DUmmy has a sad because atheists don't get credit for nuthin'.
xchrom (92,033 posts)
A Catholic, a Baptist, and a Secular Humanist Walk Into a Soup Kitchen ...
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/06/a-catholic-a-baptist-and-a-secular-humanist-walk-into-a-soup-kitchen/277379/
Therapy dogs and their handlers from Therapy Dogs International walk down a ravaged street in Moore, Oklahoma. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
In his Time Magazine cover story last week on veterans and public service, journalist Joe Klein stepped outside the line of his narrative to take a swipe at secular humanists. Describing his personal experience in the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornado working alongside an "army of relief workers" including "church groups from all over the country," he remarked, "funny how you don't see organized groups of secular humanists giving out hot meals..."
It turns out that Klein was wrong on the facts. There were plenty of humanist groups involved in relief efforts - clearing wreckage, raising aid for local relief organizations, donating money to survivors, and supporting food banks. As Dale McGowan pointed out in The Washington Post on June 27, perhaps the greatest irony is that in the very same sentence that Klein took a potshot at humanists, he extolled Team Rubicon, a veterans organization that happened to be the primary beneficiary of a post-superstorm Sandy fund drive organized by the secular charity, Foundation Beyond Belief.
It's also worth pointing out the obvious: many secular humanists, atheists, and freethinkers contributed to disaster-relief efforts even if they did not do so while wearing hats and T-shirts that advertised their belief system. Had Klein made the same point about any other group--such as, "funny how you don't see any organized groups of Hindus, Korean-Americans, or gay activists giving out hot meals"--his aside would have been so obviously offensive that it would never have made it past his editor.
Klein's waffling response when called out by peeved secularists didn't help too much. He took the criticism of his reporting as an opportunity to express some personal opinions on religious questions.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023132749Just because a group or organization is secular, as in, not affiliated with a church or religion, doesn't mean the people within it aren't religious or driven by religious teachings and feelings of responsibility for others. How many groups designated strictly for atheists participate meaningfully in charity?
And I have a joke for them:
A Catholic, a Baptist, and a DUer walk into a soup kitchen. The Catholic says, "Let's get a couple of buses for our kitchen, so we can bring more people in to be fed." The Baptist says, "Let's put some more stuff in the soup, so everyone will be fuller and better nourished." The DUer says, "Hey! Where the **** are the crackers? And do I have to stare at that portrait of Jesus while I'm eating? Always shoving religion down my throat!"
