Hypocrisy of Christian Charity

[LoneMateria]

Has anyone else noticed the hypocrisy of Christians when it comes to charity?  Over the past year it has become blatantly obvious that MANY of these "charities" are less interested in helping people in need, and are more interested in themselves.  These jackasses are running their "charities" but refusing to give people the aid they promise.  I've posted before about different denominations of Christianity threatening to close down homeless shelters and soup kitchens they run because political parties in the state want to legalize gay marriage or pass a bill preventing discrimination of gays.  This has happened in several states to my knowledge.  This is horrible after all, people rely on their care and services and can die when these are refused.

Anyway at first I thought these were isolated cases from some douche-bag churches whose leaders cannot see past their own bigoted viewpoint and just fucking help people they promised to help.  Then I came across this story.  This article talks about how Christians in Haiti are refusing people help if they LOOK LIKE or are followers of Voodoo.  We sent all those fucking dollars for relief efforts over there and these self-righteous pricks are turning people away if they aren't Christian.  It's no wonder when we send aid to countries who have natural disasters those countries hate us even more.  The people we send are only trying to take care of fellow Christians and refuse to help those who need it and happen to disagree with them.  These useless pieces of flesh are the front line of diplomatic relations with countries that we are trying to help.  "We are here to help you, but first we gotta make sure you meet the criteria to see if you are worthy of help."  Then we can't figure out why we are having problems with the other countries and why these people are getting arrested.

Not only this, all these fucks who are doing this bullshit are going to get big tax breaks for being "selfless" and helping others.  They are going to get rewarded for being such heartless bigots that they turn people away who genuinely need help because in their mind they aren't worthy of the aid they offer.  And yet their god is somehow oblivious of this behavior or agrees with them it is the right thing to do thus being people of inspiration when in reality they are weak minded assholes with no sense of morality or purpose.

It is shit like this that pisses me off to no end.

[elliebean]

Repugnant. Utterly reprehensible.  

[pinkocommie]

When the earthquake happened in Haiti and everyone was all 'donate fever', I remember these people asking me to give them spare change outside a supermarket.  They had a booth set up and were all wearing weirdo goofy hats they had obviously made for the occasion and on their sign there was a big ol' glowy cross.  I had spare change and I didn't give it to them specifically because of that glowy cross.  That's what caused my snap judgment not to donate.

Now, some people might see my choice not to donate as agenda driven - a reflection of my curmudgeony cold atheist heart.  If I really cared about Haiti, I would donate regardless of who was collecting the money.  Your post outlines perfectly why that assertion is a load of bull.  I have a good reason not to out rightly trust charities that are religious.  Especially when involving other countries, religious charities don't hold the best record when it comes to donation appropriation and the practice of selective charity isn't unique to this latest example by a long shot.

Would I have donated to them if they didn't have a big glowy cross on their sign?  Maybe, if I recognized the charity and trusted that my  money would be appropriately distributed.  After all, weirdo goofy hats and a poster board sign do not a truth worthy organization make.  I can honestly say, however, that I only donate to religious charities when they fill a niche that no other secular organization has yet to fill.  Thankfully, secular charities are growing thanks to people, religious and otherwise, who are tired of donating money to a group only to discover that their donations went to fund charity-with-strings.  If I have a choice, I donate to secular groups because I don't trust religious people to be ethical about their charity.

[LoneMateria]

Your post outlines perfectly why that assertion is a load of bull.

You are being very generous.  I was angry when I wrote this and my vulgarity is all over the place in it.  Not like my typical posts.

Anyway you are right about secular alternatives.  I trust them to actually send the aid to people who need it rather then useless shit.  Secular charities won't blow a portion of the money donated on hundreds of origin of species books with a built in speaker that can announce the content of the book to 200 or so people.  I know if my house just landed on me and someone dragged me from the rubble the last thing I would want is a book of any kind.  Get me a doctor, some food, and some water and throw that book where it belongs, on the fire because its cold outside.

I used to think that charities were the one good thing churches offer.  I've since discovered that I was wrong, and i'm not afraid to admit that.  Maybe there are church run charities that are genuinely concerned with just helping people regardless of who they are and how they got there.  However we see many agenda driven churches who either threaten to pull the aid they have offered or who provide services which are more in their interests then in the interests of the individuals who need the service.  "Let's give them some bibles, thats exactly what they need to get into heaven thus assuring me more points on the scoreboard mwahaha."  I guess they think their all loving god has a, "what have you done for me lately?" personality.  I guess I just get irritated at this crap.  If they have superior morals, like they claim, then we shouldn't see stuff like this happening ... anywhere.  Period.

