Be patient with the Bible quotes– I’m contrasting “faith” which the Bible of course talks about, with “faith-based” which word just ain’t in there, although now it was inserted by US President George W. Bush, an Executive Order marking the beginning of his reign Administration since 2001, and has remained a central feature of federal family and fatherhood policy (even in the “Change” Administration which has followed.  Did that change?  Not much!), despite complete lack of definition even in the corporate world.    What is a “faith-based” corporation? IRS has a few designations, like “religious-exempt” but does corporate law apart from that? I’ve spent a lot of time on various secretary of state sites over the years (2009ff anyhow) — and I’ve yet to see a searchable field called “faith based.” …. Even Taggs.HHS.gov doesn’t have a sortable field:  “faith-based, Yes/No” or even a Grantee Type or Class…

Psalm 139 speaks in wonder and awe about how no one can flee the presence of God, and how wonderful that is.  For those who have faith (even “as a grain of mustard seed”) it is indeed comforting to contemplate that, “even if I should make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”

This is to be a good and comforting quality and leads into a determination to praise:

1<> O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

David was a fugitive from the king and spent a period of time living in caves, and on the run, from his jealous predecessor, Saul.  Generations later, Paul (a.k.e. Saul of Tarsus; no king, but a Pharisee) also fell afoul of religious authorities of his time (after having betrayed his colleagues by converting from persecution followers of Jesus Christ and throwing them in jail, to preaching Christ and being whipped, stoned, thrown in jail (escaped a few times) and in general living like someone with no home.  He wrote in “Romans 8” also movingly about the pervasive love of God in Christ Jesus.  Apparently this was written from prison, or at least house-arrest in Rome.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In all these things, in other words, there is “the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul, as it goes, known as “apostle to the Gentiles” learned the hard way about profiling people by their religious affiliations, and after having caused major suffering, himself, later suffered.

While he did have a lot to say about “faith” strangely, he said nothing at all about “faith-based,” nor did he (as do the Mormons, or the Unification church) apparently believe that the unmarried were per se inferior, or single mothers, “anathema.”  Galatians 5, you can see the word “faith” figures prominently, but in context, it’s referring to a specific thing, apparently: faith came, faith was revealed, it justified, faith in Christ Jesus [in context, including the resurrection from the dead] enables people to become “children of God”

23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In one sense, it could be said the entire Bible is to elicit faith in  a specific gospel and prophecies.

The concept of something being kinda-sorta “faith-based” and as such, deserving of special consideration, is nowhere to be found.  Please see also segment in green, above, especially the third “there is neither” phrase.  Thank you.  The equalizer in this context is “in Christ Jesus.”

“Faith-Based”

I should not have to mention this, except that nowadays, it’s the “faith-based” and  gender-based (fatherhood) program material that there’s nowhere to flee from, the moment anyone enters the Federal room — which we are all pretty much operating in, in this country.  You work a legitimate job, (or business) you have a social security number, you pay towards the central pool, you are participating in producing some of these grant programs.

If perchance you end up on the wrong side of the law, it’s likely you may end up (and much MORE likely if you are male, and of a certain skin color) in some of the places operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  Or contracted out to private corporations.  You may end up in jail.  However, if you are living in a household without a father, and with an independent-minded single mother who fights for custody — or in ignorance of the powers that be, applies for child support, or federal assistance for things like FOOD — you are also possible fodder for the Foster Care System (if it’s not possible to find a father to reconnect you with).  

I have been working hard to understand this and come to the conclusion that the whole system appears to revolve around the letter “F.”  “F” in school is not a passing grade, but “F” in this context is fine, wonderful, friendly, family-oriented, and federally-favorable.

And it seems there is nowhere to flee from its reach either.  I’m saying this on behalf of a number of cases (in different states) where mothers are fighting either to reconnect with children in foster care, or to prevent from losing custody to a criminal whose outreach program included a faith-based fatherhood representative and related funding.

 “F,” must be it is Fun, Fair, and Family-Friendly; and should be Federally Funded.  After all, not one, but TWO, presidents who, amazingly, also were fathers* executively ordered it so.

Of course not before a womanizing married President from the State of Arkansas told to re-tool themselves to accommodate men. In 1995 (see sideline).

