Atheist group not allowed to serve at soup kitchen

[PennySycamore]

My daughter in Connecticut told me about this yesterday. The Upstate (SC) Atheist group has been trying to volunteer at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen for about a year, but have been told by the director that they are not welcome. The director has said that she would not feed the hungry rather than allow the atheist group to help out. No other group has ever turned down the atheists' help before.

 

The Upstate Atheists will be volunteering at the Greer Soup Kitchen on November 16. I think I may go help them.

 

http://www.goupstate.com/article/201310 ... ?p=2&tc=pg

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion ... eer-group#

 

Didn't Jesus say something about feeding the hungry in those pesky Beatitudes?

[Arete]

Sick, heretical, blasphemous hypocrites. Great to see they are so sure of their own judgments that they can start making rulings in God's place as to who is and who is not worthy of serving the hungry.

[lilwriter85]

Several of the comments below the article make me stabby. A few people are basically saying the atheists had no business helping out at a Christian soup kitchen and one woman made this comment which is pretty stupid.

Teresa

I m not holy But God is holy. The soup kitchen is a Christian organization that lead people to Christ. Why don't the atheist start up a soup kitchen? We have a lot of vacant buildings here in Spartanburg.

Just because there are vacant buildings in the area doesn't mean the atheists could easily set up shop and start a soup kitchen. The above woman probably has no idea how difficult it is start soup kitchen or organizations that aid people in need. There is an organization in Dallas called the DWF Atheists Helping The Homeless. They don't have a soup kitchen, but they do giveaways of clothing, certain foods, water, and tolietries to the homeless. I think the Spartanburg group is right track by doing the care package giveaways like the DFW group is doing.

Marie

I doubt Rabbi Jesus would be allowed to volunteer. At the soup kitchen, as his radical ideas about love are contradictory to the ideas fire and brimstone Christians continue to perpetuate.

Response to Marie's comment

James

You're confused,your groups funding comes from atheist Jew billionaires.Christ was and is a God,the human form he took from all historical evidence was Macedonian not Jewish(as you hope so)Many groups were in the area 2000 years ago and Christ was almost certainly NOT Jewish.In fact he fought the evil Jews and they murdered him.But thanks for caring about our religion so much hater.

[Rachel333]

Several of the comments below the article make me stabby. A few people are basically saying the atheists had no business helping out at a Christian soup kitchen and one woman made this comment which is pretty stupid.

Just because there are vacant buildings in the area doesn't mean the atheists could easily set up shop and start a soup kitchen. The above woman probably has no idea how difficult it is start soup kitchen or organizations that aid people in need. There is an organization in Dallas called the DWF Atheists Helping The Homeless. They don't have a soup kitchen, but they do giveaways of clothing, certain foods, water, and tolietries to the homeless. I think the Spartanburg group is right track by doing the care package giveaways like the DFW group is doing.

Response to Marie's comment

WTF, is that guy just a troll? That's one opinion I have literally never heard before. The sentence about the evil Jews sounds particularly troll-like, but I'm also well aware that there are some genuinely strange and awful people out there.

[CelticGoddess]

My daughter in Connecticut told me about this yesterday. The Upstate (SC) Atheist group has been trying to volunteer at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen for about a year, but have been told by the director that they are not welcome. The director has said that she would not feed the hungry rather than allow the atheist group to help out. No other group has ever turned down the atheists' help before.

The Upstate Atheists will be volunteering at the Greer Soup Kitchen on November 16. I think I may go help them.

http://www.goupstate.com/article/201310 ... ?p=2&tc=pg

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion ... eer-group#

Didn't Jesus say something about feeding the hungry in those pesky Beatitudes?

I saw that on my facebook feed. I so wanted to e-mail the director and tell her that Jesus wept, but figured it would go right over her head. It really pissed me off. Project Hope in Greenville wouldn't turn away the money of an atheist group because their priority is feeding the hungry. Obviously, Ms. Landrum's priortities are "fuck the hungry".

Good for the Greer Soup Kitchen. They know what is important.

[CelticGoddess]

Rachel: Sadly, James probably is not a troll. I used to joke that some of the people around here voted the the preacher told them, rooted for the college team their preacher told them and ate what their preacher told them. Unfortunately, it's true. I run into these types of twits all the time. The preacher says that Jesus wasn't a Jew so it must be true. Dabo Swinney is a saint, so it must be true. God is a Clemson fan, so it must be true. I really wish I was kidding.