[pinkocommie]

That's exactly why the No True Scotsman fallacy bugs me so much.  When a religious person claims that their religion is morally superior and you give evidence as to why that's not necessarily true, they tend to respond with 'well, they weren't REAL (insert religion) so they don't count."

[LoneMateria]

That's exactly why the No True Scotsman fallacy bugs me so much.  When a religious person claims that their religion is morally superior and you give evidence as to why that's not necessarily true, they tend to respond with 'well, they weren't REAL (insert religion) so they don't count."

All you have to do is ask, "Isn't that convenient?"  It will kill their argument dead.

[LoneMateria]

http://calamities.gaeatimes.com/2010/02/23/evangelical-crowd-attacks-voodoo-practitioners-in-haiti-as-religious-tensions-rise-8836/

Also since this thread had touched on the subject.  Evangelical Christians are attacking Voodoo worshipers in Haiti.  And guess who is participating in these events?  Some of our relief workers who are supposed to be there feeding the needy.  I guess pissing on Voodoo displays and throwing rocks at people is alright in Gods eye.  The discrimination occurring there is bad enough to have Voodoo followers lying saying they are born again so they can get the supplies they need to survive.

If there was ever a reason why religion should be eradicated this should be it.  It pretends to help and comfort people while taking advantage of desperate people, dividing the communities, and inciting violence against the heathens (which I would bet every dollar I own that many of the "relief workers" are blaming the Voodoo followers for the earthquakes).  I sometimes ask my religious friends what does a cult do?  It separates its members from their family and loved ones, divides communities, frequently incites problems and violence, and eventually attempts mass suicide.  Christianity will have you reject your family for God, divide multi-cultural communities (like in Haiti), incites discrimination and violence against people they don't like, and its members look forward to the day the world ends, everyone dies, and Jesus comes to battle the devil.  Christianity is a Cult and we shouldn't let cult members leave this country and represent us to the world.  When they do shit like this happens.

[notself]

These Evangelical Christians are from the US.  There has always been Christians in Haiti and these long term Chrisitians want the Evangelicals controlled or kicked out.  Evangelicals are the Christian equivelent of Muslim extremists. These NGO's (non-governmental agencies) have agendas and charity is way down the list.

If you wish to donate, try Doctors without Borders.  https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.or ... px?pid=197
or try Habitat for Humanity Haiti.  http://www.habitat.org/intl/lac/89.aspx

[Whitney]

or try Habitat for Humanity Haiti.  http://www.habitat.org/intl/lac/89.aspx

Habitat for humanity does things like stick bibles in every house they build according to a friend of mine who has researched them for potential secular volunteer opportunities (I think there was more they do too but all I remember right now is about the bibles).  I would be concerned that they would be even more evangelical when operating overseas; I think the only reason they don't push the christian image in the states is because so many people assume they are a secular charity (or perhaps because they are filed as secular; idk).

[notself]

or try Habitat for Humanity Haiti.  http://www.habitat.org/intl/lac/89.aspx

Habitat for humanity does things like stick bibles in every house they build according to a friend of mine who has researched them for potential secular volunteer opportunities (I think there was more they do too but all I remember right now is about the bibles).  I would be concerned that they would be even more evangelical when operating overseas; I think the only reason they don't push the christian image in the states is because so many people assume they are a secular charity (or perhaps because they are filed as secular; idk).

Darn.

[Faradaympp]

... :brick:  

[Dries]

It's a case of: My dear, dear, dear fellow human, I so long to alleviate your misery, but there's just one condition: Please, I beg you accept the lord jesus christ into your heart as your saviour and I'll give you medicine, relief supplies, food, shelter, medical care etc. It's disgusting

[theTwiz]

I think I got this image off this forum, but I'm posting it anyway because this reminded me of it.
[attachment=0:3653yycs]jcgc.png[/attachment:3653yycs]

[Magdalena]

Ahhh, but they are the chosen ones!!

If there really is a heaven and a god comes for them, (The chosen ones)...Are we going to be forced to go with them if we have been good? I would rather go explore the universe, alone, than to spend eternity with them.  

Magdalena.

[LoneMateria]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/01/AR2010030103345_pf.html

Just another story about it.  

Catholic Charities, which receives $22 million from the city for social service programs, protested in the run-up to the council's December vote to allow same-sex marriage, saying that it might not be able to continue its contracts with the city, including operating homeless shelters and facilitating city-sponsored adoptions. Being forced to recognize same-sex marriage, church officials said, could make it impossible for the church to be a city contractor because Catholic teaching opposes such unions.