Real Christianity: A $10,000 Idol

If you were a True Christian, how would you spend $10,000?

True Christians like to talk about how much Jesus liked kids. OK has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country, maybe contribute to that in some way? Hey, maybe donate it to an organization that helps victims of child abuse, considering what the Catholic Church does to children. Hell if I were a True Protestant Id totally do that to give The Finger to the Mary-worshipers!

True Christians also like to talk about how Jesus commands them to help the homeless and downtrodden. The homeless that wander the streets of downtown OKC… they have mental problems. They have drug problems. They need help. $10K would mean a lot to a shelter or half-way house around here.

And hell, what Average Joe and Jane couldnt use some extra cash for bills these days. You could do a lot of good giving $100 bills to 100 random people.

But Im a stupid atheist who doesnt understand the complexity of theology.

See, turns out that a True Christian, Oklahoma State Rep. Mike Ritze, has an extra $10K tucked away.

Hes not spending it on anything useful to society. Hes not even spending it on $10K worth of gay-sex and meth like a normal Republican.

Hes spending it on a 3′x6′ Ten Commandments monument to put on the capital steps.

The bill he sponsored (House Bill 1330) to put it up passed through the state legislature. Overwhelmingly. Gov. Henry signed it (his attitude was that they would override his veto anyway, so why not *sigh*). This is done.

Its going to be challenged in the courts because erecting this monument is against the state and federal constitution.

Which means that $10K of Mike Ritzes money will be spent on this hunk of cement, and a shitload of state money will be spent to ‘fight’ for it in the courts, which it will lose. So not only is $10K not going to a good cause, it will actively take money away from state funded good causes.

Meh, the dead babies and homeless addicts are probably all black anyway, right True Christian Lisa Billy?

Edited to add– BONUS: Mikey is a physician. lol @ Orac

Comments

#1 clinteas
May 23, 2009

Mikey is a physician. lol @ Orac

And as Mikey and Orac show,physicians can be assholes too,like everybody else.

-A grumpy physician-
#2 JD
May 23, 2009

Hahahahaha. It’s worse in Montgomery Alabama. They’d spend $80K on a slab before they could even read it.
#3 foxfire
May 23, 2009

“I just thought it was a great idea to emphasize and remphasize where many of our laws come from,” Ritze said. “From the ten commandments, it’s been in place for 3500 years as we know, we get our laws from English law. English law comes from Roman law. Roman law comes subsequently from Mosiac law”

Roman law “comes from” Mosiac Law? Since when?

It’s amazing how members of religious sects tend to believe every relevant idea on earth originated from their particular mythology.
#4 Optimus Primate
May 23, 2009

Hahahahaha. It’s worse in Montgomery Alabama…

Hey! I… But…

Oh, never mind. You’re right. *sigh*
#5 ludditeandroid
May 24, 2009

Let’s see, with $10,000 you could do *ALL* of the following:

* Protect 50 children from diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, childhood tuberculosis, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and Vitamin A deficiency

* Buy 50 bednets to protect against malaria

* Provide 50 people with clean well water for 20 years

* Perform 4 cleft palate surguries at no charge to the patient

* Provide enough high-yield seeds & fertilizer to feed 50 people for 10 years off land that would otherwise be lying fallow while people die.

* Still have enough money left over to provide 512 women with a full year of partially-subsidized birth control through DKT International, or 160 women with a full year of completely-subsidized birth control though Planned Parenthood.

But, yeah, grandstanding with a hunk of cement is worth way more than all that.
#6 revatheist
May 24, 2009

foxfire,
you’re absolutely right. The Romans didn’t give a rat’s ass about Mosaic law. They were usually cool with the Jews of the time following it for themselves so long as it didn’t conflict with Roman law and they paid their taxes. But let the the money stop or if the Jews got uppity on the basis of “mosaic law” and the same Jews would get killedity real fast. (Or slow, like with crucifiction, the ultimate message of “you try to put your laws before ours and we’ll nail your ass to a stick”).
Of course, maybe the dipshit legislator just meannt to say that each set of laws in his list began chronologically before the last and the earliest should be idolized, but I doubt it or we’d be getting a 6 foot tall monument to the Code of Hammurabi on the Capitol steps.
#7 William Wallace
May 24, 2009

Concern blogging…

Somehow I doubt you complain about how money spent by the Federal government funding scientific research could be better used to feed homeless children of drug addicts.
#8 Paper Hand
May 24, 2009

Right. Because science never did anything good for anyone. *rolls eyes*
#9 Thomas S. Howard
May 24, 2009

@7

I’m concerned Willy, deeply concerned, that you apparently don’t know what a concern troll actually is.
#10 clinteas
May 24, 2009

Not so much the fact that they are spending 10k on this,but that Ritze seems to have no other pressing problems to deal with then to think about how to get a monument with the 10c up,is what’s worrying me.

