Zora

Tonight on the news, there is this woman (living in a shack) with her "boyfriend" who looks like a burnout from the 60's. She is going on about how the (extreme right wing) mega church in town gave her a car so she could go to Florida and get her "babies"...a son, his girlfriend and their illegitimate kid or two...out of their shack and haul them all back here (the hurricane and all).

So, isn't this "generosity" perpetuating the very things the church thinks is wrong with our society? I'm confused.

JohNeo

I would agree that Christianity does perpetuate irresponsibility, although I do think that generosity and charity are noble, so their gestures are not necessarily irresponsible. Some people really just can't get their shit together. I just hope that the church doesn't demand 10 percent of what little income these people probably have--that is probably their expectation though.

I think that where Christianity breeds irresponsibility has more to do with the weekly absolution of sins. Sure, they say that this is not supposed to encourage sinful behavior. But then again, they set the bar pretty low for people, since all humans are sinful by nature and must be expected to screw up.

JohNeo

seven8s

Hmm, "I think that where Christianity breeds irresponsibility has more to do with weekly absolution of sins". No, that's Catholcism, the weekly absolution part. This statement stems from perhaps a preconceived idea, or remnants of a preconceived predjudice. So the question is, does Christianity breed irresponsibility, period. And that my friend is unprovable. Atheism sets the bar even lower if we are utilizing the concept of sin and linking that to irresponsibility, but then again I don't have a problem with that because it in turn breeds the concept of self responsibility. Just pointing the error in the above. Now there will be irresponsibility in any group.

Now if we are talking about the law, meaning secular law, that sets the bar for all of us. And the law can be just as irresponsible as religion. And they take quite a bit more then 10%.

Ojuice5001

You don't have to be a Christian to be foolishly generous. (But it helps.)

seven8s

That's why I give my 10%, well actually 15% to me I am the first fruit :rolling:

IamMoose

If they wanted to help these people, couldn't they have done so anonymously?

I just don't believe that anyone does anything 'charitable' and publishes the fact that they are doing it, for no reason.

justsumner

WOW you get 15%? I give 100% to my wife. I feel gypted! :banghead:

Bright Life

As a wife, I can tell you you're not being gypted, you're getting a bargain!

schu

I think the xians give their money to buy their way into heaven; what is noble about that?

When an atheists gives something he has no expectations of getting a reward. That is altruistic and could be viewed as noble I suppose. But someone trying to buy their way into an afterlife? I don't think so.

maddog

Well, who's publicizing this, the church or the recipient? It sounds like this person and her family are all pretty much up a creek, and no one of them has the wherewithal to help any of the others. It just sounds to me like they are being helped to pool their resources so they can be more independent, rather than simply being stuck. Try to get anything much done w/o decent transportation. It sounds like it just might be the kind of leg-up that someone needs to become more independent, rather than perpetuating dependence. But who am I to say?