The latest strategy from the right-wing pews

[The Backlash Cometh]

In my local paper, there’s a picture of a smiling church lady (minus the back molars) putting up a sign on one of those billboards that Florida is so famous for. The sign reads, “Frustrate your enemy, make him your friend.” The sign could have applied to our situation in Iraq, but if it were so, I’m sure it would have been more direct. Instead, I’m inclined to believe that it’s an effort to patch things up on a local political level and I thought to myself, does the church really have the high ground to lead us through this mess after the role they’ve played? Are they really in a position to ask us to forgive and forget what’s happened in the last fifteen years?

Think about it for a minute. Churches have a sweet racket going on. They pay no taxes and in the last six years, they have been supporting the Republican Party in order to get their brand of morality inflicted in our laws and to get a good cut of federal money to their private parochial schools. But on top of all that, they benefit the greatest when one of these corrupt, power-mongers suddenly decide to look for peace of mind and forgiveness. Either they obtained their money from inside information in the stock market, or they abused a political position for personal profit. Something along those lines. Whatever it is, at some point in their life they realize what they did was wrong so where do they go? They go to their local church and donate money because they know the church will embrace them and make them pure again.

It’s a role that’s been played over and over throughout time. Milken did it. Even though the laws finally caught up with him, there was no shortage of people in his community who came out to say what a generous man he was. Even the writers of “V” used it to flesh out one of the villains.

And I’m thinking, when does this racket stop? When does the church finally turn around and tell their new found parish son, GIVE BACK TO THE PEOPLE YOU STOLE FROM. When does the church stop taking the money and do the right thing and stop this crazy cycle of abuse? Maybe that’s what they should be telling their congregation, instead of relying on flaccid charm.

[madrchsod]

1. not all "churches" are what you speak of

to lump all "churches" and their congergations as racketeers is insulting.

[noonwitch]

2. Most churches give back to the community, one way or another

There are always scammers in religion and pretty much every other field there is.

But whether a church is liberal or conservative, most do community work. A lot of conservative christians have no objection to helping the poor voluntarily, they just don't want their tax money used for that when they give generously to private charities. I don't necessarily agree with them, but I understand why they think that way.

Pretty much every church of every stripe does canned food collections, and either distribute the food themselves or donate it to a larger community agency-my church does it and gives the food to a homeless shelter. We also do a coat drive every year and we donate teddy bears to the police department, so that they can give them to kids they have to take into protective custody. The teddy bear drive in ecumenical-my liberal church participates as do a bunch of more conservative churches.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. We've had this discussion before in other threads.

The problem is that churches tend to take care of those in their immediate locations. Therefore, wealthy communities don't really spread the wealth out to where it's needed the most. And poor congregations are always left short of what they need.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Okay, I'll take that on the chin.

How about, just the ones in areas where nothing seems to be getting better and the old networks seem to defy resistance?