". . . why do they do it?"

There are—believe it or not!!—some people in this world who, when they see a need, are motivated to do something about it simply because it is there.

The liberal Christians of my acquaintance tend to be this way. Whether their urge to help springs up spontaneously or whether it comes from early religious training and belief makes little difference in the end. One can argue until Tuesday breakfast about whether they are good people because they are religious or religious because they are good people, but in the end, the job gets done.

Rig, I gather that this sort of thing is not your favorite reading material, so I suggest that you have the antacid ready, and it might be a good idea to have an airsick bag handy just in case. Then, when thus prepared, try reading the following passage. This is what most liberal Christians tend to regard as the core of how Christians should act toward their fellow humans:

Matthew 25:34-40
"You are blessed by my Father. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."

Then the righteous asked him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'

And He answered them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."

This contrasts with the beliefs of many of the fundamentalist sects that tend to read the Old Testament rather than the Gospels (where one finds the teachings of Jesus), then center their attention on rules ("Thou shalt not. . . .)", especially when it comes to the behavior of other people, and personal salvation (going to Heaven rather that to Hell). As a liberal Christian friend of mine once said about a fundie acquaintance, "He's concentrating so hard on going to Heaven that he is of earthly use whatever!"

It's the "Old Testament Christians" who are the ones who accost you on the street with "Have you been saved!??", who try to get their skewed moral ideas enacted into laws, who want to turn this country into a "Christian country" despite the First Amendment, and who go around dropping anvils on your foot. Liberal Christians aren't into that kind of thing, and even if you think their basic beliefs are completely ring-a-ding, it's still not really fair to lump them together with those who want to cram their beliefs down everyone else's throats.

Here's something to consider:    The real first line of defense against the "Christian Nationalists" are the liberal Christians, especially people like Rev. Jim Wallis and Bishop John Shelby Spong, whom I mention above (12 Dec 07 - 09:51 p.m.), and Rev. Barbara Rossing, who wrote The Rapture Exposed. They are motivated largely by their objections to the phony theology being peddled as the be-all and end-all of Christian belief, but mostly because of the fact that if the Christian Nationalists get their way and the United States does become a "Christian" nation, the Christian Nationalists will then be in a position to force their ideas of morality and religious practice on the whole counrty, including liberal Christians. Then, we're right back where we started from four centuries ago, when people fled to the New World because of religious persecution in Europe.

So, like it or not, if you don't want religious folks telling you what to believe and how to behave, liberal Christians are your strongest allies. Since all Christians are not the same, it's kinda counterproductive, not to mention more that just a bit (dare I use the word?) bigoted, to keep lumping them all together and then trashing them all.

By doing so, instead of getting an anvil dropped on your foot, you'll be shooting a hole in it yourself!

Don Firth