We are in a different era now, that of believing that both God and any “faith-based” organizations, plus of course men (as opposed to women) need a little extra help in gaining favor with the grant-based federal government policy-making machine.  Accordingly, it just warn’t right that groups who are justified by faith shouldn’t get a leg-up and hand-out from the king’s table Department of Justice (and Health and Human Services, etc.)  and give praise where praise is due – to the king the DOJ.

This is what we get for the sins of our forefathers, including a country in permanent emergency status leftover from World War I (formerly “the Great War” until there was a World War II), and having believed that somehow, it was better to put our faith in the Fed (and Federal Income Tax, etc.) and, in general man….  Apparently someone was jealous of this God, and decided to issue and Executive Order (ca. 2001) such that it wasn’t his Spirit, but their faith-based programs and responsible fatherhood setups that no one can get away from.

This came across my inbox, and I felt it worth mentioning, again — who really needs all this? And what is the social cost?  We already know that the USA can’t track its own HHS grants, so no one really knows the financial costs.   (background color = my addition; the logo is the link)

And on the lefthand side, a gorgeous, elegant sidebar:

Prisoner Reentry

Violence Prevention

Promoting Responsible Fatherhood

White House Office of FBNP

Frequently Asked Questions

Photo Gallery

If you search the word “faith-based” above, on the site, you’ll find 16 uses.

Look for it in the Bible, and you won’t find it, particularly in this use — as describing a community (or “neighborhood”) organization which qualifies to receive grants, meaning is a corporation registered with someone legitimizing tracking through the Social Security Adminstration’s EIN#, etc., etc.

You do find, however, phrases like, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”  It also is clearer than clear about not having “respect of persons” (meaning social status) which should tell anyone immediately that what most so-called Christian faith-based organizations, in practice, are now and historically have been doing (including religious wars, selling indulgences, building magnificent edifices, and trying in general to centralize wealth and control under world domination, etc., while figuring out who to excommunicate and who to build alliances with for worldly power and riches, is the exact opposite):

<< James 2 >>

1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

Then it even goes on to scold them for hypocrisy, preaching faith, while saying, let your faith comfort you, knowing when someone is simply hungry, cold, or destitute:

14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

I shouldn’t have all these purple rectangles up above, but just wish to point out that just as “faith-based” has little to nothing to do with at least “faith” in this book, even so the “fatherhood” propaganda from the federal government has anything to do with  real, and good,”fatherhood,” which pretty much by definition wouldn’t need all these bells and whistles, props, and threats.  Something ain’t right with all this media campaign.

So don’t be deceived by the labeling.  The labeling is there for a distraction (and a calling-card).  In practice, if you follow these grants and grantees, it does seem to have a certain common application, which has nothing to do with siring anything — except more corporations, programs and eager practitioners ready to practice on as many as can be recruited into the program.   …

CHARACTER AND RIGHTS DEFINED BY CHROMOSOME CONTENT?

As such this will breed entitlement by chromosome, and reduces the motivation to respect the law, in general.

Click on the Responsible Fatherhood page and find a referral to “fatherhood.gov” which, as I have related herein, is being run (last I heard) by a former, or current, public employee from New York state whose organization has more corporate names than anyone can keep track of, but apparently registered as a NYS charity ONLY in time to get a nice, fat $7 million grant from public funds (assuming it’s continued for the full years available) to continue running this media campaign:

Do a “search” and count the word usage of “father” (“fatherlessness” “father-absent” etc.) below.  I came up with 26 — in this short period.  Plus “Dad” 4 more times.

First sentence claims that the real problem families in America are facing is “fatherlessness” – not criminal behavior or extortion within government, “losing” trillions of $$ or over-taxing people by a few hundred billion — or in any way, shape, or form, corruption in leadership.  Although there’s plenty of evidence that leadership is quite corrupt.  However, forget that, abandon rational thought, and focus on the “F” word.  Tune into the resonance “Faith-based, Fathers, Families”  . . . . “Faith-based, Fathers, Families”

If you’re really faithful, you’ll want that father in the home no matter what.  If you really care about families (or children), like us, you will sponsor groups to go get Dads out of prison and reconnect them with children, even children they’ve never shown a prior interest in.  So what?  there’s a Y chromosome involved!!

