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Troublesh00ter's avatar

I would really like to know just HOW Jesus is going to detox someone or help them get shut of any kind of addiction or dependency, regardless of what it is. Seriously, this crap has been tried before, likely in Mississippi and possibly other states in the Deep South, and my guess is that the outcomes in any of those attempts was pretty much the same: some people got right, but MORE people went right back to what they were jonesing after.

I'm no expert, but I still can't help but think that if someone is going to propose ANYTHING as a cure for addiction, they'd better have some DAMNED good evidence, demonstrating that their cure actually WORKS. Crook not only hasn't done any such thing, but in trying to introduce religion into his job, he's in violation of State / Church separation, which is why the FFRF is on his case.

And I can't help but think that he's about to learn his lesson the HARD way.

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Joe King's avatar

Some of the people who "got right" were among the people who "went right back". This Southern cop is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

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xenubarb's avatar

I was kinda wild in my younger days. But I quit doing all the hard drugs, especially meth, because I hate being wide awake at 3 am with nobody to talk to and nothing to do.

And I quit cocaine because... well, after 20 minutes, you're gonna spend hours trying to get more. That never works because the first bump uses up all the happy brain chemicals and you can't get that back. Utter waste of time!

Heroin, on the other hand... being physically addicted to something you have to eventually take just to feel "normal," and not like you're coming down with the flu really sucks. It's why users always plan to quit and never do because the withdrawal symptoms kick in.

But I understand this stuff, so I won't judge others for using. I won't leave them alone with the family silver, but that's another story!

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Maggie JK's avatar

I’ve also always had so much empathy and respect for alcoholics in sobriety.

My problem back in the day was cocaine, even though you’re right it totally sucks and I was one of those people who did not want to be touched at all when I was on it so it wasn’t exactly a social drug lol

But I can’t imagine trying to get clean from cocaine if they sold it on displays at 7-Eleven, if there were commercials for it, if there was a table tent with pretty options on the table every time I want out to eat.

I wouldn’t have made it. Alcoholics in recovery deserve so much respect.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

https://images.app.goo.gl/ZviUKHvRdg1WTA2YA

By taking the drugs for them, that’s how Jesus will detox the addicts.

(I hope the pic shows up, if not it’s the painting of a guy shooting up into Jesus’ arm imposed over his own, we’ve seen it a bunch of times before)

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Kay-El's avatar

Well, no wonder Jesus hasn’t returned. He’s baked 24/7

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cdbunch's avatar

Probably still thinks Arthur is king of Britain

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Maltnothops's avatar

Not an anarchist syndicate?

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Beyond ridiculous and we both know that. All that is is another example of Jesus porn, really.

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cdbunch's avatar

I don't know how Jesus porn is still in business. I'd rather watch lesbian porn and I find girl on girl rather boring.

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RegularJoe's avatar

This one could be of benefit, but he's in San Juan Capistrano. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesus-magana-cadc-ii-9aa3442a

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Maltnothops's avatar

How? Magic!

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Joe King's avatar

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 find Jesus? If he's talking about the Jewish apocolyptic faith healer who got in trouble with the Romans for seditious behaviour around 2 millenia ago (who may not have even existed), he needs to head to the middle east and start digging. Otherwise, he should be able to find him quickly. I understand that Jesus is a somewhat popular name in the Latinx community...

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Jane in NC's avatar

'Truly find Jesus' = No True Scotsman.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

We know how to curb much of the drug addiction issues, not all I admit, and most of the solutions require empathy, sympathy and patience. Three qualities Christianity actively fights, despite talking a big game about forgiveness.

They say Jesus is the answer, and yet the presence of Christianity rarely makes things better.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

I have a better solution: 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥-𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴.

You really want to help the people of Mississippi, who are suffering from this drug crisis? Well...

Republican policies flushed their economy down the shitter.

Republican policies refused to help anyone who was harmed when you flushed their economy down the shitter.

Republican policies needlessly penalized people with harsh and excessive criminal sentences, for turning to literally anything they could as a comfort, when you refused to help them after they lost their jobs, their homes, and their healthcare when you flushed their economy down the shitter, driving them to such desperation that they'd rather escape into fleeting chemical bliss than suffer the reality you'd forced on them.

Through all of that, Jesus was always a hop, skip, and a jump away at the nearest church, of which I am certain there are at least ten per square mile in every populated part of your state; Jesus has clearly not helped them either.

The solution to their problems, be they drug-related or otherwise, is not more Jesus.

The solution to their problems is 𝘧𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

Until that changes, there will be no recovery.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

I have a better solution: 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥-𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴.

𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦!!!!!

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cdbunch's avatar

But then them black and brown people might get a leg up and forget their place.

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oraxx's avatar

The Bible-belt South has some of the worst social metrics in the country, right across the board. I would challenge this sheriff to show a single time when a population ever 'found Jesus' and solved a single problem. He is essentially placing the blame for this drug crisis on the victims rather than addressing the root causes such as inadequate education, poverty and hopelessness. It's ever so much easier to blame people for not having found supernatural solutions to real world problems, than it is to actually address those problems.

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Joe King's avatar

Victim blaming is baked so thoroughly into Christianity that this Sheriff does it by reflex at this point. Why wouldn't he blame the victims fortheir own addictions? According to his myth, the victim was to blame all the way back to the beginning with the set-up in the garden. (The snake was the hero.)

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xenubarb's avatar

The funny thing about AA and NA, they put full responsibility on the user for getting themselves into that mess.

But they don't get any credit for kicking; that's all on the "higher power" and attending meetings. If people were allowed to take credit for having the strength and will to quit drugs, they wouldn't keep coming back.

And as their chant goes, "Keep coming back! It works!" Only in many cases it doesn't, users just swap their addictions to drugs and alcohol to meetings.

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maddog7's avatar

actually, in my region, the chant was "it works, if you work it".

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XJC's avatar

Jesus the con man, like Trump his acolyte, loved the poorly educated.

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oraxx's avatar

+++

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Julie Duggan's avatar

Exactly! Mississippi 2023: 18. 7% poverty rate. That is outrageous. I'm sure though the answer is that these people should go to church more and do more tithing...... if they would give all their money to church and pray harder they would no longer be addicted to drugs.... they would magically live in a fabulous house, drive a brand new car and have a high paying job with benefits.

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Jane in NC's avatar

If his Jesus has the power to stop that guy's drug addiction and hasn't, he's a jerk.

If his Jesus doesn't have the power to stop the guy's drug addiction, then he's no god and prayers are nothing more than wish casting.

Either way, this sheriff abusing his official office, its website and its vehicles to promote his version of religion is a First Amendment violation. And an admission that he stinks at his job.

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Straw's avatar

That might explain why they have a drug problem, or at least why he think his religion is the answer.

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XJC's avatar

Jesus must have continuous adulation to perform his magical tricks. Just like Donald Trump, his acolyte.

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Kay-El's avatar

But they both still receive it and it hasn’t helped a fucking bit

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XJC's avatar

It has helped. Look how wealthy Jesus, Inc. and Trump Enterprises are. The rest of the world? Not so much.

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Die Anyway's avatar

You're being too rational.

"Jesus good. More Jesus better. Jesus and giant crosses and In God We Trust on police cars best! And don't you dare say nothing bad about Jesus or we'll throw your a** in jail."

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Tinker's avatar

More than a quarter of your citizens are doing drugs in MISSISSIPPI and you think they don't have ENOUGH Jesus!!!???

Holy cow! the obvious answer is that there is too much Jesus there. I mean really, one of the things so-called conservatives seem to like to do is draw conclusions from seemingly related events. But while I understand that correlation does not necessarily mean causation, The link between religion and drug use in a particular area might have some correlation. We keep hearing about these small towns with more churches than Walgreens and an elevated percentage of people addicted to drugs. Maybe, just maybe some people can only get so much Jesus before they have to find some other outlet for their frustrations. Maybe instead of building another church they could put that money into a bowling alley, public pool or a Dave and Busters? The problem is clearly not enough church, the problem is more likely boredom or maybe, just maybe, far too many people telling other people they are inadequate and guilty before they do anything wrong. An effective torture for prisoners is to constantly treat them like dogs and tell them how stupid, lazy and inadequate they are. Eventually some people will believe it and behave accordingly. Many will retreat into drugs when they are convinced they are going to hell anyway. Tell me again how there is no correlation.

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James Clark's avatar

The actual reason for the high amount of drug use in Mississippi is poverty. Mississippi has the highest rate of poverty per capita in the nation. People resort to long-term use of mind-altering substances in order to deal with overwhelming feelings of hopelessness. The state's entire viewpoint of assistance for its citizens is entirely for helping the wealthy, and often racist, political donors retain control and make more money.

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Straw's avatar

The only time me and husband has ever used AirBnB was in New Orleans 2013 (?). That was a wonderfule experience. The hosts lived in the house and we rented a bedroom. And we talked and they fixed breakfast and we loved it. As far as I know AirBnB is not like that anymore.

