(South Carolina soup kitchen refuses to allow atheists to volunteer)
“I told [the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen] we wouldn’t wear our T-shirts. We wouldn’t tell anyone who we are with. We just want to help out,” Upstate Atheist president Eve Brannon told the Spartanburg Herald-Jounal. “And they told us that we were not allowed.”
Lou Landrum, the Soup Kitchen’s executive director, told the same paper that allowing the atheists to distribute their care packages would be a “disservice to this community.”
“We stand on the principles of God,” she said. “Do [atheists] think that our guests are so ignorant that they don’t know what an atheist is? Why are they targeting us? They don’t give any money. I wouldn’t want their money.”
Landrum said that “they can set up across the street from the Soup Kitchen. They can have the devil there with them, but they better not come across the street.”
64 comments
They better not come across the street...or what? You'll teach them the real meaning of Christian charity? Which seems to be our way or the highway?
Sometimes I do wish Jesus was real, if for no other reason then teaching these brain-dead morons that Jesus was talking about real charity, not some sort of scummy beat and switch deal to get perspective recruits in the church door.
Some charity you wankers are. Do you really think that the hungry and the needy could give a shit about the beliefs of those doing the handing out? Trust me, if you were starving you'd accept food from Satan himself (if he existed, of course).
This reminds me of the incident a few years ago with St. Jude's Hospital. St. Jude's, which treats children without any cost to the family and runs entirely on donated funds, refused a large donation by a Pagan group because they were 'ungodly'. Any money that isn't raised by christians, just like any help that is offered by non-christians, will be refused by christian groups.
That is why I don't even try to help those people. They have a hand out, then slap yours away when you offer them something. There are plenty of Pagan and Atheist charities that will be grateful for the assistance, I suggest contacting them or acting independently if you want to provide food, donated goods or money to someone.
The exception: The Salvation Army. They don't care who you are, they're just grateful for the funds.
Perhaps Lou Landrum ought to go and read his New Testament, concentrating on the story of the Good Samaritan. The whole point of the story is that the person who gave assistance had views on religion that were antagonistic to those of the audience and the person he helped. Way to go to promote Jesus's message.
@KittyKaboom
I'm sorry to hear that about St Jude's. My partner's niece gave the money she was given at her bat mitzvah to St Jude's. Perhaps she should have looked a little further.
So, the important thing is not to help your fellow man, but to push religion onto him?
Btw, we atheists don't believe in the devil, either.
"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
- Some loser who obviously did not know what Christianity is all about half as well as Lou Landrum does, as quoted in Luke 5:32 (KJV)
As an atheist, and a volunteer I can say that Landrum is a fucking asshole. You should celebrate that others are willing to contribute to charity, not turn them away.
They are trying to help their fellow man, you are the one with the agenda outside of charity.
Do my douchebag senses fail me, or are they actually sensing the immense douchebaggery of Landrum?
You're supposed to be feeding starving people, and what help you get, you take. Mo matter someone's religion or lack there of.
(Meanwhile, two thousand years earlier, in ancient Palestine...)
“I told the Levite Travellers Aid Society we wouldn’t wear traditional dress. We wouldn’t tell anyone who we are with. We just want to help out,” Jericho Samaritans president Bran Evenon told the Jerusalem Herald-Journal. “And they told us that we were not allowed.”
Lan Loudrum, the society’s executive director, told the same paper that allowing the Samaritans to help injured travellers would be a “disservice to this community.”
“We stand on the principles of God,” she said. “Do Samaritans think that our guests are so ignorant that they don’t know what an Samaritan is? Why are they targeting us? They don’t give any money. I wouldn’t want their money.”
Loudrum said that “they can set up across the street from the society. They can have the devil there with them, but they better not cross over to the other side.”
So basically atheists want to help others, and it causes Lou Landrum cognitive dissonance and this allows him to show they aren't loving people. I thought Jesus said to help the poor and not to toot your own horn. Here Lou you toot your own horn and your "helping" is agenda based not altruistic. For someone who stands on the principles of god, you are slipping quite a bit
Community service is a disservice to the community?
I can't even conjure enough snark to take this fraud to task, except to ask Lou Landrum to cease this bizarre crusade against Spartanburg's homeless.
“We stand on the principles of God,”
Right. Let them get good 'ol Rick Santorum to help out.
He can come down and tell all the poor people that they're worthless pieces of shit. Jesus would be sooo proud.
Hi there sinner 1223432344355665676878990,
did you by any chance ever read Luke 10:25-37?
Seeing you soon...
“Do [atheists] think that our guests are so ignorant that they don’t know what an atheist is?