Notice, they start with a generalized statistic we are also supposed to believe (take it on faith) based on probability and social science studies sponsored by this government.  How reassuringly authoritative to have an ANSWER to life’s social problems (crime, drug use, delinquency, and teenagers having too much sex without enough contraception. Oh, forget the contraception (I just remembered the “faith-based” factor), go for abstinence instead.  Follow the example set for centuries by, say, priests…. and evangelical pastors. Like, say, megachurch pastor Eddie Long from New Birth Baptist Missionary Church, or New Life megachurch leader (until he was “outed”) Ted Haggard, who has had a change of heart about same-sex marriage (after being caught with a male prostitute and admitting to using crystal meth, viewing pornography, etc., while head of this church).  It doesn’t say he’s had a change of heart about fatherhood.   In 2009 (the disgrace was in 2006) another young man started to talk:

Disgraced pastor Haggard facing new sex allegations

(Colorado Springs, 2009; CNN; Eric Marrapodi and Jim Spelman)

“Haggard is the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, a group that says it represents millions of people in 45,000 church congregations nationwide. He and other evangelical leaders participated in weekly conference calls with senior White House aides during the Bush administration.

In November 2006, allegations surfaced that Haggard had a three-year relationship with Mike Jones, a male escort, involving drugs and sex for money. After those allegations became public, New Life fired Haggard and he resigned as president of the national organization.

Repeat after me, three times without stopping, or until it’s engrained in your unconscious:  the real reason, the undergirding cause young people engage in crime, sex, drugs, and rock’n roll crime (with married pastors with children) is because they are fatherless.  

This emergency can’t wait for Congressional approval or to be run by the public (51% of who appear to be female). Strong, charismatic Presidents need to issue Executive Orders.  Faith-based organizations, including nonprofits quickly formed by and operating from the same address as megachurches if necessary,  must have NO obstacles to obtaining more grants to to stem this flood of evil.

In the last three weeks, Boyd said, the young man told him that he was considering going public with his story because Haggard was portraying himself as a victim in an upcoming HBO documentary called “The Trial of Ted Haggard,” which is scheduled to air Thursday.

In a settlement with New Life, the church and Haggard agreed that he would retain his six-figure salary for a year, leave the Colorado Springs area, receive counseling, and not speak publicly about what had happened for one year, according to a church staff member with knowledge of the settlement who was not authorized to speak on the record.

That basically implicates those who have contributed to this tax-exempt creation in the coverup!  whose donations provided that six-figure salary?  $xxx,xxx — that’s six figures!

Jones said Monday that he has spoken with the former church volunteer whom Boyd said had a relationship with Haggard.

“My anger is so much at the church,” Jones {{the male prostitute}} said. “They tried to keep this quiet when all along I’ve taken a beating feeling like I was the only one, when clearly there were others.”

Promoting Responsible Fatherhood

Fatherlessness is a growing problem in America, one that undergirds many of the challenges that families are facing. When dads aren’t around, young people are more likely to drop out of school, use drugs, be involved in the criminal justice system, and become young parents themselves.

Case in point surely demonstrate this; they must be, however the exception.

President Obama has said that being a father to Malia and Sasha is the most important job he has. At the same time, growing up without a dad himself, the President understands firsthand the holes that fathers leave in their families when they are absent.

Yes, a family with a woman and mother acting responsibly and supporting the household, is a family with a HOLE in it.  It’s not a real family.  No father =/= real family, right?  President Obama is a prime example of how fatherlessness leads to a life of crime, when it’s not leading to the POTUS?

The President is joining with fathers across the nation to send a strong message about personal responsibility and “stepping up to the plate,” while supporting fathers who want to be there for their kids, even dads facing challenges in their lives. That’s what the President’s Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative is all about.

The President’s Fatherhood Initiatives help promote strategies that encourage support for fathers and families. In 1960, less than 8 million children were living in families where the father was absent. Today the number of children living in father-absent homes stands at 24 million. Through research, discussions and planning, the federal government is determined to replicate initiatives that prove especially useful for non-custodial parents struggling to enter the workforce, earn a living wage and reconnect with family members, specifically offspring.

The Fatherhood Initiative and member agencies are working to change fatherlessness by supporting family and father friendly policies, highlighting the importance of fathers in the lives of their children, developing coalitions around this issue in an effort to provide resources to men to help them be better dads.

[[Post split in about half February 4, 2014…. It was 15,000 words!]]