Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I don't think this is what Jesus would do...

I saw this video on the Friendly Atheist blog by Hemant Mehta which, by the way, is my favorite blog about atheism, in case you were wondering.

I'd embed the video, but I'm new to this whole blogging experience and I haven't a clue how to make that work. I've tried three different ways and it's not showing up correctly, so take a minute and watch the video, then come back for the rest of the conversation. I'll wait...

Ok, what did you think? I was, quite frankly, appalled at the flashy arrogance and smug satisfaction the got out of offering free car washes to people driving 40 thousand dollar vehicles in an upper middle class bastion of white privilege. Here's a thought. Instead of handing out free gas and Twinkies to SUV driving suburbanites, how about they take that credit card down to the rough part of town and spend it on people that REALLY need the help? Think of how many bus passes they could've bought, or how many meals could've been paid for and served to a homeless shelter, or shoes and coats bought for kids in need. They want to 'be last' so they can 'be first', which speaks to their true motives, then why don't they 'trust Jesus' and go among the least of their brethren to do some REAL good? And don't get me started on the whole 'hijack sexualized pop music for Jesus' routine. Ew.

In the name of all that is wrong with this attitude and mentality, this idea that to get a better seat in the clouds (seriously people?), I took $50 worth of groceries to the local food pantry. I (anonymously) left the bag with the staff, and inside was one of our cards. I'm not going to make a catchy video with a cheesy Timberlake remix, I'm not going to call and ask what they think, it was entirely anonymous. And actually? We can't 'afford' that right now. Our budget is tight, we have kids to feed, and I can assure you we're not in the same economic class as the folks in that video. We drive a beat up vehicle that is well over ten years old and has 175 thousand miles on it with rusted holes in the doors. We shop at second hand stores for all our clothes and furniture. We're not poor, but we're assuredly not wealthy. What we do have is the luxury of knowing what we're going to feed our kids tonight. And that's a hell of a lot more than some people, so rather than handing out lattes to the over-privileged, I encourage you all to take a few minutes of your time and do some REAL good...without god.

Peace,
R.A.

2 comments:

  1. OMG this turns my stomach. Not at ALL my interpretation of Jesus' words, and I'm not even an atheist. Don't even get me started on the rented tuxedos and the 3-car garage neighborhood they are "serving" in.

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  2. I, for one, believe what white people tell me. So I'm sure that this is exactly what Jesus had in mind. Especially because Jesus was white. And he drove an SUV. And when the bible says he ministered to prostitutes & criminals, it means Desperate Housewives & CSI, & he did so with fancy clothes in suburban Jerusalem. Anything else would be, well, icky and uncomfortable, so I'll stick with passing out Twinkies to rich white folks, thanks!

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