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Runfastandwin's avatar

Sheriffs are the worst elected people in America. There's never a choice either because the opponents are always deputies. Also there is NO WAY that 10,000 people out of 36.,000 are hooked on meth. That's just a freaking ridiculous thing to say. Maybe 1000 but even that number is high.

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Holytape's avatar

Well, you have to excuse his math, as he was high af.

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Vanity Unfair's avatar

Math/meth it's an easy mistake even for a sheriff. (Doesn't quite work in real English- maths, if you wondered why.)

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Tinker's avatar

I really hope you are right. Those numbers would indicate something seriously wrong in that town. I would be looking for the reason why instead of claiming more Jesus to be the answer. I suspect this is a town with so much Jesus already that more would be almost impossible.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Run may be right, it's MissIneedtopee, where the people would find the money to pay for drugs when they already given tithes and other forced voluntary contribution to their passtors ?

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

County.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Ah, Mississippi. Ranked 48th Overall as Best State to Live In. Dead last in both Economy AND Health Care. 48th in Infrastructure. 45th in Fiscal Stability.

To the people of Mississippi: Y'all need a lot more than Jesus. He ain't done shit for ya.

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XJC's avatar
Sep 13Edited

They ain't prayed hard enough is all.

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Nicole Matcha's avatar

You can’t make this stuff up…the sheriff’s name is Crook and the arrested guy’s surname is the same as his street name? Also, pretty sure everyone in Mississippi has heard of Jesus.

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JoelJ's avatar

I can guarantee everyone in Mississippi has heard of Jesus. At one point, my town was composed of a church on every corner and a used car dealership on the other with a handful of gas stations, a super Wal-Mart, and a few restaurants.

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xenubarb's avatar

Surely the number of bars rivaled the churches, no?

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JoelJ's avatar

Dry county. No beer sales on Sundays either. I think they finally changed that last year or so and we have a liquor store now. Some next door counties had liquor sales but not sure about bars.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

That’s Wisconsin.

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Nicole Matcha's avatar

Yikes, I don’t think I would’ve fit in there and I bet none of the restaurants were vegan!

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Maltnothops's avatar

The street name thing doesn’t seem too odd. For 911 purposes every house needs a street address. In my state if your house was the only one on what was a long driveway, you could choose your street name. (They were all Place.) Johnson Place. Smith Place. The best one I ever saw was Mykinda Place.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

One new street in my town is called Thistle Dew Rd. I suppose it will do.

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Matilda's avatar

In Welsh villages, houses traditionally haven't had numbers, their address may well be 'House name, Village name.' There's not much for bored teens to do of an evening in places like that, so kids have been known to get busy with Sharpies cos 'Pen Isa,' meaning 'the start of the lower end of the village,' can sometimes get, well, altered!

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Nicole Matcha's avatar

Mississippi might as well be Wales from where I’m standing, good to know!

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Nicole Matcha's avatar

Interesting, live and learn!

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Vanity Unfair's avatar

Right: John Allen Seymore in Seymore Road that's not even trying whereas Jesus (of Nazareth) has been hiding for 2,000 years and not been officially found. That must be a world record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycb9_Y_gJ-g

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Joe King's avatar

While calling for "finding Jesus" Sheriff/Pastor Crook also called for longer sentences for drug crimes. How are longer sentences going to work to get people out of poverty? AFAIK, it is poverty, coupled with the (racist) drug war that have fuelled the epidemic of illicit drugs. Religion and incarceration do nothing about the systems behind it all.

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cdbunch's avatar

Because they don't want to disrupt the gravy train of the licit drug epidemic. I don't necessarily think the government should get involved in the manufacture and sales of pharmaceuticals, but I do think it should be more heavily involved in regulation and research. The pharmaceutical companies justify their insane markups, by claiming it's for research, but I notice their CEOs, board members, and stock holders are making several times the salary of the scientists doing the research.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

Most of the pharmaceutical research done in the USA is done by the NIH and sold to the pharmaceutical companies to produce. Big pharma does some research, but not as much as they claim they need these profits for, so they use the profits to buy back their stocks, which inflated the company value and produces more money to give their CEOs. Katy Porter did a great takedown of a pharmaceutical company a few years ago regarding what they spend on research, salaries, wages and stock buybacks. This is the new standard of operation for all large corporations in all industries. This is why Boeing planes are falling apart in the air and baby formula is poisoning infants.

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xenubarb's avatar

Sacklers are still running around free, whole family of pharma drug dealers that got thousands hooked on their "nonaddictive" opiod.

