Friend and frequent commenter Chuck sent me an e-mail regarding a current Pandagon post by Amanda Marcotte titled "Hard times for you, happy times for Bible thumpers." His comment was,
Amanda really seems delusional when it comes to religious faith. Do you think that she actually believes what she has written in the attached blog?
In a word, yes.
I don't say that just to bash Amanda, although that can be fun, too. But Amanda is representative of the radical secularists which inhabit so much of the moonbatosphere. These people are completely irrational when it comes to religion and religious expression, particularly of the Christian variety. Go to the most popular lefty blogs (and Andrew Sullivan's blog, as well), and you will invariably find plenty of posts and comments which completely and harshly distort the views and behaviors of most Christians.
For example, this rather positive story discussing how more people go to church during bad times became a chance to rant about how "Bible thumpers" exploit the poor and needy.
In general, this story demonstrates why, even if Obama reaching out to Rick Warren is merely a symbolic gesture, it’s silly to try to reach out (except maybe to discredit Rick Warren, which this probably won’t do). I know the Democrats are chomping at the bit to chip off evangelical voters, and maybe they did that to a degree because of the severity of hard times, but in the end this story demonstrates that the evangelical churches will never, ever side with Democrats. It’s not in the pastors’ self-interest to do anything but shill for the Republican party, and it’s not just because the Republicans are warmer to hating on women and gays. It’s because Republican rule means more desperation, and more desperation means more people who turn to the Sky Fairy for hope, and the more that happens, the more money and power these pastors amass. And no amount of inaugural prayer will change that.
See, ministers don't support Republican candidates because those candidates more closely reflect Christian views on family, life, and other social issues. It's actually just an evil plot to ensure more people are poor and desperate. And, of course, Republicans always cause economic turmoil and hurt more people, thus providing more needy for the churches to exploit. See? And fire doesn't melt steel.
I have to admit that I'm no longer surprised at the hateful, angry, nasty attitude on display by many liberals on the web. After all, anonymity allows them the freedom to take off the mask they have to wear by day and display their blood-dripping fangs instead. But it's always off-putting to notice how utterly and completely void of logic these people are.
The New York Times article, for example, doesn't paint churches and ministers as opportunistic jerks capitalizing on the misfortune of others.
At the Shelter Rock Church, many newcomers have been invited by members who knew they had recently lost jobs. On a recent Sunday, new faces included a hedge fund manager and an investment banker, both laid off, who were friends of Steve Leondis, a cheerful business executive who has been a church member for four years. The two newcomers, both Catholics, declined to be interviewed, but Mr. Leondis said they agreed to attend Shelter Rock to hear Mr. Tomlinson’s sermon series, “Faith in Unstable Times.”
“They wanted something that pertained to them,” he said, “some comfort that pertained to their situations.”
Mr. Tomlinson and his staff in Manhasset and at a satellite church in nearby Syosset have recently discussed hiring an executive pastor to take over administrative work, so they can spend more time pastoring.
“There are a lot of walking wounded in this town,” he said.
This isn't the section of the article emphasized by secularist jerks, but it explains more about how churches approach bad times. Christians believe in ministering to the needy in a variety of ways, including taking care of bodily needs and spiritual ones, and government handouts aren't going to help those issues.
Many times, the secularists scream and harangue that Christians aren't taking care of the poor when they get involved in politics and policy-making, particularly in the area of abortion. Yet when churches, as demonstrated in this story, are working to help physical needs and spiritual ones, then they are simply exploiting the needy. Secularist jerks reveal their actual beliefs in times like this: they would rather religious people not participate in civic life at all.
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