When Strings Are Attached

North Miami Beach, FL April 29, 2001
Aaron H. Schectman

THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then, Opinions pro or con are welcome.
WHEN STRINGS ARE ATTACHED
As a puppeteer I know a lot about strings.

Good people don't have to be churchgoers. Did you ever receive or send a
CARE PACKAGE? Good people are found everywhere and do not have to be
"churched" to help other people. Their deeds do not have to be in the "name
of" of something in order to be helpful and good and proper.

"CARE" is a case in point. Like the governmental effort to feed millions
in Europe at the end of World War I under the direction of Herbert Hoover,
"Care" was the post World War II equivalent. Both enterprises were from
people to people and saved countless lives. The problem was too big for the
churches or private organizations to solve.

Any proselytizing religious entity can earn credits for its members in
heaven by passing food packages while praising the Lord. One problem with
this is the strings attached to aid. It goes like this: You come into my
place and there we will feed and clothe you. But, you must come in and
allow us to place you in the position of owing us for the help you receive.
The aid initially is provided by the government but does not go directly to
the people who receive it. They must go to church to get it. You are being
strung along.

If the American Government has all this "aid" ready to give to needy people
why must it be funneled to them through "faith based" organizations? This
use of "faith based" distribution is obfuscation. It is church based in
order to give religious organizations the power to control people's minds as
they give succor to their bodies.

This country has survived wars against the French (on the side of the
British), against England in the Revolution and in the Civil War where the
North fought the South over States Rights, Secession and Ownership of
Humans. This country has experimented with total equality on the scale of
24/7/365 and has come up short on the numbers.

This country has time and again suffered rape by greedy investors falling
into depressions mostly crushing the poor. People who should know better
shrug off responsibility and point to the government or the churches to do
the work of healing the wounds. They divide the bounty but not the
responsibility.

We are all taught that the founders of this country fled the "old country"
to escape the oppression of religion. These founders eventually agreed to
establish the principle of separation of church and state - with the only
strings attached being willingness to protect the liberties earned by
sacrifice and hard work by all the people. Each of us shares our country's
bounty but each does not share the load in caring. Carol's Evaluation: 10
out of 10.