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cdbunch's avatar

Prison is for little people. Not people on the board of a billion dollar corporation. IF they’re tried and convicted (a big IF), community service, or MAYBE minimum security with a golf course. To rehabilitate them.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

Well, the longer they're in prison, the more opportunities the Christian groups who have broad and undeserved access to the prisons will have to convert them! See? He's helping them find Jesus after all!

*𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴*

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xenubarb's avatar

I had friends who lived near projects at Hunter's Point back in the 80s. Got stopped by a cop on my way to visit them one day. It wasn't the blacks who lived in the projects who were using, cop said he busted mostly white, college age kids seeking crack. Only they called it 'hubbas' back then.

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Julie Duggan's avatar

And that's exactly how Mississippi Republicans want their state to stay

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Ralph Welton's avatar

Jesus isn't the answer to drug abuse, Jesus is just an alternative drug.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

If you're going to get addicted to something, how about REALITY???

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Len Koz's avatar

Reality is for people who can't handle drugs.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

or science-fiction!

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

This is why people who stop drug/booze addiction become fire and brimstone preachers.

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cdbunch's avatar

This guy keeps going back to selling meth. Could it be that he's having trouble finding a legitimate job with the restrictions put on paroled felons and the general prejudice against them by businesses?

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Hemant, Hemant, Hemant, you get it all wrong. Jesus is the name of the Marxist Satanist Mexizuelian who send all these drugs via secret tunnels under the Canadian-Oregon border, while hiding in his bunker in Nigeria..

Mandatory (Thanks Zorgichou)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gTGsxSfy_Ck

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

They’re using pets to run the drugs, that’s why the migrants are eating your cats!!!

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Ummm ... Canadian - OREGON border?

I'm pretty sure that's not geographiwackle!

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cdbunch's avatar

Long tunnels.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

VERY long tunnels! 😁

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Can’t figure out if I’m typing from Portland or Victoria.

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cdbunch's avatar

Whichever one is in the handbasket.

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xenubarb's avatar

Do they say 'eh' after every sentence?

If yes, you're in Canadia!

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ericc's avatar

𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑌'𝑎𝑙𝑙, 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑠

How about you truly find Jesus via increasing state and county funding for social drug treatment programs and education? You know, giving of your own money to help your fellow (hu)man by using your resources to get him off drugs. And by providing the next generation with the education that lets them make more money *not* dealing drugs than dealing? How about using funding to raise other prosperity and quality of life indicators, so that impoverishment and inability to get proper medical care doesn't drive more people into the illegal drug trade?

Let me guess, helping out other people using your own resources is a bit *too much* like Jesus for ya?

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Len Koz's avatar

These are the people who will tell you, "God helps those that help themselves."

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

And selling meth IS helping ourselves.

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ericc's avatar

Sure, it's a popular phrase.

But this is not about what God should do. It's about what Christians should do. Jesus told his followers to help others, so whether God is lifting no fingers or creating miracles left and right, doesn't matter, these folks should help. If they believe in doing what Jesus told them to do, that is....

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Len Koz's avatar

You know they don't.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

Bing returned this: The phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is not found in the Bible. In fact, the Bible teaches the opposite, emphasizing that God helps the helpless and provides eternal life through Christ alone.

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cdbunch's avatar

But the phrase does reflect reality. God isn't going to help so he only 'helps' the people who do it themselves.

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Maltnothops's avatar

OT and I’m not in a spot to find the link. But that OK Christian Nationalist Education Commissioner Ryan Walters (title and name be slightly off) is being sued in federal court for wrongly stripping a teacher of her credential. Her crime? Giving her students the web address of the public library. Apparently this was related to teaching CRT in some convoluted way.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Clearly, Ryan Walters knows NOTHING about the Streisand Effect:

If you want to make something MORE popular, MAKE IT ILLEGAL!!!

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Len Koz's avatar

Ryan Walters make me want to drive to Oklahoma just to stick my foot in his ass.

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cdbunch's avatar

I’m surprised there isn’t a line.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I guess a teacher and her lawyer are about to become rich.

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Crowscage's avatar

The teacher needs to sue the SOB in question specifically. Beggar the bugger.

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

OK stripped her teacher credentials because she gave out the web address of the local library? Talk about kkkristers hating education, this is proof they want ignorant people who never question anything.

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cdbunch's avatar

Not the LOCAL library, the BROOKLYN library, which from the sound of it has an online E-book collection that it will share with non-residents.

Some of those books GASP acknowledge LGBT people exist, or that maybe our white ancestors were a little mean to black people and the continent’s previous inhabitants.

Edit: Looks like the Brooklyn library has ended those programs, but continues to advocate against restricting books from teens.

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Maltnothops's avatar

Thank you

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