------------------------------------------------------
This idea that supporting government programs is the same thing as being a good Christian has been out there for quite some time now in Leftist circles. The argument is so vapid as to be embarrassing, but it doesn't stop the Left from repeating it incessantly. Let's read:
--------------------------------------------------------------
It’s Conservatives Who Really Want Christ Out of Christmas
They’re terrified America’s tiny number of atheists will change the meaning of the holiday. But conservatives are the ones who are really at war with its message.
The War on Christmas is on! This epic battle pits the forces on the right who demand that we say “Merry Christmas” to everyone regardless of their faith—or lack thereof—against those who prefer to say “Happy Holidays.” (There is no such demand. As is typical for the Left, the issue is misdefined so as to create a straw man. The micro-issue is the editing of "Merry Christmas" from our language because of it being "offensive." The larger issue is the visceral hatred the Left has for any public expression of religion, unless that expression is to denigrate it.)
How fierce has this so-called “war” become? Well, Sarah Palin is travelling across the country alerting people that “angry atheists” want to “abort Christ from Christmas.” Palin is like a modern day Paul Revere—you know, the guy Palin told us warned the British in 1775 that the British were about to attack the colonists.
Bill O’Reilly, the “Father Christmas” of the War on Christmas, recently clamored that there are dastardly people who want to, “banish any mention of Jesus in the public square.”
And apparently these atheists—who represent about 1.6 percent of our population—are so dangerous that it compelled Texas Governor Rick Perry to enact the “Merry Christmas law” earlier this year to ensure that public school teachers could say “Merry Christmas” without fear of attack. (Another typical Leftist strategy. Mr. Obeidallah isolates the supposed offenders down to a small group, that is, atheists. Apparently, this insignificant group couldn't have any effect at all. However, the size of a group bears no relation to its capability to influence. Michael Newdow single-handedly brought the state of California to its knees. But really, this isn't even the issue, since the entirety of the Left is hostile to public religious expression, which means the atheists are not the only players on the side of curtailing public religious expression.)
But here’s the glaring hypocrisy of the right: they want to keep “Christ in Christmas,” but they don’t want to keep Christ’s teachings in the policies they advocate. (Is Mr. Obeidallah suggesting that public policy ought to be governed by religious doctrine? Really?) It’s as if there are two Jesus Christs. There’s the one in the Bible who advocates helping people in need, especially the poor. And then there’s the Jesus that conservatives worship, whose philosophy is to callously slash programs that help the less fortunate, from food stamps to health insurance to unemployment benefits. (Note how Mr. Obeidallah provides us with a false binary equation. There are only two possibilities: Support government programs or hatefully starve people.)
I’m not a religious scholar, (That is becoming increasingly apparent.) but it doesn’t take a Ph.D. in religious studies to comprehend the basic teachings of Jesus. The New Testament is filled with passages where Jesus implores his followers to care for the poor. Arguably the best known is Matthew 25:34-36, where Jesus discussed the importance of helping people in need: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Which is exactly what millions of Christians do every day. Despite an intrusive government helping themselves to their pocketbooks, Christians and compassionate people sacrificially buy food, housing, and medicine for those in need. They give of their time, resources, and talent to meet the needs of the poor and the sick in their communities and all around the world. They open their homes and their wallets. Yet for their sacrifice they're met with derision from the likes of Mr. Obeidallah.)
Yet the same people who demand that we keep Christ in Christmas also support cutting programs advance Jesus’s philosophy. We saw that in September when House Republicans voted to slash $40 billion from the food stamps program. (I persistent false meme promulgated incessantly by the Left, which I discuss here.) If this had become law, it would’ve result in nearly four million Americans being deprived of these desperately needed benefits. So much for the, “I was hungry and you gave me food.” (Mr. Obeidallah apparently confuses government programs with feeding people. Which suggests that he thinks that people who do not support these programs in the way he expects them to are in favor of starving people. The is absurd on its face. No further comment needed.)
Despite Jesus words, “I was sick and you took care of me,” conservatives have waged a war to destroy Obamacare which would provide health insurance to millions of Americans who can’t afford coverage. In fact, 20 States with Republican governors and Republican-controlled legislatures have refused to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, making it more challenging if not impossible for the impoverished residents of these States to afford health insurance coverage. (Mr. Obeidallah is becoming a one note samba. Since his premise is faulty, everything he builds upon it is faulty as well.)
And what would Jesus do about the 1.3 million Americans whose unemployment benefits will end just a few days after Christmas? Well, conservatives apparently believe Jesus would say “no” to any extension. Indeed, Rep. Kevin Cramerrecently cited this passage from the Bible as a reason to slash benefits for the poor: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” Interestingly, during the federal government shutdown in September, Congressman Cramer was the only member of the North Dakota Congressional delegation who didn’t donate his salary to charity.
Here’s the reality: Christmas will be fine, but without our help, the poor won’t be. Christmas is not in danger of becoming homeless nor concerned about having enough food to eat to be able to concentrate at school or at work.
We rarely hear about the poor in our nation unless they are being demonized by the right as “lazy” or abusing the system. (This isn't even close to true. Witness Mr. Obeidallah's own article, upon which we are presently commenting. He and others like him are continually decrying the lack of compassion the Right has, and they've been doing this for decades. All we hear about is the plight of the poor and how government has to do more. Endless emotional pleas for the children. The elderly are choosing between food and medicine. Mr. Obeidallah is making an astonishingly false claim.) America’s needy are invisible to most of us- including the 16 million children in this country who live in poverty. (Ahh, there we have it. Right on cue. The children...)
Yet the focus of the right’s outrage is when a public school chooses to sing non-religious Christmas songs and opts for more secular ones. Or when a huge nativity scene can’t be constructed on government property. (Whaaa? Wait, I thought it was only those insignificant atheists who were doing thes things?) Why isn’t their outrage directed at those who support policies that cause suffering to our most needy fellow Americans? These are the actions that truly contradict Jesus’s teachings. (Mr. Obeidallah has yet to provide us with the teaching of Jesus where He instructs us to support government programs.)
And not only is supporting these social programs consistent with Jesus’ philosophy, (Mr. Obeidallah has yet to provide us with the teaching of Jesus that indicates this claimed consistency.) they are good public policy. A recent study found that the social safety net created by President Lyndon Johnson as part of the “war on poverty” has actually reduced poverty over the past 50 years. (Let's look at the actual numbers. Here's a chart from census.gov:
You will note that the poverty rate was already declining precipitously leading into the "war on poverty." That trend continued for a few years after, then leveled out. The poverty rate has hovered around 12% ever since. Apparently, Mr. Obeidallah is mistaken.
Now let's take a look at more recent history, and the accomplishments of President Obama in particular, who has presided over the largest increase in government spending in the history of the world. Government chart found here.
Those leading the fight to keep Christ in Christmas need to answer this simple question. What do you think Jesus would care about more: feeding the hungry and caring for the sick or requiring that all Americans say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”? The answer is clear to anyone who has ever read the Bible. (Which apparently Mr. Obeidallah has not done.)
No comments:
Post a Comment