Welcome to Street Prophets Coffee Hour! Thermal for the warmth of a good cup of coffee or your preferred beverage, as well as the warmth of a more progressive religion and community.
Please follow #ThermalThursday! And feel free to share what you’re drinking (or eating) in the Comments, if you’re so inclined. This is also an Open Thread for you to connect.
Today’s Topic: We do not believe in the “Prosperity Gospel” and think that it is basically a swindle. My parents, for example, donated to their Church most of their lives because they recognised that all organisations need income to survive, and they were active members so gave both time and money to help keep them going. That’s quite different from “prosperity” churches whose members are told that donations will bring them their own financial prosperity. Such churches also often ask for higher and higher levels of donations, even whilst the preachers are living richly and the congregations are struggling to pay bills. “Prosperity gospel,” though, has not taken over so much of American imagination whilst existing in a vacuum; it has roots in everything from puritans to pentecostals to psychotherapy. See this Vox article on “The long, strange history of a quintessentially American theology”. How convenient for the preachers if they can convince you that donating every dollar you possibly can will make your life better! And how convenient for the wealthy to convince themselves that they are fortunate because they deserve to be! Then everybody is responsible for their own financial state and nobody deserves any help.
No, life does not actually work that way. Research has shown that for the most part, we will have the lifestyle of our parents. Yet the myth of upward mobility is part of the rhetoric that keeps us from demanding changes to the system. And of course during times of stress, such as our current society with increasing income and wealth inequality, downward mobility is more likely than upward.
However, much of the Bible does not support “prosperity gospel” either, and progressive Christians and even some fairly conservative Christians are much more focused on the injustices of poverty and work to alleviate them.
Of course Christians were not the first nor only to advocate for the poor. For example, Leviticus recommends help for the poor:
If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.
I suspect that all major religious texts have similar advocacy.
As for the Christian Gospels, three out of four of the books tell of the rich man who asks Jesus how he can be saved:
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when he was told this, the rich man left and was sad, rather than actually giving away his riches!
Fortunately, many Christians have decided that they will dedicate themselves to helping and caring for the poor. One such organisation is Food for the Hungry, which has been combating poverty around the world for the last 50+ years.
Their approach:
We believe that poverty is complex and ever-changing. We believe that ending poverty requires more than just providing raw resources. Our approach is holistic, meaning that we seek to end ALL forms of human poverty by addressing a person’s entire life. Our solutions for programmatic development address the physical, spiritual and relational needs of vulnerable people.
We work towards a world without poverty through intentional and purposeful community development. Our approach allows us to partner with local leaders to develop transformative solutions, which are both sustainable and implemented at the hands of the communities themselves.
We have four phases for community development that we believe create a foundation for resilience and self-sufficiency. We enter communities with the intention of graduating them in approximately 10-12 years. Our goal is to walk alongside communities so that they’re able to thrive once we leave.
It is difficult to judge the effectiveness and sincerity of such organisations from the outside, but note that Food for the Hungry has a “Good” rating from Charity Navigator (and I see “full credit” check marks on every measure I see there, so am not sure why they aren’t “Great”). They also state that they abide by the Red Cross Code of Conduct, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and their Safeguarding policy.
Note also that they have open job positions! If you feel that fighting global poverty is your calling, you might check out those.
Food for the Hungry is one of many such organisations trying to help alleviate poverty around the world, motivated by Christian beliefs. I hope this deep dive into one of them increases understanding that there is a Christian spirit of generosity and support for “the least of these”.
Finally as always, let’s elevate our Community Cred and repost The Needs List! From Aashirs nani (with permission) on Helping Humpday:
PLEASE NOTE:
When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income. If you are requesting help through GFM, also be aware that there can be delays in accessing the money.
COMMUNITY NEEDS LIST AS OF 2/01/23:
Fundraisers who want a diary to be or stay on the list: PLEASE kosmail requests and donations received to njm5000 by Tuesday evening to be included on the Wednesday morning updated list.
Living on the financial edge—need help? Check out the Helping Directories before your next emergency.
