Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Florida official tells Christian charity to choose between Jesus and cheese
A Florida ministry that feeds the poor said a state agriculture department official told them they would not be allowed to receive USDA food unless they removed portraits of Christ, the Ten Commandments, a banner that read “Jesus is Lord” and stopping giving Bibles to the needy.
“They told us they could no longer allow us to have any religious information where the USDA food is going to be,” said Kay Daly, executive director of the Christian Service Center.
So why did the government have an issue with the religious group’s religious decorations? A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Agriculture told me they were following the guidelines written by the USDA.
“This program is a USDA-funded program and the requirements were outlined by the USDA,” spokesperson Amanda Bevis said. “This agency administers the program on the state level. Our staff did provide a briefing to CSC following turnover in leadership at CSC and did review the USDA requirements.”
A USDA spokesperson told me that “under current law, organizations that receive USDA nutrition assistance can still engage in religious activities so long as the activity is not used to create a barrier to eligible individuals receiving food.”
The USDA referred to an Executive Order providing equal protection for faith-based organizations. That order guarantees those groups the right to provide assistance without “removing or altering religious art, icons, scriptures or other symbols from these facilities.”
For the past 31 years, the Christian ministry has been providing food to the hungry in Lake City, Fla. without any problems. But all that changed when they said a state government worker showed up to negotiate a new contract.
So in a spirit of Christian love and fellowship, Daly politely told the government what they could do with their cheese. “We decided to eliminate the USDA food and we’re going to trust God to provide,” she told me. “If God can multiply fish and loaves for 10,000 people, he can certainly bring in food for our food pantry so we can continue to feed the hungry.”
Source
Sounds like just one bureaucrat is twisting the rules
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10 comments:
God helps those who help themselves.
Stop giving out food and let the people starve. That's what the left wants anyway.
Next time there is a disaster and they want people to help the church should stay home and watch the leftists hiss and moan that people are going hungry.
You hypocrites want god's help but you don't want god! you want god out of public life? Ok, no more charity for you from us!
The Christian churches have always used their so-called charities as as a bait to bring in converts. Even Jesus talked about "fishers of men". It's also equivalent of training animals by feeding them treats when they perform as required. So much for "Christian Charity" - pure HUMBUG!
When I lived outside Lake City in the eighties this organization was anything but heavy handed or proselyting. They got food to those who needed it with a minimum of fuss or fanfare. They were particularly good at getting gleanings from farm fields. It is sad to see one bureaucrat create strife for no reason.
MDH
anon 2:57, what are you doing to help the needy and downtrodden? My guess is nothing! But you are there to criticize christians that do. The truth is these organizations have done more to help the needy and poor around the world, than all the government programs combined. Thankfully, this charity told the government to take a hike.
I'll take the cheese, please.
3:55 You are indeed very arrogant to "guess" what I may or may not do for the "needy and downtrodden". And as it happens you guess very wrongly, but unlike the boasting Christians, I will not list what I do. But what I do isn't in the form of a bait to vulnerable folk to join my religion, or any other view-point or world-view I might have.
Anon 2:57/3:10 - I'd guess that you won't list what you do because it's a pathetic mite compared to the average American. You probably give less as a percentage than that stingy bastard Joe Biden does.
The most successful food program in the city I live in is run by the Catholic church but has active participation by dozens of other churches and the recipients are allowed to come in, eat and leave without being proselytized.
However, if they have a question about any of the groups providing help they will not be turned away either.
Yes 5:21, your final admission was very telling, and I doubt very much if the questions were not prompted. The "charity" is for the sake of either showing off how "charitable" religious people are (ie. patronizing) and/or getting a captive audience!
And how very "Christian" of you to negatively pre-judge how generous I may be. In doing so you should state exactly how much you do or give to others, otherwise you are a hypocrite (who'd a thunk it - a hypocritical religionist!).
Well 8:57, they are probably jealous (or rather envious) of the special perks Christians get in such privileges as tax-breaks and undeserved deference in the media, politics and elsewhere, or they have come to expect it, which is why they are so shocked and indignant when atheists and others challenge their long-held privileges.
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