Christian Conservatives & Food Stamps

January 10, 2012 10:56 AM

Christians, explain for me the reasoning behind the sentiment recently put forth in a conversation I had with a lovely, smart Christian woman I like. When I called into question recent racist remarks made by three GOP contenders for the presidential nomination about blacks on food stamps, my friend seemed to agree with my implied criticism about negative stereotypes about blacks being expressed by conservative politicians to appeal to conservative voters, but then went on to condemn any one who uses food stamps. Now, I know, as does anyone who pays attentions to such things, that the largest users of food stamps are children in poverty, and poor families most often headed by white single mothers. Food stamps are also available to those working for low wages or part-time, the unemployed, disabled, low income elderly and the homeless. This encounter has gnawed on me for days leading leading me to the question, What Would Jesus Do? Didn't Jesus feed the hungry minister to the sick, care for least among us? Wouldn't he have approved of communal efforts to relieve suffering? So how do conservatives, especially those who proclaim to be Christian conservatives justify the contempt they display (and utter) for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the frail, the old?
posted by NorthCoastCafe to Society & Culture (10 answers total)

There is an overused verse from 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that gets bandied around: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." That was used by a pastor of a church I attended as a child when railing against the welfare state.
posted by General Malaise at 10:59 AM on January 10, 2012

Sometimes, one's political views are entirely separate from one's religious views. Did the woman you spoke with link her disdain for food stamps with her Christianity, or did you make the assumption they're connected?
posted by xingcat at 11:00 AM on January 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

How do they hold the contravening concepts of Christian Charity and contempt for the poor in their minds at the same time?

It's a mystery.

Being glib, but the point stands: when I've confronted pious relatives with "...and you call yourself a Christian?" I've told to shut up or walked away from.
posted by notsnot at 11:01 AM on January 10, 2012

What xingcat said. Your friend seems to be expressing political views, not religious views. You can find a verse in the +ible to support almost anything. There in lies its genius or its biggest flaw, depending on which side of the fence you are on.
posted by holdkris99 at 11:03 AM on January 10, 2012

Jesus did do all of those things you describe.

Jesus also had some pretty choice words for those who put on an air of holiness but did not take care of the poor.

I think that Christians can disagree in good conscience about whether food stamps are the best way to take care of the poor, and even about whether government is the best vehicle for addressing poverty, but care for the poor has always been an integral part of the Church's ministry. Always. Going back to day 1.

Your friend, like many in the U.S., has Christianity confused with conservatism and with free-market capitalism.* This is her mistake, not yours, and it has come about due in part to the way that world and U.S. politics shaped itself up in the last century.

* What I find amazing is that none of these things actually belong together when you think about it.
posted by gauche at 11:04 AM on January 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

There are many arguments that American conservatives use against benefits like Food Stamps. One of the most common is that these benefits encourage dependency and discourage healthy independence and responsibility. There are times when the charitable thing to do is demand that someone stand up on their own two feet and support themselves.

Of course it's absurd to demand that of children, but counter-arguments like that are often one step too deep for American political discourse.

I'd encourage you to ask your friend this same question! Maybe it can be a teaching moment.
posted by alms at 11:05 AM on January 10, 2012

So how do conservatives, especially those who proclaim to be Christian conservatives justify the contempt they display (and utter) for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the frail, the old?

Well, one reason is the perceived difference in mobility between Ye Olde Biblical Times and Shiny New America. In their conception of the US, everyone has the exact same potential for wealth and fame as everyone else. Therefore, poor people just aren't working hard enough. And, on top of that and thanks to the Protestant Work Ethic, are also terrible sinners -- how slothful one has to be to be so poor they're on food stamps! -- and worthy of contempt (which is an entirely different bucket of worms.)
posted by griphus at 11:06 AM on January 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think the fallacy is expecting anyone's beliefs and philosophies to be totally internally consistent. That goes for all religions and political leanings.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 11:06 AM on January 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think the flaw in your question is that you're trying to frame it in a religous question when it is more a political talking points issue, where politicians can gain points for being tough on socialism while distorting or totally ignoring facts about what they speak of.

It's like asking why Christians are pro-death penalty, or why Christians are pro-choice, and linking their religious identification with their political affiliations and identifications.

Or why a Republican would be for gun control, or a Democrat a member of the NRA.. the dichotomies go on and on.

Her politics is against food stamps (for whatever reasoning she has, which is most likely not connected to her faith) and she condemns racial stereotypes probably not because of her faith, but because of political correctness. (on preview, what gauche says - none of these things actually belong together)

It's like that throughtout society - that which is legal, is not always moral, nor is all that is moral legal (and sometimes is specifically illegal)
posted by rich at 11:06 AM on January 10, 2012

There is an overused verse from 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Which, it's worth pointing out, would not be anything Jesus actually said (assuming he said anything at all, assuming he ever lived at all), but something that The Church said some time after his alleged demise, resurrection and transcendence.

If your concern is explicitly, what did Jesus actually say, I recommend the so-called Red Letter Christians.
posted by philip-random at 11:07 AM on January 10, 2012