Solar-Powered Bibles: Misguided Donations To Haiti or Spiritual Shysters?

Stop The Disaster Relief!
Haiti Is Saved!
With Solar-Powered Bibles!?!

I'm not making this stuff up! Our thanks to Dr. Valerie Tarico for letting us know about this latest humanitarian miracle!

From Huffington Post:

Solar Powered Bibles for Haiti:
Why Some Christians Feel Compelled to Exploit Disaster

Physicist Steven Weinberg once said, "With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

For solar powered Bibles or church-building to win out over food and medicine requires a religion that values conversion over compassion. But when we see this phenomenon at its worst, it is because someone in the thrall of a viral ideology has figured out some reverse alchemy that turns the precious gold of empathy into the lead of opportunism.

Dr. Tarico must have read my article about Pat Robertson and "God's Ambulance Chasers." Now I have a bona fide reference to turn to when arguing about some Christians' compassion. Even mainstream Christians are having a rough time over the "donations".

From Gizmodo

They claim that “the Proclaimer is self-powered and can play the Bible in the jungle, desert or… even on the moon!” I’m sure that it would be more helpful there than in Haiti. Because, in Haiti, a solar-powered Bible will be as helpful as the Genesis according to Eddie Izzard.

With the exception of some brave local affiliates and The Young Turks this situation has not gotten much coverage. I wonder why. Does the media think it's too lightweight? Or that any coverage would be insulting to Christians overall?

Perhaps it hasn't been covered because it would be an insult to Haitians. When the tsunami devastated southeast Asia years ago, Jerry Falwell dared to send 600,000 scriptural tracts and the response was a cold "thanks, but no thanks" by populations that were mostly Hindus and Muslims.

The maker and marketer of "The Proclaimer," Faith Comes By Hearing insists that relief groups are clamoring for it. The website shows a mass of people reaching for something being given out, but you can rest assured that it isn't an audio bible or that they're even near one.

Faith Comes By Hearing, an international Audio Bible group, is working with Convoy of Hope to provide spiritual relief in Haiti.

Unfortunately, Convoy of Hope would rather have the cash:

MSNBC:

Many agencies try to motivate donors with the mathematics of the situation. Jeff Nene, a spokesman for Convoy of Hope, a Springfield, Mo., agency that feeds 11,000 children a day in Haiti, urges cash donations that allow his group to buy in bulk from large suppliers and retailers.

“When people give $1, it translates into $7 in the field,” he said. “If they spend $5 for bottled water, that’s nice and it makes them feel good, but probably it costs us more than $5 to send it. If they give us $5, we can get $35 worth of water.”

Sending 600 "Proclaimers" to Haiti costs $92,000. I guess Faith Comes By Hearing wasn't motivated enough by the mathematics to just send cash.

Linked to the story of audio Bibles is another possible insult to the people of Haiti: Mars Hill Church ("The Cussing Pastor" Mark Driscoll). The goal of this Seattle megachurch and its crew is not to provide direct aid to the people of Haiti, but to help rebuild the churches as fast as possible. To some, this may be admirable, but to the people who are suffering for lack of food, water and medical treatment, rebuilding ministries and churches may be the furthest things from their minds. Just a guess.

Shysters?

I remember one week ago when George Bush told us to watch out for "shysters" when making donations to Haitian relief.While he certainly didn't mean people to steer clear of faith-based donations to Haiti, his comment could include "misguided" donations. We all have ideas as to what human beings need in situations like Haiti's, but I think that 99% of Americans will say that there's an order to the list: #1. Medical treatment and supplies. #2. Food. #3. Adequate shelter. Substituting any of these with Bibles, places of worship or ministers is not humane. AFTER these first three have been taken care of, yes, BUT NOT BEFORE.

Transporting, feeding, sheltering volunteers from ministries also takes money.

Update: The reaction to the donation (and the request for money to supply 3000 more - rough estimate: $460,000 or enough to feed 3200 people for one month) has been rather violent in tone, with some people sounding off on both sides:

- Maybe they can turn them into hotplates...

- Haitians aren't atheists like one outspoken DR poster. They have lost everything, including their Bibles.

- The inhuman wretches of this "church" should be marooned on an island with nothing but a pint of rum, one of their precious "proclaimers," and a pistol with one shot. The rum and pistol, in case you were curious, demonstrate that I am capable of more compassion than they could ever muster.

A good source to find out exactly what is needed is Good Intentions Are Not Enough.

