The Religious Right Abandons The Poor
The bias leans left, obviously. But, it is still worth a read. Speaks to the idea of the budget being a moral/immoral document.
Street Prophets: The Religious Right Abandons The Poor
Silence can save us
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If liturgies of empire lull us to sleep, silence is a practice of
resistance that can wake us up. It can wake us up to the pain and suffering
of our neighb...
4 weeks ago
3 comments:
Are budgets moral documents? Even if they are, I'm not sure it is fair to shout "hypocrisy!" at people based on their budgeting decisions.
Budgets are more difficult to do than people think. There is a lot more that goes into it than morals.
I think a more accurate statement would be that budgets reflect our priorities. It is a higher priority for a christian 19 year old to spend money on an education than it is to spend money on mission trips. If you disagree with those priorities, that's fine, but it isn't fair to call it hypocrisy and start questioning someone's morals.
It is interesting to think about, though.
It is very difficult to get anything useful out of an article this biased though. You have to wonder if the journalist actually cares about the budgets in question or if the idea just gave her an excuse to bash people that she already despises.
Ah crap... I promised myself I wasn't going to say anything like that.
True, budgets are complex. But, if the ordering of priorites is not an activity rife with morals, what exactly is morality?
True as well, it is difficult to get anything useful out of biased rantings. But, despite the bashing, I wonder if there is not something redeeming in the article. Most of the article is commentary on lengthy quotations. Even if the commentary is not the best I find the quotations useful for my own reflection.
You're right. The quotes are pretty interesting.
I specifically found this one interesting. The article paints this guy as the bad guy, but I'm not sure he doesn't have good points.
"Nothing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes how one should vote on a complex document like the federal budget. These church officials, claiming to be `representing close to 20 million followers,' never even bothered to consult those church members. The members would likely disagree on the federal budget."
Point #1: The Bible is no more a book on government/economics than it is on science or math.
Point #2: Religious leaders are no more qualified to make federal budgeting decisions than anyone else, and therefore shouldn't be allowed to speak for their members on those types of matters.
Thoughts, anyone?
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