Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Recipe for Lamb Basted Liberal


Okay, so I'm guilty of having a little fun with the local paper. Honestly there is nothing I enjoy more than opening up the Sunday paper and finding something to raise my blood pressure. October 11 certainly didn't disappoint. That would be step one in the recipe for lamb basted liberal, step two is to add your spices, I recommend truth, quotes and facts. Step three, the last and best step is to bring to a rolling boil, sit back and watch them burn.

To get the full effect you will need to click HERE to read the original letter to the editor. Make sure you look at the reader response, the last one is funny and no, not by me. I have included in this post my letter to the editor which appeared this past Sunday, Oct. 18. as well as his response and another from me. I'm not sure how far I will take this, if he responds again I'll post it.

Here we go......

Dear Mr. Wheat,

In response to last Sundays editorial "Take Care During the Holidays", by Mr. Eckerd and his blanketed assumption that most churches waist donation dollars, I wish to offer my own editorial.
Mr Eckerd, while you may be correct in thinking that some organized churches waist donations then have the nerve to ask for more or to make there congregations feel guilty about not giving all they can, I feel that this is a rare occurrence rather than the norm. I do not know what particular church or religious organization has spited you but I would suggest a much better use of your time and the time of the readers would to call for the audit of the Federal Reserve and our local school systems rather than trying to "inspire" people to audit their churches. You are obviously a believer and I have no argument with that except to say that your attitude sounds more like an argument against organized religion than a call for fiscal responsibility.
Organized churches and charities offer help to those in need; but even the holiest of intentions does not make man immune to the illness of greed. Churches and charities are faced with the same financial burdens we are and as the needs of the community grow they will face an even greater burden. Between a drop in corporate and private donations and an administration hell bent on destroying organized religion AND the American family, what are these groups to do?
The point is simple. If you belong to an organization that you feel is "robbing" you then use a little common sense and get out. Why should anyone expect any organization to "open their books" when we don't demand the same from our spouses and our government. I appreciate you trying to educate and help the "elderly" and "uneducated" among us but please direct your attention to the real crooks, liar's and thieves. Look into it, "you'll be surprised."

Tania Scarafile

This was his response to my letter posted on the newspapers website.

Test what was written

Tania,

I never used the word "all" in my article or insinuated that every church refuses to help the poor. I was writing about the pastors who say they are helping the poor and are not. This is not easy for the average churchgoer with "common sense" to uncover. Most will not ask where the money goes even though it is their right. This is happening in the great majority of churches. I wouldn't write it if I didn't verify it. Go to any soup kitchen, shelter, or help center in or area and ask which churches offer support and you will only ever hear a few names. It is not the government's responsibility to help the stranger, orphan, widow and poor, it is the church's. The problem is that the church (the Christian Church overall) looks, acts and operates exactly like the world, so the biblical storehouse model no longer works. Many say the church looks like the world, but it is quite the opposite. The world looks like the church. If the church gets right, society will follow. No need to get the government involved or blame them for the church's problems. It is our problem brough on by our own disobedience. You know this is true.

How could I possibly leave that alone?

Mike,
What I know to be true is that you need to do a little more research and study up on your history.
Ask any school age child, "who do you turn to if you're hungry or homeless" and I bet their answer will be, the Government. The reason isn't your "supposed" financial corruption, but over 40 years of the Progressive movement. Progressives in our Government have worked hard to make society dependent upon them. Many have tried to turn politics into a religion just as the French who, during the disastrous French Revolution, found inspiration in Rousseau. Rousseau's general concept was to turn "the People" (i.e. the Power) into a divine figure while rendering the "person" an after thought.
To much in the past? Even today, even within the Christian population you have national figures demonising Christianity for the sake of the "State". Example, the beloved and distinguished Rev. Jesse Jackson who during the 2000 Florida recount proclaimed that the Holocaust survivors had been targeted "again" because the ballots may have been too hard for a few voters. He even said on Larry King Live, "the Christian Coalition was a strong force in Germany. It laid down a suitable, scientific, theological rational for the tragedy in Germany. The Christian coalition was very much in evidence there." Jackson was essentially saying, to a national audience made up of a large Christian population that Christianity is the cause and only I and the Government really care about you. Maybe that's the reason churches aren't as involved with more soup kitchens or shelters...or are they? You have forgot one key element in your statements; the church isn't the building in which you meet but the people you meet with and I know every time I have volunteered I wasn't a worker, I was a parishioner.
We can go back and forth forever over nickles and dimes, my point was simple enough, you are focused on a symptom when it's the disease that needs treatment.

So there you have it. Is it wrong to be getting so much enjoyment out of this?
Oooooo. He answered. Here's the latest from our basted liberal...
Tania,
I agree with you, but the fact remains that one of the few prime mandates to the church from God is to take care of the stranger, orphan and widow using the storehouse. Our churches are using the storehouse for other things that help no one except those sitting in the pews. Everything in the church today in many churches points inward, not to the community. It troubles me that you don't see this or are unwilling to even check to see if I am accurate. Just ask a few key people in our own community. This is proven, it is wrong and there is no excuse for it at all. It is not just one or two churches, it is many. All I am asking is for you to check this for yourself as I did and you will find what I found. There is not getting around this or rationalizing by blaming politicians or government. We (the church) are totally without excuse for not stepping up. Instead we buy new buildings, extravagent decorations,sound systems and we pay guest speakers ridiculous amounts of money to tell us to GET OUT OF THE CHURCH AND HELP SOMEONE! C'mon, just check it out and see if I am right.
This is the last response I will make because it has no where to go but down from here.
Mike,
Fine, you agree with me. Great, but I'm still waiting for you to provide your proof. Any form of documentation other than your slanted observations. I don't wish to debate theology with you I was simply making the point that it is real easy to sit back a point a finger at a specific group, It's something else to get off your butt and do something about it. If you don't want your church to have a new building or sound system get involved in the decision making process. Offering up problems with no solutions is lazy and blaming an entire group of people for the "sins" of a few is racist. I have read your views on Christianity and Christians below your original letter and your hate filled and sarcastic comments for those who choose to believe and accept God in their lives and your over eagerness to TRY and belittle anyone who dares disagree with you is evidence of your intolerance.