WW @ 7,

bad analogy fail.Really bad.
#11 Sili
May 24, 2009

So would’t we be doing the state a service if we make sure to deface the ~~plague~~plaque immediately? Then there’d be nought to take to the courts.
#12 foxfire
May 24, 2009

Somehow I doubt you complain about how money spent by the Federal government funding scientific research could be better used to feed homeless children of drug addicts.

Well princess, I can agree with that – and I *can* see a complaint about Federal government funding of “abstinence only” sex education that could better be used to help prevent the homeless/neglected/abused child paradigm.
#13 Ciaphas
May 24, 2009

There’s no real contradiction here. Protestants believe in justification by faith alone, works are unimportant. So long as you believe that helping children and the poor is a good thing, you don’t actually have to do it.

In fact doing anything might be a bad idea since it would expose you to real people suffering which could lead you to question your faith. Better to build a statue than risk damnnation by feeding the poor.
#14 Tommykey
May 24, 2009

Where’s Rhology to comment that the desire to spend the 10K on the poor and downtrodden is just our subjective preference and therefore carries no more weight than Ritze’s preference to spend it on a 10 Commandments monument? Oh never mind, I already did it for him.
#15 SLC
May 25, 2009

Re clinteas

And as Mikey and Orac show,physicians can be assholes too,like everybody else.

Would Mr. clinteas like to present us with some evidence showing that Dr. Orac is an asshole. I think that Mr. clinteas is the asshole.
#16 Bronze Dog
May 25, 2009

I find it ironic that one of those commandments on the idol condemns idolatry.
#17 Mind Over Splatter
May 26, 2009

Well, Big Butter Jesus. Don’t you known that helping the poor and less fortunate has nothing to do with being a good Okie Christian? It has everything to do with being a hypoc-er, with showing the world how much you L O V E JEEBUS !
Spread the word!
#18 Stacy
May 26, 2009

I’ll take “Send me to jail” for $10,000 Alex!
#19 BeamStalk
May 26, 2009

*sigh* Always good to know that my tax money is going to go to waste in a law suit they can’t possibly win.
#20 Matt Heath
May 27, 2009

Roman law “comes from” Mosiac Law? Since when?

For that matter, English law “comes from” Roman Law? Since
when?
#21 Michael
May 27, 2009

I am very interested in this topic. You could write something more? Warm greetings to the author and all readers.
#22 charles soper
May 28, 2009

This hostility speaks volumes, it isn’t grounded in nested hierarchies, but elsewhere:
‘For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.’
#23 Thomas S. Howard
May 28, 2009

@22

Sure, but you forgot to add “I’ll be praying for you.”
#24 eddie
May 29, 2009

Wallace. Read #5 again.
You’re a fucking embarrasment to the name. From now on, your name is pigshit.
#25 eddie
May 29, 2009

charles @22. Google ‘platitudes’.
#26 Right Wing Extremist by birth
June 3, 2009

I would tithe giving $1,000 to my church to start with.

Then I would give to the following:

Liberty Counsel $500
Gideons International $500
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality $1500
Chrsitans United for Israel $1250
Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund $2000
Alliance Defense Fund $750
Answers In Genesis $750
Institute for Creation Research $750
National Rifle Association $1000

Any questions?

I know about 150 more organizations. If I had the money that our president George Soros has, liberalism would be in big trouble.

Okay, Soros is not our president but he might as well be. He is the power behind the throne.
#27 Tyler DiPietro
June 3, 2009

RWEbb = /b/tard in NORP’s clothing.
#28 hosting bez limitu
September 2, 2009

Really, very interesting topic. If possible, please more information. This is one of the better blogs that I read.
#29 KKairos
October 15, 2009

Interesting. Not the choice I would make.