There were supposed to be three videos accompanying this article, but I pulled on out at the last minute. It's a very sacrilegious take on the donation of solar-powered bibles featuring Hitler. It will probably be pulled from YouTube before long, if Faith Comes By Hearing has anything to say about it.

The first is a clip from The Young Turks which, in my opinion, is a "fair and balanced" attempt to look at the donation. The second is a gruesome look at the devastation citing a verse from the New Testament about the End Times as prophesied by Christ. It may help you decide whether or not the solar-powered Bibles are actually needed.

Just a thought.

James David Manning's Sermons Are Growing More Violent By The Minute

"Allah Ain't Akbar, But Jesus Is"

Listen/watch the rants of "Rev." James David Manning and you'll realize that the Matthew Shepard Act (hate crimes legislation) was passed none too soon. Watch his video and decide if this is intended to incite violence. I wish I could have posted it, but Manning and ATLAH have been banned from YouTube (I wonder why?)

Since my last article on Manning, I have attempted to contact Manning via email provided on his website. I have even subscribed to an email newsletter. To reiterate, I have asked him:

Please provide the following documents:

• Certificate of Graduation from The New Rochelle College
• Award Certificate for Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary
• Letters from probation officers in the State of New York and the State of Florida stating dates of incarceration and the crimes for which both stays were meted out
• Proof of employment from Proctor and Gamble
• Proof of employment from Ford Motor Company
• Passport with dated stamp showing entry into the United Kingdom for the year 2004

So in the comment box for this video I wrote:

These comments are astounding proof of Pastor Manning's influence. So many of them are filled with such hatred (most of which is unfounded) not only for Obama, but for humanity itself. The latest video practically tells everyone to go out and kill Muslims and as many as possible. For example:

November 8, 2009 at 2:38 pm

Right on, Dr. Manning! All Muslims should immediately be kicked out of the armed forces, especially the ones “in the rear with the gear,” like that fake psychiatrist who killed 13 at Ford Hood. And all GAYS should be kicked out too!*

What's with the "fake psychiatrist"?? Does this commentor have knowledge that no one else has? Nidal Malik Hasan was a licensed psychiatrist who dealt with some very serious issues in dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Sydrome of all the men stationed at Fort Hood:
Colorado Springs Gazette:

Hasan, it appears, was dealing with a number of stressful issues. For one, he counseled soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, one of the most challenging and emotionally draining tasks for a mental health care provider.

I posted a counter argument concerning the latest video:

Getting to the subject of "fake", however, I am now going to unleash a torrent of bad language, faulty reasoning, hatred, and all around foul feelings directed primarily at me. But here goes anyway: Has anyone actually checked the documents of "Rev." Manning? Just because he has that "Rev." in front of his name, because he's on cable TV, just because he says "God," "Bible" "Jesus" so many times does not mean he is who he claims to be. Oh yes, you've heard about his life of crime before and that he found Jesus while serving time. That shouldn't bother anyone. It is very commendable that he deals so honestly (up to a point) with his congregation. But the various biographies don't add up.

I then reiterated everything I stated in the previous article and added this:

Why am I being such a jerk about all this? Spirituality in any form is a wonderful, personal and deeply complex thing. Every being on earth has a right to it. Spirituality is an essence within us. (And yes, even atheists can be spiritual in their own way). There are, however, so many people to whom spirituality is too complex, too frightful (because they've been led to fear the unknown) they naturally turn to others for help. Ministers, preachers, priests, imams, rabbis, monks, holy men are supposed to help them. And some do. While some have their agenda for power.

One of the gravest sins a human being can perform is the sin of fraud to a community of believers. They have questions and concerns and he tells them that he has the answers - through God, of course.

I think "Rev." Manning may be a fraud. He certainly owes his congregation explanations as to why there are discrepancies in his biographies. If he is not a fraud, he will be perfectly willing to come up with the above documents. Enquiring minds want to know. Thank you. And God bless you.

Manning and his ATLAH are on Facebook and Twitter. The tweets he posts are a tribute to birther zealotry. ATLAH has been banned from YouTube.

Today is DAY 3 of challenging Manning. No response yet. Neither have I been shot at or struck by lightning.
We'll see.

* It seems this guy is an aficionado of haters because here was his response on Facebook:

Dr. Manning, you and Michael Savage are the two greatest living entities on the face of the Earth and should both be added to Mount Rushmore. When you and Savage are gone this country is doomed. Live long and prosper. God bless you and here's to hoping you have lots of security nearby to keep you safe and sound.