Colleen, I loved your story. It’s true that the ego has a funny way of invading our plans to help others, and pride tends to slip into our lives under the guise of wisdom. (The desire to be “right” above our desire to be of service.) It’s something I think about often, and I thank you for your great story.

Take care and have a great day, everyone. : ]

Dear Rhineland, our Constitution is based on the understanding of our Godly forefathers (who, yes, did some ungodly things–but then give glory and praise to our Merciful
Father in whom there is ALWAYS forgiveness) who incorporated Scriptural Truth as applied to every human being equally.

ONE may use celebrities to bring attention to the poverty sticken of the world; Christian organizations use the poverty stricken themselves for the same purpose. The Catholic Church used Mother Teresa’s compassion to the same end.

And Rhineland, the very enouragement to reach out and help others that offends you so much is exactly what you are doing in adopting, so why does it make you angry?

I will share this with you because the Lord taught me quite a lesson by it. For several years I believed that as part of the Children’s Miinistries at our church we should have weekly family movies. Nothing I did woudl persuade my pastor to do so and it was quite a disappointment. Not long ago, a fairly new church in the area began to do that very thing and I was hurt, resentful, and angry. It took my heart a while to accept the Lord’s correction: what is the difference WHO is bringing family movies to the community? It was being done. That pastor would have never known my dark heart but I needed to share it with h im and repent, for jealousy and the desire for acknowledgment are masks of pride, The human heart without Christ wants all the attention and the glory and the praise, which belong to the Creator of our hearts.

So please do not allow this forum to become a boxing ring; do not bring “my politics” or “my religion” or “my opinion” in here and be one more copy of the world.

Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Sow only what you desire to reap in life, for the harvest far outweighs the sowing.
Whatever you do for or to a Child, you do for and to Me,
Jesus says those things. Whether you beliieve in Him or not, Truth never changes, never lies.
God created gravity, you know. You don’t have to believe in it, but don’t jump off anything too hign.

People’s objections to ONE on this blog and elsewhere have proven to be very educational, and I thank you.

I have to say, respectfully, I don’t see what “gun” is pointing at your back, for what purpose.

The practice of allocating a certain percentage of a national budget to aid for less fortunate countries is widespread: in fact, the U.S. gives about _1/5_ via taxes of what Norway gives, per person, only 1/4 of what Sweden gives, and 1/2 that of Ireland, for example.

ONE uses celebrities because celebrities (in my field experience), add credibility and visibility to the message. And, perhaps even more potently, politicians (the very people who can help push the needed legislation), have an affinity for celebrities. Why? Because politicians know well that celebrities have a funny way of reaching out to (guess who?) voters!

So while the use of celebrities may be a mixed blessing to some, it’s been my experience that people’s ears perk up just a bit when they hear the name of a celebrity they respect, and sometimes that “little extra” bit of interest is just what’s needed to get people to listen to the rest of the sentence.

Your quasi-hysteria (and please excuse me if that characterization seems too harsh), over the involvement of government, if I may be frank, and I say this respectfully, reminds me of the paranoia expressed by so many deep-woods militia groups and online conspiracy theorists, who seem to see the federal government’s heavy hand everywhere.

And yet, looking around us, I fail to see how the federal government’s “intrusion” (unless you consider the ages-old practice of taxation an intrusion, as you may), has prevented the state of general, de facto prosperity that most in the U.S. now enjoy and take wholly for granted.

A quick visit to the Third World proves an eye opener to how other political and economic systems have failed to deliver the way ours have.

So excuse me if I don’t see the basis for your extreme remarks and day-terrors. Are you saying that the process of taxation, and the small percentage allocated to helping less fortunate countries, has somehow stymied you from accumulating a moderate degree of wealth and prosperity?

Based on the level of education you demonstrate, and your references to your own prosperity and blessings, the “tyranny” you allude to seems to be a paper tiger, at best.

I admire your dedication to making a difference, and would ask that you not attack an organization you seem to have only scratched the surface of. Respect works both ways. I, for one, am happy to give respect to those who give me a fair shot at being someone who is sincere and intelligent, rather than someone who deserves, along with other individuals, a poison arrow casually flung from some clandestine Internet server.

I know very well this won’t change your mind, but I am more than happy to express my point of view, and again I thank you for the opportunity to explain my feelings on the matter.

My private life is just that. As a devout Roman Catholic, i have donated my time, skills, and money since before my first Holy Communion. My wife and I will soon put our belief in the sanctity of Life into action by adopting and raising an unwanted child. Our existence is dedicated to the principle of sharing our rich blessings with others. I don’t want to use the machinery of the State to enforce charity on others. I wonder why you do, and use hollywood celebrity types to help in your cause. Surely hollywood is the greatest community of flagrant money-wasters, pleasure seekers, let-them-eat-cakers and hypocrites since the later Julio-Claudians shuffled off the stage of history.

You don’t want us to go first. You want us to go ALONE, gun at our back, with civil and criminal penalties if we don’t pony up. That isn’t charity, its tyranny.

If you truly care about people, start helping people and stop looking to others to see what they “should” do better. (And if you want an example, look at the governments of various other nations, which give a larger percentage of GNI that the U.S. government,)

But your comment isn’t really about helping people, is it? This is about you feeling a little better and smarter than people already trying to help out.

I should know better than to respond to people like you. We should all ignore people like you, who come with divisiveness and judgement, and not in any spirit of caring, compromise or communication.

We “see” your type here every day. Anonymous little grouches who sit there, typing away, in love with their brilliant insights, with a heart that’s the equivalent of the Grinch’s: small, shriveled, mean-spirited and half-dead.

If I’ve mischaracterized you based on your response, whatever your name may be, I do apologize.

But if you want to help, and this is your primary motive, I say it again:

YOU go first. Donate time and money. Set an example for others who aren’t doing it as well, in your opinion, to follow.

But until you do, anyone who has the misfortune to read your comments will write you off exactly like I do: as just another mean-spirited whiner.

Thanks