In the 1950s, ad men told America to buy religion

[RSherman]

At my last church, a friend and I were talking to the minister after the service. I don’t remember how it came up, but she opined that Social Security and other safety nets were the worst thing that happened to this country. I was speechless. She continued, saying that taking care of people was the church’s job, not the government’s.

1. I think there’s plenty of need for both the church and the government to help. I live in a rural, not well off area. Amsterdam was the Rug City. Johnstown and Gloversville were the Glove Cities and Canajoharie had Beech Nut and Lifesavers. All those good jobs are gone.

2. This woman is older and she and her husband don’t have much. She also has many, many health problems. I’m sure she and her husband are taking advantage of SS and Medicare.

I ended up leaving this church once I realized the minister was a Trump supporter, as was the rest of the very small congregation. (one woman used to watch FOX on her phone until church started and would giggle “oh Tucker” like a love struck teen. Ugh.) Soon after, my friend was in the hospital for a week with COVID pneumonia. He came out of it with 35 percent lung function and his pulmonary doctor told him he could no longer work (he was a burly guy who did construction). It took 3 months for him to get help from the county while he applied for SS disability. I helped him with his bills, but his truck ended up being repossessed. He is just ONE person. Does this minister really think our little church with about 10 members could have taken care of him better than SNAP, HEAP, and SS disability? Paid his truck payments and insurance?

I’m currently reading “The Founding Myth” by Andrew Seidel and now understand that this minister was a victim of a 50s era anti-New Deal ad campaign.

Industrialists including DuPont, Firestone, US Steel and others wanted to undermine the New Deal regulations and undermine the labor unions. They began financing preachers who proclaimed that the New Deal undermined Christianity. (This reminds me of the KKK, which paid Protestant ministers to preach their message from the pulpit).

The Ad Council began the Religion in American Life campaign which pushed the message that free civilization rests upon a basis of religious faith. So, the corporations spent tons of money to push false piety for their own purposes. They made it sound like anyone who supported the New Deal and safety nets were un-Christian, therefore, un-American.