Leonard Pitts on our biz

Mediator · Jun 18, 2008

My people, we have a saying in the Judeo-Christian tradition:

"Eat your broccoli."

Ben_Hecht · Jun 18, 2008

Frank_Ridgeway said:

Ben_Hecht said:

Alma said:

I actually lost respect for Leonard Pitts in this column for one line:

"In the Judeo-Christian tradition, we have a saying: God helps those who help themselves."

You ain't gonna find it in the Old or New Testament. Because it's a lie.
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Misattribution. The curse of the comfortable from-the-couch columnist since the
dawn of time.
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He travels a lot. Often for speaking engagements, but he gets around and some of his columns have datelines. My point was he doesn't live in the city of the newspaper that employs him and here he is saying that newspapers ought to stress their local knowledge. He's a great columnist, but is there really any question whether Herald readers would be better served if Pitts lived among them?
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Understood. And thoroughly fair.

ink-stained wretch · Jun 18, 2008

My church says eat asparagus, heathen.

Van Lingle Mungo · Jun 18, 2008

Alma said:

Bruhman said:

He didn't say it came from scripture. He said it's a saying in the Judeao-Christian tradition.

And it is.
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Uh, no, it isn't. You're not going to hear the "God won't help you until you help yourself" sermon at any church this Sunday.

It's an American saying. From a deist. Period. Jews and Christians got nothing to do with it.

At any rate, I would love to see Pitts apply that line to some other topic and see how well that goes for him.

Ben Franklin was not a Jew or a Christian.
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Zoidberg Jesus said it in one of the Christmas episodes of "Futurama." So there's that.

crusoes · Jun 19, 2008

Mediator said:

My people, we have a saying in the Judeo-Christian tradition:

"Eat your broccoli."
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Vile weed!

Simon_Cowbell · Jun 19, 2008

The meek shall inherit the earth.... yadayadayada

Bruhman · Jun 19, 2008

Alma said:

Bruhman said:

He didn't say it came from scripture. He said it's a saying in the Judeao-Christian tradition.

And it is.
Click to expand...

Uh, no, it isn't. You're not going to hear the "God won't help you until you help yourself" sermon at any church this Sunday.

It's an American saying. From a deist. Period. Jews and Christians got nothing to do with it.

At any rate, I would love to see Pitts apply that line to some other topic and see how well that goes for him.

Ben Franklin was not a Jew or a Christian.
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Methinks thou protests too much, for reasons which escape me.

How about it's an American saying uttered by an deist but adopted into the Judeo-Christian tradition?

Alma · Jun 19, 2008

Bruhman said:

Alma said:

Bruhman said:

He didn't say it came from scripture. He said it's a saying in the Judeao-Christian tradition.

And it is.
Click to expand...

Uh, no, it isn't. You're not going to hear the "God won't help you until you help yourself" sermon at any church this Sunday.

It's an American saying. From a deist. Period. Jews and Christians got nothing to do with it.

At any rate, I would love to see Pitts apply that line to some other topic and see how well that goes for him.

Ben Franklin was not a Jew or a Christian.
Click to expand...

Methinks thou protests too much, for reasons which escape me.

How about it's an American saying uttered by an deist but adopted into the Judeo-Christian tradition?
Click to expand...

Look - it's not part of the Judeo-Christian tradition. It hasn't been adopted by any Christian or Jew I know. The phrase belongs to those who don't believe in God, or know very little about God. The phrase runs so contrary to the teaching in both of those faith that it may have been one of reasons Franklin uttered it in the first place.

Again...love to see Pitts trot that phrase out on some other topic other than McClatchy Newspapers' online footprint.

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Leonard Pitts on our biz

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Leonard Pitts on our biz

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