zenda

God also wouldn't like children to have food meant for them taken away, or toilet hygiene compromised. Or drunk people falling on them. NB, I'm just guessing that for God, it's one of those "I give them free will. They give me headaches" kind of things.



Anyway. Hi Snowy. Pleased to meet you and I'm noticing the following:

This thread is pertaining to people who are homeless, The immediate issue is, however, not about their homelessness, it is about protection against someone's dangerous behaviour and about preserving effectiveness in administering the duty of care being entrusted to you by the community.

The fact that they are homeless is a red herring which CAN be used against you to make you seem like the 'bad guys' when you take vigorous measures to protect the context in which you CAN care for people who Do Need in ways which you are ABLE to provide for.

It is an issue of security and lockdown.
It is not an issue of twisting yourself knots to 'sell' pastoral care where it is not wanted.
It is not an issue of long-time frames and dealing with underlying causes.
It is an issue of preventing the 'accident' which could happen to a child .. tomorrow.

Or of saying "Parents, I am sorry, your children are not welcome here, for their own good, since we have potentially dangerous people squatting on the premises." And let's face it - if a child suffers serious damage, your operation gets shut down.

Those are the realities, and I am sadly amused when harm to those we are caring for NOW, becomes a matter of acceptable collateral damage. Because of this, I am manufacturing a few bottom lines in place and propose that they, or bottom lines such as them be the 'acid test', when politically astute or globally conscious issues are raised.

Your thread is about what to do NOW, where now=ASAP, and we thank your church's God that children have not already come to serious grief.




Now, because it seems OK for this thread to include examining issues of 'bigotry' and 'assumptions' regarding people's application of standards, I may go ahead and do so .. but that will be for another, more philosophical post.

After all, I need to practice, in order to be ready for when I get faced by a vigorous freedom-fighter, valiantly asserting a case for independence from the Man, and expressing it by turning up on my doorstep, and 'giving' me the opportunity to support the cause for world peace and liberation from oppression by multi national corporations - by giving him food, shelter and cherishing his right to get rat-arsed.