[craigepo]

I find this thread interesting.

I recently went out to help with relief work in Joplin, Mo., a few days after the tornado had hit the town. I was amazed by the number of church buses that were parked everywhere; churches in the region had loaded up bus after bus, and the congregation members were all over the stricken area, doing what they could. The US government was not helping dig bodies out of the rubble---it was a region's worth of churches. People taking time off work, away from their own lives, to just come help.

On the periphery of the stricken area, various Christian organizations had set up tractor trailers for relief stuff. Food, clothing, shelter, everything was provided by organizations like the Convoy of Hope. Churches in the region donated so much stuff that those who had suffered from the tornado were taken care of almost immediately.

The Scottish Rite cathedral was packed with Masons from several states. They spent their time cooking and taking meals from the cathedral to the people working in the stricken area. One Mason brought a smoker and cooked 500 lbs of pork butts per day for the workers.

Interestingly, I did not see one atheist organization in Joplin helping dig through rubble. Also, I didn't see any trucks from an "I worship in my own way" organization handing out food or clothing. It was entirely donated from "Believers'" treasuries and labor.

I realize that it is easy to heckle "Christians", preachers, "the Church", and the notion of a congregation giving money to a church. Indeed, like every human endeavor, humans occasionally screw religion up. But, you might want to go out and get some ground truth before you anonymously deride these organizations from the comfort of your keyboard.