Life is a funny old bird sometimes, I'll tell ya. I was sitting here last night flipping channels and stopped on the History Channel when I saw something that has always held a strong facination for me.
I was 11 years old when it happened but the images stuck in my head. Still do. I didn't make the connection, though, until I heard the phrase "apostlistic socialism". That's what the government wants to fund. They want to give money to religious groups to dole out to people. They don't put any restrictions on the religious group, no guidelines for behavior in order for the religious group to give out this money. So let's take a glance back for a moment, and try to learn from history, before it repeats itself, shall we?
"Jones and his church earned a reputation for aiding the cities' poorest citizens, especially racial minorities, drug addicts, and the homeless. Soup kitchens, daycare centers, and medical clinics for elderly people were set up, along with counseling programs for prostitutes and drug addicts who wanted to change their lives. The Peoples Temple made strong connections to the California state welfare system. During the 1970s, the Peoples Temple owned and ran at least nine residential care homes for the elderly, six homes for foster children, and a state-licensed 40-acre ranch for developmentally disabled persons. They had a college tuition and dormitory program at Santa Rosa Junior College. The Temple elites handled members' insurance claims and legal problems, effectively acting as a client-advocacy group. For these reasons, sociologist John Hall described Peoples Temple as a "charismatic bureaucracy", oriented toward Jones as a charismatic leader, but functioning as a bureaucratic social service organization."
Really, I'd much rather have my social services administered by flawed governmental bureaucracies, thank you very much.
I was 11 years old when it happened but the images stuck in my head. Still do. I didn't make the connection, though, until I heard the phrase "apostlistic socialism". That's what the government wants to fund. They want to give money to religious groups to dole out to people. They don't put any restrictions on the religious group, no guidelines for behavior in order for the religious group to give out this money. So let's take a glance back for a moment, and try to learn from history, before it repeats itself, shall we?
at 11:04 PM :: ~#~
