I'm talking about religious people I know, not the ones you see attending the mega-churches headed by electronic preachers who buy lots of television time. It may look like there are a lot of them, but in proportion to the number of religious folks in this country, they're far from being in the majority.

A lot of the world's evils can be laid at the door of organized religious institutions who have or seek secular power. But there are churches in my neighborhood where those who attend them are working quitely to feed the hungry and provide housing for the homeless, and who work diligently in various peace groups (some sponsoring such peace groups) and do such things as conduct Alternatives to Violence workshops both in prisons and in the community. They provide meeting facilities for organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous and shelter and assistence for battered women. This and more.

When I hear someone say "religion is evil" and condemn all religion out of hand, implying that the world would be better off without them and they should be abolished, I sometimes wonder what would become of these programs were it not for the churches--usually the smaller neighborhood churches that are not very wealthy--that provide them through contributions by members of their congregations, not just in money, but in actually getting involved themselves.

Some because that's what their religion tells them they should do, and others because working through such an institution multiplies the effect of their own humanitarian efforts.

Don Firth