Christians Decline Help from Atheists to Feed the Poor and Other Atrocities
It was brought to my attention by an atheist friend that Christian ministries have been turning down the offers of atheists to help feed the poor. One group in South Carolina recently turned down the offer to help according to The Blaze.
"After the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen in Spartanburg, S.C.,
turned atheists away last spring when non-believers approached the
group and offered to help feed the poor, secularists are hitting back
with an outreach plan of their own.
Upstate Atheists, a local cohort of non-believers, said that they
were just trying to help and that the ban truly surprised them. And
activist Hemant Mehta, a well-known secular blogger, was so
stunned that he quipped that “Jesus would be so pissed off”
as a result of the decision."
In another article The Blaze reports another Christian organization turning away the help of atheists.
"A Missouri Christian organization has turned down a local atheist group’s offer to help distribute Thanksgiving meals to the poor because the faith group says the two wouldn’t be a “good fit.”
Volunteers with the Kansas City Atheist Coalition have worked with the Kansas City Rescue Mission over the holidays for two years, but this year the Christian group has decided to include religious materials with each of the 500 meals that will be delivered, The Kansas City Star reported."
Such activity by Christians is unwarranted, cruel, and unjust. These atheists wanted nothing more than to help feed the poor and these Christian groups said that they didn't want “their kind” there. Landrum in South Carolina even said, “They can set up across the street from the Soup Kitchen. They can have the devil there with them, but they better not come across the street.” Christians are not only to minister to the poor but to atheists as well. They also are not supposed to turn away those who are trying to help them. Here's a biblical passage to back that up.
Mark 9:38-41
New International Version (NIV)Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
It is repeated here in Luke.
Luke 9:49-50
New International Version (NIV)49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
If you don't like the New International Version, feel free to look it up in the King James Version or whatever version you prefer. The verses will tell you the same thing. Jesus didn't tell us to turn away help from atheists or anyone else. By doing so, you are being a bad example to those you are trying to “save.” How do you expect them to even listen to a word you have to say after you've treated them in such a manner? How would you feel if you offered to help and organization and they said you couldn't help because you weren't a member of that organization and told you that you could have the devil with YOU across the street? Would you want to listen to anything else they had to say?
The same happened at a Sparanburg kitchen even after the atheist leader told the Christian Organization, Eve Brannon, president of Upstate Atheists told this to the organization.
"'I told them we wouldn't wear our T-shirts. We wouldn't tell anyone who we are with. We just want to help out,' Brannon said. 'And they told us that we were not allowed.'"
This kind of behavior is not only detrimental to their particular church organization but to Christians everywhere. They make people who don't believe or who are of other religions thing all Christians are like them. Since some of them are not familiar with Christianity or the works and teachings of Jesus, they are driving them away by doing the opposite of what Jesus taught.
At this time of year especially, we need all the hands we can get to help feed the poor. Due to the economic climate there are more people than ever before homeless and out on the streets. The banks which the taxpayers bailed out turned around and foreclosed on as many of those taxpayers as they could. It's not because they were lazy or didn't have a job. It was because of the greed of bankers who would make Ebeneezer Scrooge blush. Why would a Christian organization turn away help from anyone, especially if all they want to do is help to do good? It makes no sense and it certainly isn't the way people who claim to follow Christ should behave. Perhaps these organizations need to get a Red Letter Edition of the bible so they can re-read the words of Jesus? They should certainly quit making it so hard for those of us who do follow Christ to live as Jesus taught us around people of all faiths. Perhaps then the non-believers wouldn't be so critical of all Christians. What are your thoughts?
Sources:
The Blaze, ‘Jesus Would Be So Pissed Off’: Soup Kitchen’s Atheist Ban Sparks Controversy, Oct. 24, 2013 5:05pm, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/24/jesus-would-be-so-pissed-off-soup-kitchens-atheist-ban-sparks-controversy/
The Blaze, Christian Org. Declines Atheists’ Help in Feeding the Poor for Thanksgiving, Nov. 12, 2013 1:11pm, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/12/christian-org-declines-atheists-help-in-feeding-the-poor-for-thanksgiving/
Goupstate.com, Spartanburg Soup Kitchen turns away atheist volunteers, Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 4:45 p.m., http://www.goupstate.com/article/20131023/ARTICLES/131029846/1083/ARTICLES?p=1&tc=pg&tc=ar
3 comments:
It seems to me that Christians ought to take every opportunity possible to work with nonbelievers.
A few years back, I found a quote from a pagan emperor where he said that the Christians' best weapon was others' observations of them. In other words, the impression they made when they were out in the world. The example they set.
That ought to still hold true. Being a model of Christianity in action is going to be more effective than shouting Bible verses ever could be.
There are plenty of Christians who remember that and are positive examples of the faith in action, but we sure do hear about a lot of bad examples...
You're right Katy. I get a lot of heat for pointing these things out from more fundamentalist Christians who state that I'm tearing Christianity apart by speaking against these things, but if I didn't speak the truth and point these things out, no one would see that what they are doing or being taught is wrong.
You're also right about bad examples being more prevalent in people's writings and speech. People are quick to question the good and quicker to believe the bad. It has been a problem for me for decades.
There is a group of Christians who started a group on Facebook called "The Christian Left." They invite people of all faiths and no faiths to join. Many of the members are atheists thought the majority are Christians who are tired of the Christian Right dragging Jesus' name through the mud. They also support the LGBT (did I get that right?) community. While I don't think the whole focus should be on the LGBT community, I do support treating them as human beings instead of screaming at them, telling them they're going to hell, beating, and killing them.
AARGH! Blogger didn't take the indents from Open Office. I'll have to edit the blog and see if I can fix it.
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