Althouse: "'God our Father, God our Father, we thank you, we thank you,' he sang. 'For our many blessings, for our many blessings, Amen, Amen.'"

May 19, 2015

"'God our Father, God our Father, we thank you, we thank you,' he sang. 'For our many blessings, for our many blessings, Amen, Amen.'"

Child at the Waffle House.

Jesus calling: You can't just eat your waffle.

33 comments:

ron winkleheimer said...: And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mathew 18:3; 5/19/15, 10:01 AM
Etienne said...: I'm happy for the bum, but it is sad the little boy doesn't have a father.; 5/19/15, 10:03 AM
Wince said...: From Instapundit yesterday:

MEGAN MCARDLE ON THE LEFT, THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT, AND THE POOR:

Conservative Christians are taking part in the “national conversation” on poverty. They’re also taking action. If there is a society-wide effort to fight poverty, it is arguably the secular folks who are shirking.

There’s a common trope among liberals, that many Christians are abdicating Christ’s message by focusing on stupid issues like sexual morality and abortion rather than his true message about serving the poor. This shows ignorance about how conservative religious denominations actually operate. Why do so many people hold such a distorted view? It’s a product of availability bias: If you don’t actually interact much with those churches, then your understanding is shaped by the politically controversial stories about abortion and gay marriage. These are readily called to mind because they are perennially discussed, while the vast work that churches do to help struggling people, day in and day out, goes unremarked.

Well, there’s also a general agenda to demonize and marginalize conservative Christians throughout the media, so this isn’t just an accident. Plus:

To put it another way: What if conservative Christians started saying that secular liberals don’t care about poverty, and the only way liberals could show their human decency would be to step up charitable donations to the same level as conservative religious people, get active in efforts to provide private assistance, take in foster kids, and aggressively support stable nuclear families through a combination of exhortation and social sanction? It doesn’t feel quite fair, right?

I dunno, it seems pretty fair to me to suggest that people should put their money where their mouth is, instead of demonstrating their “compassion” largely through a willingness to redistribute other people’s money.; 5/19/15, 10:11 AM
rhhardin said...: My father had a standard grace, said only when his mother was visiting.

It was a family tradition to say it when she was there. I gather it was a tradition in her family, and who wants to fight grandmother's opinions.; 5/19/15, 10:12 AM
damikesc said...: That is one of the most uplifting stories I've read in a while. She's raising a child and doing quite well so far.; 5/19/15, 10:13 AM
rhhardin said...: Mostly little children are hoping the school bus crashes and other mayhem.

It's for this reason that God made children small and weak to limit the damage they'd otherwise do.; 5/19/15, 10:14 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: It would have been better to have taught the guy how to make waffles.; 5/19/15, 10:14 AM
rhhardin said...: Maldoror assists a youth.

(Lautreamont); 5/19/15, 10:22 AM
YoungHegelian said...: There is something well-nigh sacramental about being in a Waffle House in Alabama.

I know that inspired feeling well, as my home town in 'Bammy has two of them on the main drag through town.; 5/19/15, 10:23 AM
hombre said...: "... You can't just eat your waffle."

Sure you can, if you pay for it yourself. Of course, in the freeloading progressive system there's no need to feel gratitude. It's the government that provides from - you know - its independent wealth garnered from its many successful enterprises.; 5/19/15, 10:24 AM
Michael said...: This is the kind of gesture that happens all the time all over our wonderful country. And the people who generously give are scolded by our President who wants to conduct a "conversation" on poverty.; 5/19/15, 10:41 AM
Gabriel said...: Homer: God, if you really are God, you'll get me tickets to that game.
[doorbell rings]
Ned Flanders: Heidely-ho, neighbor. Wanna go to the game with me? I got two tick...
Homer: [slams the door, looks heavenward] Why do you mock me, O Lord?
Marge: Homer, that's not God. That's just a waffle that Bart tossed up there.
[Marge scrapes it off the ceiling into Homer's hands]
Homer: I know I shouldn't eat thee, but...
[bites]
Homer: Mmm, sacrilicious.; 5/19/15, 11:02 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: If everyone with negative words to say about this mother and her child were to drop dead at this moment, the world would be a 100% better place (once we finished disposing of the bodies). Sometimes nice is just nice.; 5/19/15, 11:12 AM
Krumhorn said...: Sometimes nice is just nice.

House would say that nice is a symptom.

- Krumhorn; 5/19/15, 11:48 AM
Jessica said...: 'You can't just eat your waffle.'

I honestly don't get this observation. Is that a criticism of the little boy saying grace? Suggesting that they should have bought the man a waffle but then shut up? Highlighting the fact that other patrons were disturbed? I didn't expect that sort of anti-religious potshot from you, Althouse. The article didn't mention a line of secular humanists lining up to feed this man....; 5/19/15, 11:51 AM
Jack Okie said...: Jessica,

It's the inner compulsion that forces us to do something. Shindler was a mediocre business man on the make, but when it came time to decide, he could not not try to do the right thing.; 5/19/15, 11:59 AM
traditionalguy said...: That's why Christianity will defeat the Religion of peace that is sworn to the death a jihad to behead all such worshipers of that idol called the Son of God.; 5/19/15, 12:02 PM
damikesc said...: I honestly don't get this observation. Is that a criticism of the little boy saying grace? Suggesting that they should have bought the man a waffle but then shut up? Highlighting the fact that other patrons were disturbed? I didn't expect that sort of anti-religious potshot from you, Althouse. The article didn't mention a line of secular humanists lining up to feed this man....

Comment from prof seems odd as well.

