Another Katrina Aftermath thread.

The whole idea of a religious organization, a "church", is to get together with fellow believers, for mutual support. Whether that support is more spiritual or more practical varies with the congregation. But these are people who pretty much get along, share core principles, cooperate on church business -- and are therefore ideally suited to help others, especially when their theology/ideology includes that great principle that Judaism shares with Christianity: to save one life is the same as to save the world.

It doesn't matter how many or what percentage of any given group helped or cared, only that many did, and on their efforts, the world depends. Civilization is a cooperative enterprise. If we don't all stick together, it will all fall apart.
 
Here's a religious group helping

Rainbow Relief
D.C. gay community makes effort for hurricane victims
by Will O'Bryan
Published on 09/15/2005

Within the gay community, action has also been swift. The Metropolitan Community Church -- a GLBT church based in West Hollywood, Calif., but with congregations across the country, including the D.C. metro area -- has organized the MCC Hurricane Katrina Relief Center, helping to raise funds and marshal offers of housing and other assistance for those directly affected by the hurricane.

Gay philanthropist Tom Gill's Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado has offered $1 million to match assistance to Katrina victims donated by fellow Coloradoans.

The San Francisco-based Rainbow World Fund is gathering gay dollars for America's Second Harvest, a national food-bank network. ''We're already approaching a quarter million dollars,'' says Jeffrey A. Cotter, president and founder of the Fund. ''We'll get a check in the mail, where someone says they had a beer bust and named us beneficiaries.... All the work we do, it's all about the gay community responding to need. Right now we're raising money for food aid. Recipients are gay and straight alike.''

Another national effort, this one aimed at helping GLBT youths and families affected by Katrina, began with the D.C.-based National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC). The group's Hurricane Katrina LGBT Relief Fund has attracted roughly 30 partner organizations to the effort, including giants such as the Human Rights Campaign and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, to smaller local groups including Basic Rights Oregon and the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center.

''The infrastructure formed overnight,'' says NYAC Executive Director Craig Bowman. ''[It was prompted] mostly by offers of help coming in from all over the country. We had a lot of folks calling and writing.''
 
Thanks, Hollow. Great post.

I think that Munk said it wonderfully, when he said that he likes it when the best comes out. That's exactly what I mean.

I did not intend, in my original post, to be ungracious to the Churches that have helped. No doubt, they have indeed done a huge ammount of the work, and for that deserve far more than just thanks.

I simply meant to say that the miracle here is people giving, for whatever reason. To me, it seems that the article is scolding non-Christians and the non-right, whether or not they necessarily deserve such criticism. After all, Fema is secular, as is the National Guard.

And, for the record, I think Bush was perfectly justified in asking us all to pray. A few good thoughts and a little smoke is very little to ask. But regardless of who they are, and why they help, and what they they give, be it $5 in a Red Cross bucket or hands-on aid, people who help are performing an incredible service. I think that should be the emphasis.

Nam
 
Texas was wrong in delaying the opening of the opposite lanes. Wanting people to take initiative and cross the medium before authorities are ready could easily result in catostrophic fatalities. It is a bad situation, and my heart goes out to Texas.



munk
 
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