Daniel Meyer #fundie

Daniel Meyer #fundie baylyblog.com

Speaking of aid... my family and I give money each month to support a girl in Africa through one of the big parachurch organizations that does that kind of thing. I've begun to wonder though what it is we're doing through this: this girl apparently has no father--and thanks to us she doesn't need one? I wonder if this kind of support ends up strengthening families or making them worse. In the immediate term it provides food and education for a kid, but I'm afraid our money may be a barrier rather than a help for fathers to take their place in their families.

In short, I'm afraid we may be contributing to the fatherlessness of Africa by our aid.

66 comments

old comment by gravematter

So the child should starve and remain uneducated and without prospects until the mother's desperate enough to marry some random guy? Oh no, hang on -
"I'm afraid our money may be a barrier rather than a help for fathers to take their place in their families."
You seem to be implying that the mother and father are divorced, and that the mother should take the father back, ignoring what he might have done in the past, in order for her child to survive. But you must realise that the father may well be dead, or not want anything to do with his child. Look, if either the mother or father need the incentive of a dying child to rejoin a family, or create a new one, then that family's foundations are going to be totally messed up. And then you have a messed up kid. You've got to love these crusaders for so-called "family values".

old comment by Philbert McAdamia

Don't worry, Danny Boy, at best, for your money, you got a grainy, mass produced photo of a poor looking black child (not necessarily in Africa) and constant requests from your church to give more, more, more. If they really want your money they should show you a video of Sally Struthers crying about it, with make-up streaming down her face like Tammy Faye Bakker. Charities only have to fork over a percentage of their profits and creative bookkeeping takes care of that. I once worked for a charity - a non-profit organization. I was a collector on comission, so I got less than minimum wage. When I saw that those running the show were all driving those big, high dollar Beemers and Mercedez I gave up "helping the poor, crippled kids".
Also, what Canadiest said.

old comment by Passerby

Have you considered that he might be, I dunno, DEAD? As well as her mom, brothers, sisters, and extended family because much of Africa is embroiled in bitter wars, some of which use Jebus as an excuse?

Mother or father it doesn't matter someone has to look after the children of the world. If that kid has no future then Africa has no future. And if you take that future away out of some moronic sense of 'morality' that tells you growing up without a father is somehow worse than growing up starving, terrified, and kicked repeatedly while you're down and it's your Christian duty to make sure if one does not have the former in their life then they shall have the latter then it's a fair bet that your own children have no future either.

old comment by breakerslion

"Wait, wait. I think I can explain this whole thing. Marklar, these Marklars want to change your Marklar. They don’t want this Marklar or any of his Marklars to live here because it’s bad for their Marklar. They use Marklar to try and force Marklars to believe their Marklar. If you let them stay here, they will build Marklars and Marklars. They will take all of your Marklars and replace them with Marklars. These Marklars have no good Marklars to live on Marklars so they must come here to Marklar. Please, let these Marklars stay where they can grow and prosper without any Marklars, Marklars or Marklars." - Stan Marsh, South Park, Episode 311

old comment by checkmate

I don't smoke, I exercise a lot - endurance and strength training, I eat extremely healthy, I'm not overweight, I have perfect cholesterol levels, I rarely drink (alcohol).

If any of my hard earned money goes towards research against heart disease, I end up supporting the habits of lardass slobs who drive their SUV's to McDonald's to consume thousands of junk calories or to the store to buy fatty pizza and Häagen-Dazs.

Why should I care about people who don't care about themselves and willingly destroy their bodies. Fuck them, use my money for something else. Right?

Oh, wait. Didn't I just describe the average American fundamentalist Christian? Oops.

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old comment by dfmfundies

@ #1385150

I love FSTDT because you mock guys who give money to charity because they think things you don't agree with. How many of you are currently supporting children in Africa?

Matt.6
[1] Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
[2] Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
[3] But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
[4] so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

old comment by Robespierre

Start misguided conservative logic:

I suppose that the assumption is that helping the poor somehow subsidizes poverty, making it a little more bearable and attractive

End retarded conservative logic.

Of course, this assumes that people choose to be poor because, erm, they prefer it to the alternatives, because we all know that the poor have it great as long as they don't actually starve, and they will magically stop having children if they can't support them. Unfortunately, no, they don't - as a matter of fact, the very poor notoriously make even more children.

Fuck, you managed to make me, a Malthusian, sick, speaking about aid. That's quite an accomplishment.

old comment by Sylvana

@#1385150

I love FSTDT because you mock guys who give money to charity because they think things you don't agree with.

How many of you are currently supporting children in Africa?

I think the issue is that we are mocking someone who is willing to withdraw their charity because of stupid patriarchal attitudes, instead of realizing the horrifying truth about just how bad Africa really is. Of course, I also doubt his charity organization is actually giving any of his money to anyone in Africa. Of course that is a completely different problem.

Personally I think foreign aid for Africa is more damaging than helpful. All it seems to do is maintain the status quo and perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Further the reliance of many African countries on foreign aid breeds a hatred for the western nations. It is a messed up situation that is for sure.

old comment by Canadiest

@Sylvana
"I love FSTDT because you mock guys who give money to charity because they think things you don't agree with.

How many of you are currently supporting children in Africa?"

Kinda my point. Do a search.
Christian organizations do nothing for Africa when you add up what they collect in the guise of intending to do something, someday, maybe, we'll see.

Christian organizations do less for poverty in the third world then secular ones. Worse, Catholic provinces (American fundalism does nothing but pretend their doing something) are the worse off due to refusal of birth control under faith issues, they CAUSE much of the problems.

Again, documented with complaints from goverment, secular aid groups and domestistic fund followers about Christian groups absolute dishonest fund-raising for causes they mostly never support. Churchs are getting richer, your priests are living higher and you build more and more bullshit temples to sky-daddy and things get worse.

It's like your 'Russian translation Bibles to Russia' Shit many Evangelists groups pulled years ago. Russia had Bibles, all that money was kept! it was a huge scam. American Christians try to ban (and sometimes suceed,in the south 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is banned in school curiclium and many libraries. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD!)many more books than Russia or any country in the western world.

old comment by Passerby

Uh, His4Life, you do realize the comment about the role of fathers in Africa is derived from financial support through international charities and an utter lack of understanding as to why these kids need money, right? Danny-boy is equating the donations with handouts to families of deadbeat dads. This is far removed from reality. Furthermore he's alleging women must seek men as providers, and somehow donations to the Red Cross constitutes a welfare cheque with no strings attached and 'encourages' women to dump husbands and live off 'free money' without working or finding a man to work while she presumably minds the kids. Not only are these assertions individually idiotic and have no bearing on Africa or poverty in general, they demonstrate a complete ignorance of the charity he claims to support.

Daniel Meyer #fundie baylyblog.com

66 comments

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