoes, before you bitch.

[Guest Shiva H. Vishnu]

Word!

[xrayman7040]

I work at the big city hospital down the street from the Lansing MI City Rescue Mission. How can you have anything but the utmost respect for the fine Christian folks who take in society's most down and out? These people got guts to feed and house a large group of people who have nothing to loose. My white ass would be scared shitless to go near that place. At least these folks are walking the walk and doing something, as opposed to wasting their fucking time by holding signs protesting shit like abortion clinics or the Terri Shivo case.

 

I guess in a way they do a sligt bit of enabling like the originator of the post suggests, but what the hell the vast majority of these homeless drunks are too far gone. I just wish these Christians would learn from their own experiences that Christ just ain't saving these people as their sign out front suggests. Their imaginary friend just ain't doing too good of job about the homeless population in Lansing, but what the fuck hats off to these fine folks. To me they are the truest of Christians.

 

 

One thing I have learned by working in the city hospital in close proxcimity to the homeless population is the fact that if you are homeless and you would like a warm bed for a day along with a meal without being forced to sit through a sermon, just pass out drunk in plain view of the public and by law the city must bring you in to the hosptal by ambulance. We always have a nice collection of homeless drunks in our ER. Some are harmless and funny, while others are just assholes. It makes the job very interesting and it makes me glad that I succeeded in beating my alcoholism.

[Piprus]

Douglas,

 

Maybe you were on to something when you stated that perhaps your criticism of xian charities came from hate. (It doesn't profit you to hate anyone). One issue is that we unbelievers don't have the organization, otherwise we could do just as much for the needy as the religious groups, without the expectation of any blessing from any deity, of course. ("Virtue is its own reward") It's just that churches make a good jumping off point for community helping efforts.

[Cracked]

I can see both sides of this this topic and I am not going to respond to any one side right now. I was just pointing out what I had personally noticed from my own experiences.

 

Here are a few more things I that I feel have to do with this topic.

 

 

1:Religion may help out many mentally ill people but how many people are mentally ill due to religion? Just take a look at the news and I am sure you will see lots of people (mentally ill people) doing things that they believe are right in their minds. Not all but a lot of it has to do with religion.

 

2:How religions do good things for people so others look at them (the religions) as a charity organization and not a cult trying to lure people in and after your in they can indoctrinate these weak minded people. Possibly making them more mentally ill then what they was.

 

3:Connections of religions controlling our lives from the lower levels (like my original topic) on up to higher levels such as politics and a lot of different things in between.

 

Have a happy 4th of July

 

Douglas

 

PS How many people go to prison for doing a serious crime and after they are in prison they find gawd. Does this affect their being paroled? When that person ends up going back to prison for doing a similar crime does that mean that the criminal just committed a simple sin and his or her gawd will forgive them or is it a mental disorder based on religion?