This was a beautiful story. It doesn't seem the patrons were irritated by it. A little kid learned the glory of doing good things for those less fortunate.

He and his mom didn't talk about helping the homeless --- they HELPED THE HOMELESS.

To put it another way: What if conservative Christians started saying that secular liberals don’t care about poverty, and the only way liberals could show their human decency would be to step up charitable donations to the same level as conservative religious people, get active in efforts to provide private assistance, take in foster kids, and aggressively support stable nuclear families through a combination of exhortation and social sanction? It doesn’t feel quite fair, right?

I've actually said that in my Sunday School class before when we discussed the problems of the Church.

The media focuses on the Church's concern about poor behavior but ignore the rest. Charitable groups will TALK about what they want to do while my church has its youth group, every single year, go to a community (not a local one, mind you) and repair as many homes as possible. We even house the youth from other churches whose youth do the same here, I assume to avoid embarrassing somebody that the youth might know who needs the help.

While feeding as many as possible.

And the most religious thing they will do is ask if the recipient wants to pray with them (some say no).

We have donated food and shoes every year to a school that has substantial poverty in its students.

Are we perfect? Nope.

Do we do more good than most large Progressive charities? I will happily say yes. We definitely do.; 5/19/15, 12:03 PM
paminwi said...: This mom is doing somrthing right and we should applaud that. And say to Althouse, stop being so snarky.; 5/19/15, 12:11 PM
m stone said...: I figure Ann is close enough to 80 and can speak the truth as she sees it.; 5/19/15, 12:19 PM
TRISTRAM said...: "I dunno, it seems pretty fair to me to suggest that people should put their money where their mouth is, instead of demonstrating their “compassion” largely through a willingness to redistribute other people’s money."

As Instapundit says it: "I'll believe it is a crisis when the people telling me it is a crisis act like it is a crisis." Many Christians are stepping up. More then the Foundation for the Benefit of the Clintons...err... The Clinton Foundation,; 5/19/15, 1:03 PM
Larry J said...: Jessica said...
'You can't just eat your waffle.'

I honestly don't get this observation. Is that a criticism of the little boy saying grace? Suggesting that they should have bought the man a waffle but then shut up? Highlighting the fact that other patrons were disturbed? I didn't expect that sort of anti-religious potshot from you, Althouse. The article didn't mention a line of secular humanists lining up to feed this man....

Perhaps it's meant to remind us of when Obama was running for office in 2008. Some reporter was trying to ask him a question and he replied, "Why can't I just eat my waffle?"; 5/19/15, 1:04 PM
traditionalguy said...: The blessing on the food and eaters is actually saying grace which is saying thanks to God.

When Jesus took such a boy's lunch gift and fed five thousand men plus women and children with seven baskets of pieces left over, he only said "Thanks." And then the groups of seated people ate.; 5/19/15, 1:15 PM
David said...: I was at Waffle House today. (And Wal-Mart) People saying grace at Waffle House are common. It's also not unheard of for people to buy others a meal. Waffle House is quite a wonderful place, and if the right cook is on the griddle the food can be excellent.; 5/19/15, 1:53 PM
CStanley said...: I took the professor's comment differently- thought she meant it as a reminder that this boy knew what was important (feeding others, not just himself.) I could be wrong though.; 5/19/15, 2:30 PM
CStanley said...: My favorite story about Waffle House is the FEMA "Waffle House Index" after natural disasters:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904716604576542460736605364

This story is great too.; 5/19/15, 2:33 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "'You can't just eat your waffle.' I honestly don't get this observation. Is that a criticism of the little boy saying grace? Suggesting that they should have bought the man a waffle but then shut up? Highlighting the fact that other patrons were disturbed? I didn't expect that sort of anti-religious potshot from you, Althouse. The article didn't mention a line of secular humanists lining up to feed this man...."

Why did you interpret me that way? I'm genuinely saying that Jesus calls us to a higher morality. Like the first commenter, I was thinking of the call to become like a little child.

I also intended a riff on the famous Obama quote.; 5/19/15, 3:34 PM
sparrow said...: I read it the same way - glad your intent was different; 5/19/15, 3:40 PM
CStanley said...: Glad I was right about the interpretation. After reading others I can see how they took it that way- maybe because is that Obama quote where he was being peevish.; 5/19/15, 4:23 PM
cf said...: Godspeed, America; 5/19/15, 5:17 PM
Derve Swanson said...: Why did you interpret me that way? I'm genuinely saying that Jesus calls us to a higher morality. Like the first commenter, I was thinking of the call to become like a little child.

I also intended a riff on the famous Obama quote.
------------
Pretty sure Ann meant it in a snarky way: Why not pray and as a good Christian, keep your deeds done in secret for only your Father to know...

Why did the mother have to secretly snap a photo of the homeless/hungry man during the blessing, and brag about her son to others?

Wasn't his inherent act of praying enough?

(It's interesting: Ann does not want to alienate her commenters. She DOES do snark, and cynicism, but when the rubes catch on and call her out, she is than publicly a Christian lady. lol)

Keep thinking and observing, Christian readers. Remember too... Madison, Wisc. Just sayin'.; 5/20/15, 2:43 AM
Jessica said...: Fair enough, Ann, I'll take you at your word. Glad you're not snarking on a perfectly sweet little boy.; 5/20/15, 8:57 AM
mikee said...: The singing kid had nothing to do with Althouse's comment about waffles, other than to start a stream of consciousness that flowed to Obama, of course, because who else doesn't just get to eat his waffle, especially when he is only in the place to be seen in the place, the fraudulent hypocrite narcissist.

Speaking truth to power, Althouse. I get it.; 5/20/15, 1:18 PM