Some parts of the upstate are full of people who didn't make it past 8th grade. And they are young. And they believe what the preacher tells them because that's all they've heard all their life. It's sad.

[LucySnowe]

So basically, you're punishing the people who need to use the soup kitchen.

Yes, that's EXACTLY what Jesus said to do.

[FloraKitty35]

What happened to love thy neighbor as thy self?

[SayNoToMullets]

It takes a real piece of work to turn offering help into "targeting." She'd sooner resign from her job? Then maybe she should, if her job is to "serve the hungry," because she's failing at it by rejecting a prime opportunity for community engagement.

And she's playing the victim when in her line of work, she sees people every day who in one way or another really have been victimized. Somehow she's managed to avoid gaining a single ounce of perspective. It's almost impressive, really.

It's a bit of a thorn in my side that charity is so dominated by faith-based organizations - it puts conditions and expectations on the help that someone in need should be able to receive without any strings attached. It exploits the vulnerability of a person's situation, and makes assumptions about people who need help - that food and shelter is nice, but what they really need is a big helping of Jesus. It also makes assumptions about the people doing the helping, and this is a cynical one - that someone can only be a good person who wants to help others if their motivations are religious. And sometimes, as in this situation, the organization's capacity to do good has been compromised by a decision made on religious grounds.

[dairyfreelife]

Rachel: Sadly, James probably is not a troll. I used to joke that some of the people around here voted the the preacher told them, rooted for the college team their preacher told them and ate what their preacher told them. Unfortunately, it's true. I run into these types of twits all the time. The preacher says that Jesus wasn't a Jew so it must be true. Dabo Swinney is a saint, so it must be true. God is a Clemson fan, so it must be true. I really wish I was kidding.

Some parts of the upstate are full of people who didn't make it past 8th grade. And they are young. And they believe what the preacher tells them because that's all they've heard all their life. It's sad.

I don't believe he's a troll either. I can't tell you the number of people I have come across that really hate anyone Jewish. They believe the Jews are evil and in control of the world. People who believe the Jewish killed Jesus and are evil and that Jesus was not a Jew himself, ignoring the line of Jewish heritage to Mary in the Bible, Jesus was not Jewish. The end. People who believe the Jewish committed all the evil in this country and that 1000s of Jewish were forewarned of the attacks on 9/11 and didn't come, even though that was debunked. People of many faiths, ethnicity, cultures, etc. died that day, including several Jewish and yes, Muslim, workers. But that doesn't stop people from believing in conspiracy theories and they will not listen to anyone tell them differently no matter how much evidence there is against their theories.

[FeministShrew]

Spartanburg is my home town, & I still live in the same county. I really wish I could move. I can't read the comments on news articles without becoming angry & depressed. So much hate & ignorance!

Lou Lamb has freely admitted the soup kitchen exists mainly to proselytize. The soup kitchen started as a ministry of Second Presbyterian Church.

"Our History:

The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen first opened its doors in 1982. Bag lunches were served every day out of the kitchen of the Second Presbyterian Church gymnasium to 20-25 homeless men. Today more than 500 men, women, and children are served a hot home-cooked noonday meal 365 days a year…still out of that same 300 square-foot kitchen.

After 29 years of service to the community, the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen, housed in the gym of Second Presbyterian Church, has out grown its facility. In September 2010, we purchased the old Kapasi Glass Mart building on Forest Street. We are in the process of raising funds to renovate this facility. To date, we have raised more than $640,000 in gifts and pledges.

In 2009, the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen became registered as a 501©(3) non-profit organization. While the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen has been a thriving ministry generously supported by the Second Presbyterian Church for 29 years, there have been many volunteers and supporters from across the community as well. Having received 501©(3) status, the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen now operates under the direction of a community-based Board of Directors.

With today’s economy, we are seeing our numbers drastically increasing, especially with our guests that are among the “working poor.†In the past two years, due to the economic downturn, the numbers of guests eating at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen has increased by 40%. We have passionate and committed volunteers and staff, who work hard to serve the least of these in our community.

Our Director, Lou Landrum and Assistant to the Director, Ollie Smith, have been with us for nine years, and we have more than 600 dedicated community volunteers. Even though we are in difficult economic times, this is an exciting time in the history of the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen."

[lizziesmom]

So the purpose of the soup kitchen is not to show people why they should become Christian (by example). It essentially is a "Become Christian if you want to eat" propaganda event. This type of "Christianity" turns my stomach and is probably why I am an atheist.

