Apologize for returning with a rant

Lots to catch up on but have a rant that's truly driving me a bit nuts and isn't that the point of having a blog but to share my opinions.  With everything going on in Texas why am I so amazed that there are people looking to use this to promote hate!?!  And before you argue it isn't hate here's a simple guide rule: is it helpful or hurtful!


A while back I posted how disillusioned I've become with FaceBook.  In all honesty I usually only post when we're at the movies, and I'm really bad at missing people's birthdays.  The last few days I've been on FB to check on those I know in the Houston area ~ thank heavens all are safe.  (I did post about international dog's day I'll update you on that later this week).  Earlier today when checking on my crew in Houston a friend's post caught my eye.  She shared it from the Cajun Navy.  Now if you're like me the first time you ever heard of the Cajun Navy, their complete name is actually Louisiana Cajun Navy, was when videos of caravans of these incredible volunteers driving with their boats in tow towards Texas was on social media or the news.   I was quite taken aback by the post/meme that the Cajun Navy shared basically shaming the churches of Houston for not serving its citizens.  There are no sources attributed to their claim that only 4% of the 1566 churches in Houston have opened their doors as shelters.  The meme also post also claims that these churches are tax-exempt so that they can help the needy. There have been those who have commented on that post requesting sources/proof which have not been answered.  In the hours they made this incorrect, unverifiable and inflammatory post it has been shared over 60,000 times. Now here's reality~ did you notice the name of the page responsible for the post/meme?  It's not Louisiana Cajun Navy but rather simply Cajun Navy.  If you follow the post back to the page and scroll a bit you'll discover that they are a parody page.  Clicking on their about button they list themselves as satirical.  The page originated in August 2016 and before Hurricane Harvey they had only posted 4 times.  Sadly they're also not correcting people who are thanking them for their volunteer's efforts. OK so I'll admit to a bit of FB trolling and have replied to many that have thanked them with this: This is a parody page the people you want to thank are https://www.facebook.com/LaCajunNavy/ Half of those replies have been deleted, others were marked as SPAM :(  

I'll admit it feels to good to shout into the wind sometimes.

I'm guessing that the post was created after the out-cry surrounding Joel Osteen's church. It was reported that his Lakewood Church didn't immediately open its doors as a shelter though he disputes that narrative (here's the Fox News interview).  What I heard him say in the interview was once the shelter 4 miles down the road was full he opened his doors.  Unfortunately when there is a perception that large mega churches like this are not responding immediately there can be frustration from those outside the situation.  
I am so frustrated for a number of reasons.  After pointing out the page is a parody and the post has no facts to support it my friend has yet to take down her sharing of the post. I understand and respect her anti-church opinion and understand why she'd share it in the first place. Some of the comments on her post are disappointing, someone is actually defending them pointing out that not everything they post is untrue.  It amazes me people would rather debate the idea of free speech then rather the point that you're spreading false information.  To be honest I enjoyed the debate, I don't agree with their points but appreciate the engagement. Wow, I'm experiencing a FAKE NEWS spin.  My debate with them actually has helped me realized my goal of this entire episode is "To Not Perpetuate Misinformation". 
What I'm also frustrated with and would love to have an open discussion on is this: When you want nothing to do with organized religions/churches and you question their values why is it that you believe yourself (or others) should be a recipient of their outreach?  It's that "I don't want to live by the laws until those laws protect me" attitude.  Let's point out all they're not doing and don't forget they're tax exempt.  Which brings me to  another erroneous comment made the meme/post: Churches receive tax breaks so they can help the needy.  FALSE: Churches are tax not exempt to help the needy but rather to provide a separation of church and state or so says our Supreme Court in 1970. (Not the place here for debate on that just pointing out the error in the FB post/meme) Once again I'm frustrated with how clueless people are.  When are we going to stop the dumbing down of our society?  If it is on FB/Twitter/Google or any other non-news based source it must be true (Again here is not the time for MSM vs Fake News debate ~ just be sure to get your news from multiple competing sources please).  There's another post on the pardody page about helping everyone and the first line states that they're a satirical page yet there's still people thanking them for all they're doing ~ really sometimes it is so just embarrassing.  There's another post of their's stating every Mosque is open for shelter ~ again no proof; though statistically wouldn't some of those be flooded? Since I started writing/researching this I've had to update the number of times that this post has been shared by 15,000; I've been writing for about 90 minutes.  People see the hate and boy they're quick to share ~ so sad.  

The real Cajun Navy can be found on Facebook

For those of you who don't know me: Yes  ~ I'm a Christian  No ~ Currently not a member of any church Yes ~ these are my OPINIONS (with facts provided throughout)