{"id":82422,"date":"2020-01-29T10:20:52","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T17:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=82422"},"modified":"2020-01-31T23:09:43","modified_gmt":"2020-02-01T06:09:43","slug":"dont-believe-in-god-lie-to-your-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/01\/dont-believe-in-god-lie-to-your-children.html","title":{"rendered":"“Don\u2019t Believe in God? Lie to Your Children”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"La<\/a>
Havana (La Habana), Cuba, at sunset (Wikimedia Commons public domain photo by Jorge Royan)
I have a beloved daughter in law who is a Habanera, which is to say that she was born and partly raised in Havana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is often said of the socialist paradise known as Communist Cuba that, although, sure, yeah, it has sentenced its people to perpetual poverty and taken away their freedom, it has also vastly improved the health of its children and infants. \u00a0Here, for example, from his previous bid for the presidency, is Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSanders on Cuba: \u201cOf Course Their Economy Is Terrible,\u201d But They Have Health Care And Education\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Senator Sanders could potentially win in Iowa and New Hampshire, whose caucuses and primary are, respectively, just around the corner. \u00a0And if he gains those early victories, he could conceivably go on to take the Democratic presidential nomination:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Oh my God, Sanders can win\u2019: Democrats grapple with Bernie surge in Iowa:\u00a0Four years ago, the Vermont senator caught the Democratic establishment sleeping in Iowa. Could he do it again?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Contemplating a presidential-election choice between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, I can scarcely contain my enthusiasm. \u00a0These would definitely be the very best two candidates that the population of the United States of America can provide!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You may perhaps recall the famous Southern Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress, who vocally opposed Mitt Romney as a non-Christian but who has long veered between bromance and idolatry with regard to St. Donald Trump:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst Baptist Dallas Passes Out \u2018What Would Trump Do?\u2019 Bracelets During Service\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDonald Trump Is The Babylon Bee\u2019s Christian Of The Year 2019\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But perhaps it\u2019s time to fact-check the notion \u2014 one that I hear from leftists with considerable frequency \u2014 that the government health care afforded to children in Cuba is something to be envied and emulated in the capitalistic United States:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy Cuba\u2019s Infant Mortality Rate Is so Low\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Okay. \u00a0So infants and children wouldn\u2019t<\/em> necessarily flourish by being born in progressive socialist Cuba rather than in the free-market United States. \u00a0They wouldn\u2019t<\/em> necessarily thrive under a state-run health care system modeled on that of\u00a0La Revoluci\u00f3n.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

So what might<\/em> be good for kids? \u00a0Here are a couple of suggestions. \u00a0Dare I point out that neither would be surprising to committed, thinking Latter-day Saint parents?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Stories That Bind Us\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t Believe in God? Lie to Your Children:\u00a0The alternative is to tell them they\u2019re simply going to die and turn to dust.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 It is often said of the socialist paradise known as Communist Cuba that, although, sure, yeah, it has sentenced its people to perpetual poverty and taken away their freedom, it has also vastly improved the health of its children and infants. \u00a0Here, for example, from his previous bid for the presidency, is Senator […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7380,8040,8046,5976,2412,8043,7383,2911],"class_list":["post-82422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bernie","tag-care","tag-child","tag-cuba","tag-health","tag-infant","tag-sanders","tag-socialism"],"yoast_head":"\n"Don\u2019t Believe in God? 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