The book suggests that the defining problem driving out most people who leave is … just how American life works in the 21st century. Contemporary America simply isn’t set up to promote mutuality, care, or common life. Rather, it is designed to maximize individual accomplishment as defined by professional and financial success. Such a system leaves precious little time or energy for forms of community that don’t contribute to one’s own professional life or, as one ages, the professional prospects of one’s children. Workism reigns in America, and because of it, community in America, religious community included, is a math problem that doesn’t add up.
This. And you cannot convince these Evangelicals and mega-church people that what they're supporting is wrong. It's even impossible for me to relate to my Christian family members, one of my cousins listens to fucking Joel Osteen vomits profusely. And as you say, these people see the suffering of the poor as divine justice for irresponsibility or whatever is evil and cruel. They have forgotten the lesson of the Good Samaritan. They are like the Rabbis who just walked on past the man dying in the street. What's also wild is how capitalism literally promotes the same values the Bible describes the devil having, and our whole society and fabricated pop culture pushes neoliberal propaganda on kids. Meanwhile, in school we tell the kids to be kind, courteous, honest, etc. but when they grow up and realize the world doesn't work that way, they get cynical and decide to take what they can in this dog-eat-dog system. I just wish Christians like us had a real voice in society so people would know we don't stand for injustice, bigotry, and war like the fundamentalists do. Anyway, sorry for rambling but I get really passionate about this lol
Never apologize for caring about injustice, caring is cool. No amount of post-post-post irony internet brain poisoning will change that. You good man
Hell yeah bruther!