I think your guests are hungry, and don't really care who gives them free food. I think you're scared that people will find out atheists are just regular folks like themselves. I think fundamentalism has ruined your character, so that you see the devil in people who want to help, and would rather score points as a "Christian" instead of treating everyone with compassion.
In short, I think you suck.
I can't get too excited about this one - the soup kitchen clearly identifies itself as a religious mission serving food as a service to God; so their suggestion that they've been "targeted" by people with an agenda that extends beyond simply helping needy people may well be justified. Without access to Upstate Atheist's private, pre-discussion discussions, there just isn't enough information here to make a judgment.
@look at these fucking hipsters and did you really think they weren't going to lecture people?:
All I'm seeing from your end is an amount of stupid I've never seen since the last time someone took the Navy Seal copypasta seriously.
Well, it's obvious who the morally superior ones are. Atheists want to help because they want to help people. Christians say no because, god forbid, Christians accept non-Christians can be good, decent people. Clearly proclaiming themselves superior is more important. And they managed to feel persecuted on top of it. Classic Christian...
they better not come across the street.
As a teenager in the early 70's I had a chance to visit Poland for about a week on a musical exchange. My grandmother totally flipped out. She was convinced that the "commies" would torture us and probably murder us on sight. At any rate, she was sure we'd never get out of Poland alive. The trip never took place, but for other reasons.
I think these people have a totally hyped up view of atheists without any reality check. They probably think they eat children, torture animals, and rob banks all day. It's all just fantasy and a scare.
@Jessie
Roggie!
What's all that "Military Internet Tough-Guy" stuff scrawled all over Roggie? Is Roggie there to look at that jib jab with disgust? What's with the juxtaposition?
That said, big Roggie's a big grumpy cutie! Those LIPS! *faints with delight*
Shouldn't Landrum have been glad that a bunch of athiests wanted to help feed the poor, no matter what they chose to believe?
Apparently, he thinks that only Christians are allowed to be good people. However, he himself has only managed to put up the facade of being a good person. A facade that has now been cracked.
@SpukiKitty
It's not mine, but I think it's disgust. It was the only version I could find that I could post here. And his face I'm going to say is my reaction as well, as I couldn't see through the text. It doesn't help I was tired and it seemed like a good idea.
That being said, I bet you ninety dollars our resident trolls will claim to have been trained in "gorilla" (Spelling) warfare or something.
The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen (affiliated to the 2nd Presbyterian Church) is a religious organisation to start with. I can understand where they're coming from with this that they are a church charity and have their religious causes at the forefront over universal goodwill... church organisations invariably require that their beliefs be placed front and centre, not so much serving the church or those in need, than ultimately serving and glorifying God at the church nearest to my house, or so I'm told, a 'free-thinker' was recently booted out of the worship band.
I reckon the main beef here's the blatant hostility towards atheists, and especially the 'atheists are the devil incarnate' trope being played without hanging a clock on it. It's one thing for an army of anti-theists to yell "FUCK YOUR GOD!!!!!" outside a church or mosque, and another, far better thing to volunteer charitably for those in need regardless of religious affiliation.
Spartanburg Soup Kitchen can have their preaching there with them, but should the atheists ever set up across the street, SSK better not come across and harass them.
Love is our resistance.
What, no "Why did the atheist cross the street?" jokes?
Just remember, people: Christianity preaches a message of love. I noticed that the Upstate Atheists group was also having a funding drive to purchase Hanukkah and Christmas presents and clothes for the poor. Nothing says "Hail Satan!" like Christmas presents.
When was the last time you actually saw this, though? (The only ones I've seen protesting mosques were not anti -theists.)
@Anon-e-moose
That slogan is full of win!
Unlike the Spartanburg Kitchen, we're not Soup Nazis.
They really should use it. Maybe someone can contact these guys & suggest it.
@Dr. Razark:
Thank whichever Gods that be, I've never witnessed first-hand any protests against churches or mosques or the likes from the irreligious front. But that is precisely how some extremists have characterised this front as an invasive force that would go out of the way to persecute the extremist's beliefs for the 'EVUUULZ'. Malaysia has had its share of church attacks somewhere in January 2010 though, and there were indeed moderate Muslim organisations who mobilised themselves to provide security to some of these churches.
I find this soul damaging and funny, at the same time.
'ATHEISTS ARE EVIL! THIS IS WHY WE WON'T LET THEM DO SOMETHING GOOD!'
They wanted to give their time, asshole! Time is money, as they say.
You don't want their money? You'd rather people starve, than getting fed by atheist money? I am still a member of the Swedish Church partly for this reason; they do a lot of good for people in need. Being a member means I pay taxes to the church, so I do put my money where my mouth is. With almost eight years with our right-wing government, there are now more people in need than there have been since, I don't know; after WWII, I'd guess.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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