[E Street Fan]

Rachel: Sadly, James probably is not a troll. I used to joke that some of the people around here voted the the preacher told them, rooted for the college team their preacher told them and ate what their preacher told them. Unfortunately, it's true. I run into these types of twits all the time. The preacher says that Jesus wasn't a Jew so it must be true. Dabo Swinney is a saint, so it must be true. God is a Clemson fan, so it must be true. I really wish I was kidding.

Some parts of the upstate are full of people who didn't make it past 8th grade. And they are young. And they believe what the preacher tells them because that's all they've heard all their life. It's sad.

I used to live about an hour from Greenville. In my town, even the people who had college educations were still mostly incapable of independent, critical thought. They believed what they were told and that's that. They were so indoctrinated that even Christians from the same denomination as them, but different churches, weren't "true believers." Catholics (there was a Catholic church in town; I went to Easter Mass there to see what it was like, and people I worked with were horrified) and Jews were heathens, period. I moved in 2000, but I can imagine what the brainwashed started saying after September 11.

South Carolina is on my list of states I will never, ever live in (again). This is one reason why.

[FeministShrew]

On a happier note, I will be joining Spartanburg Atheists!

[Kimberly86]

Wow, that is sad. Maybe they should go back to the "WWJD?"

[PennySycamore]

Wow, that is sad. Maybe they should go back to the "WWJD?"

They need to really read the Beatitudes first.

[Arete]

I don't know where they pulled out this idea that a soup kitchen is a place to bring people to Christ. In the church I grew up in, a soup kitchen was a place for the hungry and the homeless to have a decent, dignified meal. A small slice of peace.

Period.

The End.

[thoughtful]

I don't know where they pulled out this idea that a soup kitchen is a place to bring people to Christ. In the church I grew up in, a soup kitchen was a place for the hungry and the homeless to have a decent, dignified meal. A small slice of peace.

Period.

The End.

Their self-righteous asses, of course!

Add me to the list of people disgusted by this, and thinking Jesus would be appalled.

[Jana814]

That is so wrong. Don't most soup kitchens just want anyone who wants to come & help.

[SPHASH]

Years ago when I still lived in Minnesota the county I lived was hit by massive flash flooding. The Minnesota Annual Conference sent its disaster response team to help and it stayed at the Methodist Church I belonged to. Then a Jewish response team from the Twin Cities needed a place to stay so our pastor allowed them to stay at the church as well. And the Methodists and Jews got along fine.

[GolightlyGrrl]

The only agenda a soup kitchen should have is to feed people. The end.

[lilwriter85]

It takes a real piece of work to turn offering help into "targeting." She'd sooner resign from her job? Then maybe she should, if her job is to "serve the hungry," because she's failing at it by rejecting a prime opportunity for community engagement.

And she's playing the victim when in her line of work, she sees people every day who in one way or another really have been victimized. Somehow she's managed to avoid gaining a single ounce of perspective. It's almost impressive, really.

It's a bit of a thorn in my side that charity is so dominated by faith-based organizations - it puts conditions and expectations on the help that someone in need should be able to receive without any strings attached. It exploits the vulnerability of a person's situation, and makes assumptions about people who need help - that food and shelter is nice, but what they really need is a big helping of Jesus. It also makes assumptions about the people doing the helping, and this is a cynical one - that someone can only be a good person who wants to help others if their motivations are religious. And sometimes, as in this situation, the organization's capacity to do good has been compromised by a decision made on religious grounds.

I agree with you there. There are some faith based organizations that run charities with no strings attached and they sometimes don't care if the people they are helping are believers. My cousin's late husband was an atheist and he had issues with a lot of the faith based charities. He avoided faith based organizations when it came to volunteer work.

[kunoichi66]

Several of the comments below the article make me stabby. A few people are basically saying the atheists had no business helping out at a Christian soup kitchen and one woman made this comment which is pretty stupid.

Just because there are vacant buildings in the area doesn't mean the atheists could easily set up shop and start a soup kitchen. The above woman probably has no idea how difficult it is start soup kitchen or organizations that aid people in need. There is an organization in Dallas called the DWF Atheists Helping The Homeless. They don't have a soup kitchen, but they do giveaways of clothing, certain foods, water, and tolietries to the homeless. I think the Spartanburg group is right track by doing the care package giveaways like the DFW group is doing.

Response to Marie's comment

Jesus was Macedonian?! Now I've heard everything. I think this guy's getting confused between Jesus and Alexander...