I've been unable to get into my site for a week or so hence the delay since my last post. There has been some good news however. The night shelter in Wellington has had a million dollar upgrade so the homeless now get top quality accomodation. Fantastic! I am sure there will be some who think they don't deserve it, it will just encourage them, why don't they get a job etc, blah, blah, blah. I think its the Jesus thing to do...to look to others before ourselves........especially the poor, hurting and disenfranchised. For too long they have had to put up with the minimum and the crumbs. A friend of mine from a country that faced the Tsunami said how horrified he was at some of the donated goods from the west....underpants with holes, socks that were worn, torn shirts etc. Clothing we would not wear yet it was expected that the poor would not only wear them but be grateful.
I ran a boys home for a number of years and we had a number of times when well meaning christian people would bring around broken cups, plates that were chipped, broken chairs etc and said we should use them....and be grateful! If I said we could not they got offended and thought the boys were unappreciative.
There were some 'wonderful' others as well.....one man turned up in winter with a brand new wood burner and installed it....all without even leaving his name. Its people like this and those that upgraded the night shelter that truly represent Jesus.
This entry was posted by Angry and Shallow, on
Friday, January 26, 2007.
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4:16 pm
It used to be the same with our church foodbank as well. People would bring along rusty cans that must have sat in their cupboard for months, and also lots of Budget brands, close to expired goods etc. Now we are saying that you should put in the absolute best stuff... we should be blessing those people the foodbank goes to not humiliating them.
11:27 am
How true Andrew, it is as if poor people don't like good food. Good on you guys for drawing the line! It's often as you say Darryl that the marginalised within our community “should just put up with”… our crumbs. Within my work I often encounter people who seemingly feel happy to give the homeless young people that I work with that ‘happy’ smile, but think it almost funny that they smell so bad, or something of the sorts, and am very ready to laugh openly behind their back. I feel that not only appropriate gifts and assistance should be given, but again as Jesus would, seek to humanise the marginalised by treating them fairly as people, and not cracking jokes behind their backs about their features.
11:41 am
How many groups of christians practise communal living where the poor, homeless and mentally challenged are invited to live. Living in community where they don't pursue personal possessions - paying of the mortgage, keeping the kids in the private Anglican school, servicing the BMW regularly.
If you looked around each city and town in Australia, New Zealand or the US, I suppose there would be two or three such communities, wouldn't there?
No, wake up David, Christians are even more fucked than I am. Whatever message they preach obviously doesn't work, else the great majority of Christians would be following it.
Don't reply with some shit about not everyone being able to grasp the message of Jesus.
Be honest and tell me that Christianity does not work. Who will be the first Christian with the honesty to tell the world that the message of Jesus is useless, wrong and irrelevant. I challenge Christians to admit they have failed to transform the world, after 2000 years of effort.
Christians here is my message to you: shut up and get fucked.
1:56 pm
I admit we have failed to transform the world after 2000 years of effort, yes.
4:06 pm
David you are right that many Jesus followers do not represent him well....many do however. A couple of the famous are Wilberforce who led the fight to stop the slave trade in England, and Mother Theresa who helped the destitute. Ther are also many who do small but significant deeds that go unnoticed. However I would contend that bad followers do not discredit the person or teachings of Jesus. Therefore I have to say that that christianity does work....its just that it is not tried enough and chroistians are to blame for this....or as Chesterton said "Its not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting but that its never been tried"