Mother Teresa et. al.

I've been reading lots of online posts from atheists condemning religion as the cause of almost every atrocity in history and arguing that systems of ethics formulated without reference to any idea of the divine are by definition more humane.  I do not question that there are ethical atheists and that there may even be ethical systems based in an atheistic understanding of the universe that are positive.  I also have no illusions about the history of religion and know that many atrocities have been and continue to be committed in the name of just about any religion you can think of. 

So, here's my question... if atheism can produce the same or higher quality of person as a religious system why is it that we see no atheist Mother Teresa's, Gandhi's, or the like?  Granted the list of such folk coming from religious backgrounds is not a huge one, but it does exist and includes many less famous folk who have given themselves to make the world a better place.  I'm not aware of any atheists who have made similar ethical impact in the world.  On the other hand, we can find atheist leaders who have committed the same kinds of horrific violence that has been attributed to religious folk.

What do you think?

Unintended Consequences

Today on the way into work, I was listening to a report on Somalia on NPR. And aid worker who was being interviewed said that some 2.8 million Somali's are directly dependent upon foreign aid for food. The picture is beyond what I can imagine. They also said that the Ethiopian troops will be pulling out soon and that the possibilities are anything but pretty. I've been rolling that thought around in my head in conjunction with the line from the Brooke Fraser song Albertine, "now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead."

The question, of course, is what deeds are helpful and what deeds have unintended consequences. Africa is a continent with incredible resources. It is also a continent with a terrible history and incredible entrenched problems. I now that colonialism is a major if not the major contributor to those problems, but it is not the only one and at some point, African leaders must take responsibility for the future of their nations and their people. Simple answers, while they seem helpful, may in the end only serve to perpetuate the problems or even make things worse. What US government actions can help to stabilize things and which might increase the violence or strengthen the power of the Islamists.

I think of the scenario with fair trade coffee as an example of unintended consequences... As people of faith and compassion, we want to be fair, so we purchase only fair trade coffee. The farmers who are selling their coffee through a fair trade cooperative suddenly find themselves doing quite well compared to their neighbors growing beans which are a staple in the community. As the local bean farmers watch this, they do the logical thing, pull up the bean plants and put in coffee. Their income goes up but suddenly the entire community is dependent upon imported food and the whims of the international coffee market. Those who do not grow coffee are unable to afford the imported food and if the price on coffee drops, everyone is in a crisis. Have we helped the situation by buying free trade coffee? Yes... and no...

I wonder whether in Africa by doing what seems right and compassionate, we have supported a system of radical unfairness and violence. I wonder whether we have turned peoples into beggars who were once strong and proud. I don't know what the best answers are. I am sure than none are easy or painless.