Alabama Mayor Knows How to Fight Crime

Mayor Larry Langford was worried about the “skyrocketing” murder rates in his city of Birmingham, Alabama.

He was also being criticized for not doing enough to stop the crime.

“I’m gonna give you something far better than a gun to protect yourself with. I’m gonna give you the word of God,” Langford said. “He is the only source of protection you’ve got. I make no apologies for it. I serve a good God and I’m glad He found me.”

He then passed out 5,000 English and Spanish Bibles to attendees of a family summit.

Here’s video about the story (WMV file).

As ylooshi writes:

Actually, the move is politically brilliant. He’s a failure at crime prevention and protecting his constituency and clueless of how to accomplish realistic and rational goals in this endeavor. By invoking God and playing to the superstitions of the voters, he makes himself appealing and difficult to criticize by anyone that runs against him. After all, he has God on his side, right?

Unless those Bibles are large enough that throwing them at someone could thwart an attack, Langford has done absolutely nothing to help the situation.

According to the Christian Broadcasting Network:

He said that if the people of Birmingham and the nation would put Christ first, there wouldn’t be all the troubled families and crime-ridden cities across America.

Man… Langford *really* hates Jews.

(via Breaking Spells)

[tags]atheist, atheism[/tags]

t3knomanser

Well, Bibles could cut down on the murder rate, at least if you keep it between you and the bullet.
Richard Wade

By invoking God and playing to the superstitions of the voters, he makes himself appealing and difficult to criticize by anyone that runs against him. After all, he has God on his side, right?

That strategy will backfire if the crime rate continues to rise because he will appear to not have The Bearded One on his side after all.

He said that if the people of Birmingham and the nation would put Christ first, there wouldn’t be all the troubled families and crime-ridden cities across America.

Blaming the victims for not being faithful enough will also blow up in his face. Any opponent with a strong law and order background will win the next election by a landslide.

Many people may believe in naive things but few are genuinely stupid, and when misfortune strikes home they tend to get very practical.
Jake

“Man… Langford *really* hates Jews.”

It’s things like that that make the title of this site a joke. To believe in the deity of Christ means someone must hate Jews? That’s a red herring, a non sequitor, and probably three or four other logical fallacies. If a Christian said something like that you’d have it posted in three seconds as an example of how hypocritical and intolerant religious people are.
Bryce

Langford must think those Alabamans have NEVER heard of jebus before. That’s what they’ve been missing all these years.
sabrina

Jesus…who is this Jesus you speak of? And how will he ever stop me from my life of crime? Is he like Monk?
sabrina

Man… Langford *really* hates Jews.”

It’s things like that that make the title of this site a joke. To believe in the deity of Christ means someone must hate Jews? That’s a red herring, a non sequitor, and probably three or four other logical fallacies. If a Christian said something like that you’d have it posted in three seconds as an example of how hypocritical and intolerant religious people are.

Wow, the stupid burns. *sigh* Hemant is saying that because the mayor says if people put CHRIST first, things will be better. Jews don’t worship Christ; that’s why they’re not called Christians. In effect, the mayor is saying Jews don’t have morals because they’re not following Christ.
Vincent

the guys at the Non-Prophets podcast said they are looking forward to hearing the rise in bible-related crimes, such as old ladies being beaten with bibles etc.
Spook

What could possibly go wrong? ™
GDad

There’s a site devoted to the goings-on in Birmingham that reserves a special place in hell for Langford. (heh). Check out Birmingham Blues.
Xeonicus

Funny… Alabama is well known for it’s dense religious population… and yet they have this problem with violence. Weird. Maybe It’s the 1% of the population that are atheists causing all the ruckus. Huh?
Jazzy Cat

sabrina,

You said……. In effect, the mayor is saying Jews don’t have morals because they’re not following Christ.

Huh! How does your logic come up with that thinking? There are Jews that are Christians and Jesus was a jew in his human nature.
Jason

As long as you carry a handgun and quote Ezekiel before shooting somebody, I can see that working.
Hemant Mehta

“Man… Langford *really* hates Jews.”

