Rescue missions

[xxxtobymac]

Out of all the things that me and my ex fought about, one thing i completley agree with her on is we as a secular sect should find away to build and run rescue missions for people without having to be continuously subjected to religious dogma. Some say it's just a small price to pay for staying there and for the seculars with kids it provides a different problem. there are more and more homeless people out there and it could careless if you are secular, christian, muslim, pegan or buddist. you lose your job and cant pay mortgage or rent. you have two options. freezing on the streets or a religious based shelter. what would it take for a secular community to come together in at least major cities to build and be able to donate for this need. So many homless see that "god" has made this avalible to them and get washed away with the delusion and to provide a secualr "ministry" in these shelters are shot down before you open your mouth. so whats your thoughts?

[Ziploc Surprise]

There are secular groups that do charity. They are less well known because they are more focused in helping people on the track to success instead of just helping people maintain the status quo. These groups started out by recognizing that there was a need and also recognizing that they had the means to meet this need. .

I have forgotten the name of one of the groups, but what it does is provide interview suits for people reentering the job market after being on financial assistance. They not only provide the suits, but also interview training, and a visit to the beauty parlor. The goal is to give these people the confidence and some skill to join the working world. Many people on welfare lack the confidence to do this, the charity provides the means and skills.

Another noteworthy charity that I've forgotten the name of is one that provides free tutoring to students after school. The concept is that successful people can pass on some of their knowledge to those who don't have it. Supposedly it really works.

There are other very successful groups that are not tied to any religion. These groups are non threatening to religious groups because they provide in areas where most religious groups don't (no turf wars) . Their goal does not appear to try to show Christians that secularists can do things better then them. what I mean is their goal isn't to proselytize, it's to give someone confidence and skills or to tutor.

One notable exception is addiction counseling groups. Christians dominate in this area. Christians honestly believe that an addiction is a sort of symptom substitution for a need for god. In other words an addict snorts coke to fill a need that god can fill better. Therefore if an addict finds god then the need is fulfilled and they no longer need to snort coke. Note that this doesn't work well for those who try to cure themselves of homosexuality. I digress.

On a heretical note: Do you think that charities that only work to maintain the status quo are better geared to religion (this is just a thought)? Poverty and periodic handouts can aid faith because you have to rely on something foreign to you that you have no control over for your aid. Charities that are hand ups (so to speak) require that the participant take on some measure of personal responsibility for their plight. The answer to a person's problems lies within themselves not on the good graces of some people who can provide. Successful people are good Personal leadership and good decision making. They don't abdicate personal responsibility because they know that in accepting such responsibility they learn from their mistakes instead of blame it on other things.

Furthermore charities that provide for basic needs of the moment don't have much to do with the future (leaving out heaven of course). It's more of a "daily bread" concept (this is a concept in Christianity for those who don't know). Charities that give hands up teach about the future and how you can work to meet your dreams.

This is just a thought. I may be dead wrong about this.

[xxxtobymac]

No i don't think quick fixes are the answer but it is nice to have when you really need it, say help with rent or help with car payment or food. But within our society the way it is, maintaning the status quo does nothing. First of all there have to be equal or more job availible than there are people. with new clean or alternative energy i'm expecting that there will be more jobs to fill. But i know that more people live on minumum wage and can never get over that hump, But my problem is that with lets say the resuce missions is that it's mandantory for people to sit through their sermons everyday, and for a secular to have to sit through that kind of thing and keep his mouth shut i'm sure is very hard. And with a mission it's not a perment place, it's just enough to really get you on your feet. And with Christians dominating this area,the weak minded people will see this as a sign that god provided this. Instead it comes with a catch. Now if there was a secular alterniative where people who have hit rock bottom could stay without having the brainwashing cult that is any religion preying on them and actual help getting a job. For some reason religious shelters will let you stay there and thats it the rest is up to you.. and i know these religious leaders or donators know people in the workforce that could use someone to work. I know with a secular mission, they would set these people up to succeed. if they knew of an employer that needed and employee, and is willing to train. i know of several secular humanist up here that would do this set up a meeting between the two. But until we get outta this Greed delusion (lmost as bad as the god delusion) and realize that god did not entitle us to anything. will we get out of this continous cycle of idiocity.

[Ziploc Surprise]

On second thought perhaps a secular relief mission might be the beginning stages of a help up ministry. Theoretically speaking, the Prosperity doctrine or the milder "rely on god" doctrine works well to keep people in poverty. First of all these people believe that this life is "but a vapor" in comparison to an eternity in heaven therefore they just need to wait this life out for better things to come. Second, the path toward making life better involves giving the church money and/or sitting back, praying and hoping that god will do something.

I'm not a homeless person and I can't empathize well with them nor think like they do because i'm not them. I don't know if an organization that teaches that this life is all there is, and the way out of their problems is to take initiative and work things out on their own. I think the problem may be much more complicated than that. I think it might be safe to say that faith based organizations are not the best way to help the poor. Of course perhaps any relief organization that does not require a person to suffer the torture of a sermon has merit.