NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/46451

An accusation that I've heard several times against conservatives is that they should, as christians, be more concerned with helping the poor than with opposing gays, etc. The usual response to this argument is that free market policies actually do help the poor, and that welfare is futile/harmful. This onion article takes this last argument and puts it in a different context, which raises an interesting point. We can in general agree that the point of view espoused by this article is ridiculous (well, most of us, anyway), but what differentiates it from the argument about welfare? Is the article actually right, or is the conservative argument wrong? I realize that there are substantial differences in the contexts of the two arguments, but it still provides an interesting comparison.

It is indeed an interesting point. Feeding the poor simply isn't enough. The problem is much deeper than mere lack of food and involves huge issues with culture and society.

It is indeed an interesting point. Feeding the poor simply isn't enough. The problem is much deeper than mere lack of food and involves huge issues with culture and society.

The question, though, is does that fact make belittling a soup kitchen any less ridiculous?

I don't know why conservatives choose what parts of the Bible to enforce in line with their individual convenience.

Either enforce it all, or enforce none of it.

Honestly, it's very difficult to ascertain what kind of government in a modern context God would 'prefer.' Very little in the New Testament in particular speaks to the Bible's views on government. Most of the stuff is, "Be fair, be just, don't take bribes, etc." Of course we are commanded to love one another and help the poor, but there are a lot of ways of doing that without forcing people to (whether they're Christian or not, and whether they want to or not). Of course the real reason is our stupid political dichotomies people find necessary to lean on, and the fact that most evangelicals are middle class to upper middle class, and prefer lower taxes.