It’s things like that that make the title of this site a joke. To believe in the deity of Christ means someone must hate Jews? That’s a red herring, a non sequitor, and probably three or four other logical fallacies. If a Christian said something like that you’d have it posted in three seconds as an example of how hypocritical and intolerant religious people are.

It’s a joke. Let me explain and kill it into the ground.

Langford probably doesn’t hate Jews. He probably doesn’t hate atheists, either. But he’s wrong in thinking that putting Christ first would lead to a decrease in crime and it was wrong for him to say that. In effect, it cast blame for the crime problem on everyone who doesn’t believe in Christ.

Hence, the sarcasm.

Get it…?
Buffy

I don’t suppose anybody would like to show this article to Mayor Langford. Here’s an exerpt:

A STRENGTHENING of religious faith is often raised as the answer to society’s ills. Peter Costello has said, for example, “that a recovery of faith would go a long way” to solving many of our society’s problems. ..
Many ordinary Australians share the belief that religious faith is an indicator of morality, and it is accepted wisdom that high rates of religious practice correlate with lower rates of crime, promiscuity and abortion.

However, a study published in the Journal of Religion and Society, an American academic journal, set out to test this hypothesis and found there is an inverse relationship between religiosity and public health and social stability. The study, “Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies”, compared social indicators such as murder rates, abortion, suicide and teenage pregnancy using data from the International Social Survey Program, Gallup and other research bodies…

A striking example of this is the US, which has the highest degrees of religious faith and the highest rates of homicide, abortion, STD infection and teenage pregnancy. The least religious countries – Japan, France and Scandinavia – have the lowest rates of violent crime, juvenile mortality and abortion…
sabrina

Huh! How does your logic come up with that thinking? There are Jews that are Christians and Jesus was a jew in his human nature.

*head/desk*. Okay, follow me on this one.
1. The mayor said everything would be better if people followed Christ
2, Jews don’t follow Christ..hence they are not called Christians. Jews that follow Christ are called Messianic Jews. Jews that don’t are called Jewish.
3. If you are (regular?) Jewish, you obviously don’t follow the teachings of Christ. If this is blowing your mind, seriously, you need to read a book. I’m sorry, I’m not being snarky, but come on.
4. If the mayor believes morals comes from following Christ’s teachings, ergo, people who don’t follow the teachings of Christ are immoral, i.e. the Jews.
5. It’s called sarcasm, as well as following the logical conclusion.

Whew.
sabrina

Umm, Buffy, that study obviously is not showing True Christians ™. So, there.
Jazzy Cat

Sabrina,
From reading your explanation and other explanations I believe I do get it now. Sarcasm is something that is common in this thread to those of us who cling to religion and probably our guns as well.

your comment about hate may well be great sarcasm, but it is far from being a logical conclusion. As a matter of fact it is so illogical that I missed the fact that it was great sarcasm. Good sarcastic humor should be based on at least a little truth. Christianity hating jews is absurd since Christianity was started by jews and Jesus was jewish in his human nature.
Claire

Jazzy Cat said,

Christianity hating jews is absurd since Christianity was started by jews and Jesus was jewish in his human nature.

Apparently you missed the part where christians spent a couple thousand years blaming the Jews for Jesus’ death and persecuting them for it. You are right that it’s absurd, but that hasn’t stopped them from doing it.
cautious

Christianity hating jews is absurd since Christianity was started by jews and Jesus was jewish in his human nature.

…since when has absurdity stopped people from hatred?

Also,

Good sarcastic humor should be based on at least a little truth.

Is that why I was unable to find this to be humorous in a sarcastic manner?
cipher

Apparently you missed the part where christians spent a couple thousand years blaming the Jews for Jesus’ death and persecuting them for it.

Oh! Oh! Can I say it?

“They weren’t True Christians ™.”
sabrina

Cipher:
Apparently True Christians(tm) are only those Christians that troll on other blogs and insult the host. I think Jesus may have mentioned that in the sermon on the mount.
***To all reading, that was sarcasm; learn it, use it, love it.***