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Rant

The Compassionate Arrested For Doing What Jesus Asked

Posted 11 months ago|14 comments|392 views
Jesus Would Be Arrested In Orlando
Written by
Altruist
Eugene, OR
The Conservative War on the Poor has sunk to new lows. They are now using the immense power of the state to keep people from following Jesus's teachings.

Talk about Big Government intrusion into our lives! What about separation of church and state? When the state is used to prohibit Christian Teachings isn't that a conflict?

Three members of "Food Not Bombs" were arrested June 1st for feeding the homeless.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011...

"He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given. " Proverbs 19:17, NKJV

(Matthew 25:31-46) To the "sheep" he says, "Come you blessed of my Father, for I was hungry and you fed me..." In their astonishment they ask, "When did we do that?" And he answers, "When you did it to the lowliest of my brothers (and sisters)." Conversely, to the "goats" he says, "Out of my sight, you who are condemned, for I was hungry and you did not feed me..."

Jesus commanded, "Love your neighbor." When asked to define "neighbor," Jesus expanded the traditional meaning of the word--defining our neighbor as anyone who is in need, including social outcasts: "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed." (Luke 14:13)

Jesus repeatedly advocated the rich selling their goods and using that to feed the poor. Here is a list of many other places in the bible that advocates helping the poor: http://www.friendships.org/Scriptures.ht...

The Republicans make it a policy to throw the poor, the old and the sick people out into the streets, so they can give even more money to the obscenely rich. Now they are using Big Government to outlaw Christian actions.
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COMMENTS
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: This is preposterous. What makes you assume that the Republicans or conservatives had anything to do with the creation of that ordinance?

And to top it off, the city tried to issue permits to the group, which rejected the permits, and then went on their website to encourage others to come and participate in what they knew would be, and wanted to be, illegal activities.

Sounds like they were just looking for publicity, not doing Jesus's work. They could have found a private property to quietly, and without a lot of drama and fanfare, do their "good deeds".

But I still challenge anyone to connect this act or ordinance to conservatives.

Sheesh!
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: And those "evil" police who arrested them made sure that everyone got fed before they took the lawbreakers to jail. Sounds like they're really trying to keep anyone from feeding the poor? If so, they would have turned them away hungry and disposed of the food.
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: Exactly what is the Democrat to Republican ration in Orlando, and what was it at the time the ordinance was passed. What was the political makeup of the city council that passed the ordinance? These are all vitally important to the credibility of your story.
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: Democratic Party member Mayor Buddy Dyer said Food Not Bombs is "using the homeless as props for their political purposes."

"We'll continue to enforce the ordinances of the city of Orlando," Dyer said. "There are literally dozens of groups that feed the homeless in our community. People can get meals three times a day, seven days a week in various locations, and there is only one group that is not complying with the manner, place and time that we have established and refuses to use the sites we have set aside for them to use."

Altruist
Altruist
Eugene, OR
11 months ago: You are correct that I shouldn't have pinned this solely on the republicans. It is a Democratic Mayor and the County Commissioners that probably approved this law are non partisan positions.

They all seem to be nice guys and no doubt have other programs to help the homeless and the poor. They are probably just trying to clean up the downtown and rebuild it in a sparkly image that is attractive to new businesses and having a bunch of bums around doesn't engender families wanting to shop.

Still they are indicative of the conservative business community who do not want to deal with the homeless and the unemployed. They are an embarrassment to have around, but it was stupid to pass this law, whoever did it, and whatever their party, because it goes against the basic Christian values that we as a Christian Nation exalt.

The mean spiritedness of the craven Conservatives who want to kill Medicare to give a trillion dollars to the rich is likewise dumb.
11 months ago: First of all Altruist, I will commend you for putting together this fine commentary. You are absolutely correct and any so called Christian with an iota of Christian faith would concede that you are 100% correct!

Second of all I would like to comment on the ludicrous nature of any city ordinance that would legislate who and how homeless humans may be fed. What are they comparing the homeless to now, zoo animals? Can they actually say with a straight face, "Do not feed the Homeless." as they would say, "Do not feed the Bears?" Preposterous!

Third of all, the demands of the ordinance creates an atmosphere of desperation for people whom otherwise might not have any other meal to eat. Imagine that you had to wait six months to eat one meal and then that if you could source another meal it had to be at a two mile distance from the previous meal you had. Is that even human to legislate such barbarity?

Fourth of all, Lt. Barbara Jones, an Orlando police spokeswoman said, "They intentionally violated the statute," Well of course they did! Their consciences compelled them to! Admittedly nothing in the article indicates party affiliation but a safe assumption based upon a history of party projects that politicians endorse and decry convince me that it is a conservative, right wing anti socialism effort in that town to rid it's public places of any activity that might bring property value down or might encourage government expenditure in actual social welfare programs.

Fifth of all The group had no choice but to reject the permits issued for May 18 and 23 because otherwise they would not have legally been able to repeat the process on May the 25. As the article pointed out they feed the homeless twice weekly at the same location. The permit ordinance doesn't allow for that in public spaces!

Sixth of all, even the police showed compassion by not only not enforcing the unfair legislation while the group fought it in court but by actually letting the group complete their mission of compassion to finish feeding the hungry before they did do their civic duty to enforce this unjust ordinance and arrest the group. So while to some it may not be clear what political party was behind such a heinous edict. To me at least it is clear that the ordinance in question was wrong and that the group arrested was in the right!

Seventh of all, it is stories like this that lead me to speculate how surprised some people will be that they were not saved while other people will be totally surprised that they were!
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: The Democratic Mayor of Orlando spoke out against the actions of the group. (See my above postings)

Why should this group feel they can monopolise the publicly owned park, when there are places specifically set aside by the city for this very purpose? As the Mayor said, there are literally DOZENS of other groups that are doing exactly the same thing, minus all the antics designed to bring publicity to them.

What if it was the Hari Krishnas, or the KKK, or the Black Panthers who wanted to break city ordinances and assemble large groups of people on public park grounds regularly?
11 months ago: Would they be feeding the homeless?
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: So basically your opinion is that a law is a just law, only if it doesn't interfere with someone's good intentions.
11 months ago: The Panthers of the 60's did and would.
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: The Klan did charitable works too. Doesn't mean I would want them absolved of blatantly breaking a law in order to further their agenda.
11 months ago: I'm with you Box.

But the Klan and the original Panthers are philosophically night and day. (pun?)
11 months ago: Laws should exist to preserve the well being of a society. The homeless exist as the dregs of society. A society that has a visible homeless population is seen as a sick society so people try to hide their homeless. That particular law is there to do just that. Which is why that group protested. Why didn't other groups protest? Not everybody is willing to go to jail to change things for the better. MLK broke lots of laws and went to jail to change things for the better. The members of "Food Not Bombs" apparently did the same thing. They should be applauded!
11 months ago: I like the post. Thanks for the retraction...

"You are correct that I shouldn't have pinned this solely on the republicans. It is a Democratic Mayor and the County Commissioners that probably approved this law are non partisan positions."

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