Counting on Christmas Statistics
If you’re wondering why our country is in the state it’s in, if you’re wondering why intolerant, self-righteous religious zealots have attained positions of power, you might want to consider a rather unpleasant reality. In 2005, Americans gave $98.2 billion to religious organizations. By contrast, Americans gave a comparatively paltry $38.6 billion to support education. While religion and education aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, this fact (in my mind, at least) sends a very strong and undeniable message about what our priorities as a country are…and just how thoroughly messed up they are.
Granted, I recognize that religious organizations can and do perform some important and much-needed work in communities across the country. I by no means intend this as a blanket condemnation of religious organizations. Nonetheless, I think this statistic is a very sad commentary on and indication of how we as a nation devalue education. We demand that our schools educate and prepare our children to be successful and competitive in the 21st century global economy…yet we seem to expect this to be done on the cheap. Despite this, we lavish charitable donations on religious organizations, some of which do good work, others whose raison d’etre seems to center on religious indoctrination, thought control, and fostering the work of those whose hatred and bigotry are as much about Jesus Christ as Ted Bundy was about long-term relationships.
Of course, when Johnny can’t read, spell, or speak in complete sentences, you can always send them to church…or to the White House.
