Kenneth Hutcherson: Let Them Sleep on the Streets & Starve
Photo © istockphoto/ruchos
Poster © Austin Cline
In fact, not only do Christians tend to ignore the plain meaning of more than a few Christian teachings about the poor, but some ignore them entirely and argue for the exact opposite. Kenneth Hutcherson, for example, is a pastor who explicitly argues that "if you don't work, you don't eat," which sounds suspiciously like the sort of Social Darwinism and extreme capitalism that I'm lampooning in the poster and associated article that you see here.
Providers of tent cities say they are offering the homeless much needed shelter. But some are offering a much different perspective on tent cities.
"Our Saviour died to keep us off the cross. I don't think he'd be satisfied keeping us in tents," Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond, Wash., said.
"I think the Bible gives it to us straight, if you don't work, you don't eat," he said. "We're supposed to give hands up, not hand outs to the point of letting people stay the way they are."
Source: CBN (via Bligbi)
It's not unfair or unreasonable to argue that in addition to meeting the basic needs of the poor, hungry, and homeless, we need to provide things like job training in order to ensure that they can become self-supporting. I can't imagine anyone arguing against that, but it's quite different from arguing that even the basic needs shouldn't be met without some sort of labor in return. There's certainly nothing in Christian traditions about only feeding and clothing those who promise to work for you in return, is there?
Even worse is the fact that when a person is really hungry, you can't expect them to work very well because the lack of food has a tremendous impact on their mental health and capacity. Karen at Bligbi quotes a description of a study of a semi-starvation diet (a little more than 1,500 calories per day) which found that people were not just tired, hungry, and sore, but also apathetic, irritable, and sensitive to noises. As if that weren't bad enough, this diet caused people to experience increases in hypochondria, depression, and hysteria. Is any of this conducive to finding, much less maintaining, a job?
Merely feeding people isn't even enough because the same study found that participants were still suffering the after-effects years later. So the entire "if you don't work you don't eat" is what would probably consign people to living in perpetual need. Giving them handouts doesn't make them dependent, but going hungry for long enough creates a condition which prevents people from effectively pulling themselves out of dependency. We shouldn't be surprised to see people ignoring facts in favor of ideology, but among American Christians that has the potential of taking a very dangerous turn — and I say American Christians because you aren't likely to see this combination of Social Darwinism and Christianity anywhere else.
This just shows what type of priorities some Christians have and what sort of things they don’t feel like putting any effort into. Clearly, these people think it just takes too much time, effort, and resources to help the poor and homeless. Of course you COULD argue that they really just don’t think the poor deserve help, but these Christians don’t have a very high view of homosexuals either, what with them ”destroying the fabric of society” and all, but they STILL put a lot of time, effort, and resources into ”curing” homosexuals. Obviously, they must think it’s very important to ”cure” gays, so why don’t they think it’s important to get people off the streets?
We could feed and clothe all the homeless without spending another dime if we freed all the people put in prison by the senseless Drug War. That’s over a million prisoners. Something almost univerally supported by Christians.
In this twisted world, someone should recommend to homeless people: get busted for selling drugs. You’ll get three hots and a cot for the rest of your life at taxpayer expense.
Numbers 1 & 2 need to get a life… The opportunities in America are plentiful if you really want work, and food is always available if you work for it, and even if you don’t work for it. In fact, there are way too many overweight people…. Expecting homeless people to work is not unreasonable. If they are truly mentally ill, that’s another issue, and is truly a problem, but the majority of homeless people just want to remain homeless and do whatever they want to do, drugs, booze, etc… not work.
The gay issue brought up by No. 1 is not even germaine to the blog article. She’s just got a gripe because she wants to be able to get married
How every true!
Since last Auguist, I had befriended a homeless guy, who was sleeping rough, giving him cash ($20 each time), clothes (new) and food.
Because it was beginning to get cold, I urged him to go to the local government which would house him, but he said he didn’t like the regimentation.
Money, clothes, food are just the basic material needs of people like him. Their mental condition must be way low, worsened by their physical situation, with little to hope for.
Last time I took him food he was nowhere to be found. My guess is that well-fed, well-clothed people objected to his presence when they passed him on their way shopping, and he was taken off the streets.
No man purposely wants to find himself in such a position, but once there it’s hard to pick oneself up.
I am an atheist!
Hey Don Brown, don’t tell us you don’t want to follow
Jesus’s commandments to feed and shelter anyone
who needs it, tell him about all the oppurtunities that
they have, I’m am sure he will accept your excuse.
Most people who have been on the streets for a
while are physicaly and or mentaly ill. Life on the
street is hard, you don’t get better, you get dirtier,
starved and sicker. You are not treated as a human
being but Don Brown expects those same people to
give you a job. I hope you end up out in the cold Don.
And then I hope someone helps you think straight by
giving you a shower, some nourishment and a safe,
dry place to sleep. Maybe then you will be able to help
yourself. It’s the only way most people can understand
I guess, the must experience it themselves. No man
or woman wants to be worthless and do nothing. So if
you see someone in that condition, you’ll know there is
something wrong, ie. Sick, Mentaly ill or disabled. They
are also likley to be victims of abuse. It is easy to make
excuses for not helping ( I have done it ) especially if you
feel you have been taken advantage of before. We have
to overcome those prejudices and help anyway.
Lloyd, you are a good human being. The Church could easily help these people if they really believed in god and the bible, but again as I keep saying Money is religion. The Church is so rich and pwoerful and could help the poor and starving of this World. But where are they on xmas day in their churchs praying for these people to someone who is not there to listen. I am not saying all priests are like that no there are many helping others in need.
If there was a god surely he would be helping underpriviledged people then condemming them.
Let us help our fellow man not dondem them. I always say until you know someone do not judge them as many christians are only to eager to do.I am a caring atheistand I am PROUD.
From what I have seen,hear and KNOW,about xains.They only use,say,what passage of their bible they want to pratice.
They are aginst gay marriage/their bible tells them to KILL them!
Your are to KILL all of a differnt faith!
KILL all of no faith!
KILL anyone who works on the sabbath!
But,if someone like me who can’t work! I have Progressive M.S.so there for I’am to starve?!
Then by his own words ,he must be very,very proud of Terri Shivo’s husband!! After all,she couldn’t work.
When the woman poured the expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, a disciple suggested that this was a waste as the perfume could have been sold for much money & many poor could have been fed…
Jesus’s response?… (paraphrased) you’ll always have poor people, but, I won’t always be here… so screw the poor & pay more attention to me…
… wow… what a wonderful example… i.e. the message of JC isn’t all that altruistic…
… fact is, xians only do good because it “lays up treasure in heaven”… & because JC said… “whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you do for me”… & “I was hungrey but you didn’t feed me, I was thirsty but you never gave me anything to drink”…
… xians only do good in order to garner prasie from others (including JC)…
… it’s such an “all about me” religion…
… then again, I can’t think of a religion that isn’t all about receiving “blessings” & avoiding punishment from their god(s)…
…
Have any of these “Christians” actually read the Gospel of Matthew or the Book of Acts? Acts 4: 34-35 “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”