The Samaritan Strategy for Skeptics is Going to be Realized

In May of 2008 I had called upon skeptics to create an organization for doing humanitarian works. It now looks as if that is going to happen with the Foundation Beyond Belief. I first heard about it from former DC team member Valerie Tarico on Exchristian.net. Here is a video about it below:



This has come none too late. I recommend supporting it rather than most of the other Christian charities you presently give to. It will show that we skeptics care, and we do.

9 comments:

D.L. Folken said...

John,

Atheism is not about helping people. Atheism is about self-realization and living within the bubble of self interest.

There is nothing inherent in Atheism which says that it is good to help the hurting.

If you want to really help people, you should join any number of millions of projects that Christians are currently involved in. I think you ONE organization is merely a front. In fact, in atheism, the only reason you should even consider helping someone else is to make yourself feel good.

Of course, an atheist can also get a good feeling by taking a shower. I think most would rather keep their money and take a shower instead.

God Bless..

Unknown said...

ZDENNY any organisation or set of people that want to give and make a difference in the world should be supported not whined about like you are doing. Just goes to show what a closed-in uncharitable mindset you have.

As for your point about why an atheist would want to give, is of course wrong. There are no doubt many reasons why a professed atheist would want to give and help, but I would guess that a major one would be because we care about the world and our fellow human beings, its certainly my reason. What better reason is there?

Why do you assume an Atheist would only care about themselves and what gives them immediate joy? Again, very small minded of you.

Please, I would urge you to think about what you say before you say it and to rid yourself of Strawman Atheistic views. Peace.

Daniel said...

Well why not help the poor, you don't have to prove anything to anyone anymore do you. Or do you?

Anyway, I was interested in a comment Christopher Hitchens made when he was in Australia recently. On a panel discussion someone made the reference to how many Fabian socialists ever volunteered for or set up charities. "Well, wait one minute!" he said, as he made the admirable point that Fabian socialism desired that Christian charities in a good society wouldn't need to cae for the poor.

The good society should care for the poor as much as anyone, he said. And that is what Fabianism sought for, a good society where Christian or any charity was not needed.

Anyway, this probably seems alien to you American wankers (speaking generally, I am sure you are all nice in your selves), where Christian hypocrits and other secularists see any state intervention for the poor as either sin or socialism.

Sure, by all means give to an agency which serves the poor, but if you want to preference such an agency outright, then I don't see how you are any better than those godless Christians who will only give their money to other Christians.

So . . . on what ethical basis is it better to give to atheistic agencies than faith-based agencies? You seem to be a consequentislist here, because it shows YOU can still be 'good', not even that you can 'Do' good. Surely this is PR, not real ethics.

Anyway, for an outside reader of your site, you really, really need to get beyond the idea that the USA is 'the' world. There is a little bit of solipsistic nationalism here. Do you think all truth to be believed and non-truth to be refuted exists only in the USA? Yes, there is a few of you, but there is a whole lot more of the rest of the world. Please, think outside your square.

Keep up the discussion, guys

apthorpe said...

Ah, the ever-useless zdenny has arrived to excrete some 'wisdom.' Just smashing!

Contrary to zdenny's strawmen, theism and its complement atheism, only concern the belief in supernatural entities, nothing more. A related but wholly independent and separate topic is humanism, which concerns outlook and behavior toward other members of our species, our fellow man.

Being independent of each other, it is possible (likely, in fact) for people with similar positions on (a)theism to have widely divergent views on humanism and vice versa. And while it's convenient for zdenny to conflate the two, those who understand the difference see the conflation as a sign of ignorance or mendacity. Surely someone else has slowly and patiently tried to explain this to zdenny to no observable effect, though I doubt he's ignorant of the distinction.

Grace said...

It's good if the poor will benefit.

But, it seems to me that we should be about helping people for their own sake, out of compassion, and a concern for justice, not simply about advancing our own agenda, looking good, or gaining political advantage.

Speaking as a Christian, the Samaritan strategy of the religious right certainly doesn't sound too righteous to me.

Anonymous said...

Grace, I'm tired of Christians claiming they give more to charity because there isn't a place for skeptics to give that would be a strictly skeptical organization.

I hope you understand. That alone is strategic enough for this organization to exist.

Grace said...

I actually do, John.

steph said...

We don't give to Christian charities because alot of their donations go towards conversion and don't go directly to people who need it. We have always preferred to support non religious charities as the donations go directly to those who need them. They also have broader concerns than religous charities.

As far as I am concerned, atheists are humanists, and we care about our fellow human beings (and the planet and its creatures) and not a god and spiritual realisation.

asdfjkl said...

I cannot wait for a YT atheist to hold a 24 hour BlogTV for fundraising for this. I do not have the standing in the YT atheist community for it to do it myself, but I have passed this charity along to others who do.

Last year, in September IIRC, we raised over $30,000 for Doctors Without Borders. Maybe we can do the same for this charity sometime...