Christian Aid?

Last week I read an article about a Christian handing out hurricane aid after Katrina who witnessed a victim receiving supplies at a relief station managed I assume by christians. This said atheist had a bumper sticker saying something like "Proud Atheist" or some such message. The relief worker was more or less outraged and felt the desire to deny this victim the *Christian* aid she was handing out. This struck me as very interesting but even more interesting was the aid worker's characterisation of the sticker as anti christian hate speach.

Hmmmmm.....

Lets examine this a little.

If the sticker had said *Proud Christian* would that have been anti atheist hate speach? How about *Proud Muslim* or *Proud Jew*?

The hypocrisy should be obvious.

Having a bumper sticker advertising one's philosophical persuasion as an Atheist is NOT any more hate speach than a Christian having a Jesus fish on their car an Anti Atheist message. I would suggest that anyone who feels that it is, is not terribly secure in their faith in the first place perhaps.

I happen to have a Darwin Fish on my car. I don't consider it any worse that the myriad of Christain bumperstickers I see every day and I don't consider it to be anti Christian either ... rather it is pro evolution. I suppose it does tag me as an atheist, which I am, but it in no way disparages any other faith altho there are undoubtedly those out there who will think it does. I think it says more about them than it does about me however *shrugs*

The person in the article also decided not to deny the atheist their aid, suggesting that they would later reflect on who was giving it ... the suggestion being, they would be humbled or perhaps ashamed or better yet converted by the act. I would argue that aid should be blindly given ... unless of course there IS an ulterior motive for your aid..... Is there? If so .. is it really aid?

The other inference I get from her statement is that she probably thinks atheists do not deliver aid to those in need ... I would like to let her know that that would be a false assumption. Granted atheists don't have the structural organization that a tax funded church provides which enables the christian relief efforts to be so WELL ADVERTISED but I suspect that the ratio of atheists who volunteered to deliver aid was quite comparable to the number of faithful who turned out as well. They just don't make such an issue about it.

LOOK AT ME! AN ATHEIST HANDING OUT AID AT A NON CHRISTIAN AID CENTER! LOOK AT ME AND REMEMBER THE ATHEIST HANDING OUT AID! BE IMPRESSED AT MY GENEROUSITY! BE VERY IMPRESSED!

Ridiculous ... absolutely ridiculous ... and yes I know I'm being cynical about this but this is screaming out for cynicism .... so there!

REFERENCE LINK HERE -----> Getting hurricane relief to Christians, atheists

"Tuesday - We went to a food distribution center that was set up in a church parking lot. ... One woman came through the line with bumper stickers on the back of her van that were very blatantly anti-Christian. They said things like “Atheist and proud.” ... At first I was mad. I wanted to walk up to her van and say, “give me back that Clorox.” How dare she drive through a church parking lot with such anti-Christian bumper stickers on her van and ask for free stuff?

Then I thought to myself that when this is all said and done, people like her are going to look back and remember who came and helped, who were the ones that rolled up their sleeves, did the work and gave freely. "

IA