Haiti and Chile

The Earthquake in Haiti and Chile may be, depending on your worldview, a result of the impartial and inexorable movement of continental plates or perhaps the work of an angry god, but either way, the people in Haiti need our help. The non-god-infected amongst us can donate to secular charities knowing full well that our monies won't be spent on god-bothering whilst offering charity, or holding help ransom demanding Christian conversion or even worse, handing out useless solar-polared Bibles or taxing the relief efforts by showing up nearly empty-handed (like some Scientologists have been purported to do recently).

Haitians don't need your gods, they need help. Secular givers can visit Richard Dawkins's relief site to donate easily and painlessly through Paypal and other means:

GivingAid.RichardDawkins.net

Paypal is even waiving fees for donations.

In other news, Pat Robertson had this to say about the Haitian disaster:

They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal [...] ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."

Ah yes, his usual douchery, and it's nothing new. Look Christians, if you feel your religion doesn't apply in 'natural disasters', then why credit your god with the good stuff? Likewise, if you do take seriously the idea that a god controls all, then he necessarily creates all earthquakes to his specifications....down to the location, timing and intensity....and yes, death toll.

Here's a little ditty from a book called the King James Bible, Isaiah 45:7...

'I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things'.

That's right, it's right there in the bible. God creates it all, and even if you read one of the new fancy copywritten versions of the Holey Babble which try to dumb down the embarrassment of this quote, the fact remains that an all-powerful, all-knowing creator can't *not* be in control and know everything which will happen, meaning he's probably not all that good, and not worthy of your faith.

That said, Pat Robertson's foundational beliefs are just wrong, and his wacky magical delusions can be safely ignored, as long as he isn't actually acting on his beliefs (or inciting others to act on them). We can safely ignore the lunacy of religion, but that's 'safe'. The best thing to do when you hear wild claims of divine credit is to treat it like the lunacy as it is....this sort of nutball thinking needs to be challenged, early and often. Not challenging it often enough provides as Sam Harris might put it, 'comfort and cover' for the nutjobs who say crazy things reading the same Bible as the fundies.

Just as a ranting toddler-God™ might create a beautiful puppy, he seemingly enjoys wanton destruction just as well, if not better.

No matter what you believe, expect to be challenged if what you're saying is without foundation...and no matter what, sometimes people need your help. Thankfully, there's a way to help the people of Haiti or Chile without wrapping it in Bibles and fairy tales.

-dB-