Housing and Living Expenses Fundraisers and Other Links
When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end.
morgansmom—needs help towards major car repairs and moving to a better environment. $8000 7950 7900 7850 7750 7725 7615 7605 7565 7465 7415 7375 7275 7175 7025 6920 6820 6570 6470 6360 6350 6150 56504685 Turns out the car needs a front end rebuild, so repairs are on hold, til more $ is raised. :-) • Visit the KoFi page to see some cool artwork & donate! • PayPal: wingednag at gmail dot com.
J Graham—"Your child has mental health issues." But you're a fighter. "It's cancer." But you're a fighter... • She’s sleeping in a tent! (Cats, music, and a chance to help a deserving Daily Kos member). The goal is $14,000 9944 9534 8884 8859 8709 8684 4448 4348 4323 4223 4213 3913± to cover first and last month rent, security deposit, some medical expenses, utility bills, and moving costs. She has a Mighty Cause fundraiser, and PayPal at: jgraham4healthcare at gmail dot com
Falcon Hawke—could use some help right now and has a goal of $10,000 8300 5620±. Here’s the diary. • PayPal—celtichart1 at aol dot com • Venmo—celtichart1 at aol dot com • Zelle celtichart1 at aol dot comwww.gofundme.com/...
anotherdemocrat—has a diary up: Anyone know where I can find a 2nd job? She’s in Austin and is suddenly $24000 in debt, mainly due to an HOA assessment! From the diary: “So, $24,000 is more money than I can ask even a big community like Daily Kos to donate. I have a venmo: at Becky-Helton, Cashapp: $B3ckyHelt0n, and GoFundMe, if anyone wants to help with next month’s payments but for a big total like that, I need a 2nd job. My day job is M-F from 8-5, so it would have to be evenings & weekends.” and “Skills: writing, 20+ years of customer service work, super reliable…” anotherdemocrat has payments covered for a couple of months (thanks, donors <3) and wants to pause donations. She does ask for help updating her resume. “There are part-time remote jobs that look good. Just need an updated resume to upload.” Kosmail, if you can help.
gtghawaii—Needs $450 400± to get the car towed home to avoid storage fees. Diary venmo.com/… • Paypal @Scarpio
Woot! Wired Wolf’s—need has been met. Thanks to all the donors!
DHfromKY—Woot! This need was met and exceeded, thanks to all and an amazing kossack!
Kos Katalogue 2022 is here—please Kosmail CathyM or BeadLady if you have corrections or additions.
Note also that Chef Bobby Neary, “@nuevopioneer,” has passed away. We will continue to post his favourite charity to honour him — please consider a donation to the Satos, the street pets of Puerto Rico! Bobby adopted his own Sato, Missilu, as well as raised funds for PR’s Satos.
I’m in for a mickle each week toward a variety of DKos members on the Needs List. I hope you’ll join me. Always glad to see the needed amounts gradually decreasing!
If helping financially isn’t the right choice for you at this time, you can still help. Tip and rec the diary so it stays visible. Share on social media: Twitter, Facebook, whatever platform you use, to bring the attention of others outside our daily readers. And offer words of encouragement to people who are struggling. It can be scary to be struggling, and it can feel lonely. Let them know we understand and are here to help.
If you have time, please visit the diaries above and leave comments for their authors. Those words of encouragement are vital!
If you don’t like fundraisers, please just move along. They are a longstanding tradition at DKos — Until we vote in enough progressives to create a much stronger social safety net! (Maybe in 2 years.)
Please note: I am sole caregiver for my Mom, so could get interrupted to take care of her. Otherwise, I will be here when I can, to engage in Comments. Meanwhilst, please chat amongst yourselves, take a coffee break, post aminal photos, food/drink and tunes, spread the word and invite your friends, etc.! Thanks to all!
Also note: Last week I asked about computer upgrades. I am currently working with a new Chromebook. I’m not sure I love it, but at least I can confidently write such diaries and search for linkies without being in much danger of malware on the new computer (and I don’t have personal files on it anyway!). So thank you all for your help with those issues!