Tony Perkins Says That Christians Shouldn't Give to The Poor...Or Not...Maybe

Tony Perkins, the President of the Family Research Council, recently went onto Janet Mefferd's radio program to talk about some article.  During the interview. Perkins had this to say:

Not only do we have a privilege in this nation to be involved in shaping our government because...it's a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, I think, as Christians, we'll be held responsible for the policies adopted by this government because...it's us!

This view isn't anything new to Tony Perkins, the FRC, and the rest of the Religious Right.  They believe that America was founded upon overt Christian principles, nay, Christianity itself, insomuch that the government is obligated to follow the laws of their god.  This is part of the doctrine of Dominionism, where Christians are to take possession of the earth.

To bring Tony's words into focus, he was speaking about the government helping the poor and the needy with respect to food support and other types of aid.  Thus, if we take the above quote by itself, it would seem that he was saying that all Christians have the privilege of showing the love of Jesus Christ by helping the poor through the government - because Christians ARE the government.

But sadly, this wasn't the case.  Prepare yourself for a mind twist.  It will hurt.  Tony Perkins, again:

Does the government have the responsibility to care for the poor?  That's not what the scripture says. Scripture hands that responsibility to you and I, as members of the faith - the followers of Jesus Christ. That's who he gave that to. Not to the civil government.

Wait.  What?  Hang on!  I thought you just said that Christians have the privilege of shaping government policy because "IT'S US!"  How then do you make the jump that the government is not you, but is just the government and somehow the Scriptures say something about the government not giving to the poor when it's a government that isn't you, when it really is you, so thus you should be giving to the poor through the government, even though you shouldn't because...

I guess I'm confused.  Tony Perkins continues:

He never said to the Romans, "Hey, you guys need to make sure that your taking out of one person's pocket to put into another." 

Huh?!  Where did that come from.  Okay, Tony.  Now you're just spouting Republican talking points.  In fact, Jesus DID say to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's" with respect to paying taxes.  So, these are taxes that you are paying and Caesar (the government, according to most interpretations) can do whatever he wants with them.  

But!  Thankfully, you live in America, land of a representative government, giving you the unique ability to control Caesar!  Yet you complain that this government, which you claim is in fact you, is somehow not supposed to do what you are supposed to be doing in the first place.  

Finally, Perkins proves that he has absolutely NO IDEA what his own Bible says:

[Jesus] said, "No, you sell all that you have and give to the poor. You take that responsibility."

Yeah.  A Bible story about a rich young ruler that asked Jesus what he must do to be saved.  Jesus told the bloke to sell everything and follow him after telling him to follow all the commandments.  This story had everything to do about a man and a mission that Jesus was giving him and absolutely NOTHING to do with a narrative on government distributing income to the poor in lieu of the rich young ruler doing so.  Nothing.

But, conveniently, the narrative can be extrapolated for the purposes of the FRC to try and beat their lousy interpretation of the Bible over the head of those who are supposedly supposed to follow what it says, even though it doesn't even say what they say it says.

But it doesn't really matter.  Tony Perkins doesn't give to the poor as Jesus told him to sell everything and give it away.  Neither does the Family Research Council, more interested in muddy politicking than anything worthwhile.  

So who does?  I'm not sure the right person to ask is Tony Perkins.  He's simply full of hot air.

A Brilliantly Written Argument for Food Aid for the Working Poor

Melissa nails it.

Highlight: 

Because you know, if you look too nice that means you don’t need food stamps, and if you look too sloppy that means you don’t deserve them.

Read the whole thing. 

Being a Nerd Has Its Benefits: An Ode to the Bullied

We were poor.  There were seven of us.  We lived with a single mother who refused to work, thinking it was religious anathema for a woman to do so.  So, we lived on about $16,000 a year in food stamps and cash assistance.  My mother may have struggled, but we never noticed.  The government helped, as well as everyone else that either took pity on us or fell in love with our family.

Life was good.

Then we got on the school bus.

The clothing we wore was old.  The styles from a decade past, remembered by the olive greens, the oranges, the browns, the long hair on both men and women, the drugs.  The seventies were over and yet our clothing was from that era.

My hair was always in my eyes, my welfare glasses always broken and taped up with masking tape, never smart enough to try the clear stuff.  My teeth were always brushed, but a bit crooked.  My shoes were older.  My backpack tattered and sometimes held together by those safety pins with the plastic animal heads at the end.

But I didn't care.  

Stepping up the stairs of that bus, my six siblings and I were met with chants of "NERDS! NERDS! NERDS!"  The other students were brutal.  They called us the Adams Family, because there were a lot of us and we looked weird.  For all they knew, we were magical and our mom had cast spells on the plum tree in the front yard, causing it to whither and grows prunes instead.

But these kids needed us.  They didn't care about school.  They wanted to have fun, bully other kids, and live up the life of an inner-city reprobate.  They needed us to be able to copy our papers.  We were smart and worked hard.  Their taunts were just that - words.  We could walk through the ghetto of North Minneapolis and hear perfect strangers whistle at us and yell, "It's the Adams Family!!"  Then they would run off and physically pick on other people.

I still go back to the old neighborhood and watch my classmates, hunched over, wearing oversize parkas on a hot summer day, walk up to me, and ask me for bus money.

It's sad, really.  The taunter has to watch the success of the taunted.  A sweet victory to those that are bullied.  Less of a win for the old jeerer.

So...to all you nerds out there.  You fine girls and boys that are being picked on in school.  Focus on the prize.  There are plenty of adults who are more aware and more helpful if you claim that you have been bullied, than when I was a child. 

This is your time.