Editor’s Note: We start off 2016 exhorting Christians to think about what it really means to live up to their values. Who are we to say? Most of us, including today’s contributor, used to be Christians – Christian clergy, actually – who know all about what Jesus teaches. Although we no longer believe in the supernatural aspects of religion, we often seem to have a better understanding and appreciation of its humanistic teachings. The following is reposted, with permission and light editing, from Wrest in Peace.

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By John Lombard

With a great many Syrian refugees in desperate need of assistance, far too many Christians seem to be hiding behind excuses and fear. Where is their belief in an all-loving and all-powerful god? As an atheist, I challenge Christians to put their money where their faith is.

This Christmas, I was involved in four different discussions with Christians about the Syrian refugee crisis and what their response should be. I heard a variety of excuses about why they should not get involved or should limit their involvement. They included the following

I will support the Christian refugees, but don’t want Muslims. If I take them in, I don’t know how many I would get, or what problems it might cause. There are so many people at home who need my help I’d prefer to focus on my fellow countrymen, rather than foreigners. Some of them might be terrorists. Their language and culture are so different, I won’t understand them, so won’t be able to help them.

There are many atheist organizations and individuals who are getting involved to help the Syrian refugees (see here for one great example). These are people who do not believe in an all-powerful, all-loving god.

Where is your belief in this supposedly all-loving god who taught about the Good Samaritan and the need to demonstrate Christ’s love by helping those most in need? Who can be more in need than people who are penniless and homeless? People who’ve had family and friends brutalized, tortured, murdered and/or raped? People who are now in a country where they have virtually no friends and don’t know the language, the culture or anything at all? People who are terrified, in shock, depressed, and hopeless?

Don’t you think Jesus would consider those people to be the ones in greatest need?

“But they’re Muslims!”

Yes, many of them are. And you are Christians. According to the scriptures, you’re supposed to demonstrate love to everyone, not just those who look/think/act like you. In fact, I was taught that one of the defining characteristics of a Christian is universal love. Yet here we have “godless atheists” helping the Syrian refugees, while Christians are sitting around making excuses.

Where is that “all-loving” god that you claim to believe in? Or is that merely lip service, that falls away once you have to actually face reality?

“Okay, perhaps you have a point. But some of them could be terrorists!”

First, the odds of that are quite low. Priority is being given to children, mothers, elderly and families.

Perhaps showing them love rather than fear or distrust would help them see that many of the terrible things they’ve been told about us are not true.

But most importantly — aren’t you supposed to believe in an all-powerful god? Yet apparently, a bunch of homeless, helpless people are such a terrible threat to you that your own god is incapable of helping, protecting or defending you. Again, when the rubber hits the road, it appears that far too many Christians lack the conviction of their beliefs. They’ll trumpet their “all-powerful god” when they’re talking about other people being punished for not believing in him, but not when it could actually affect them.

“Well, actually, I really want to help them, but I don’t have the means.”

Again, where is that supposedly “all-powerful god” of yours? He created the entire universe, he oversees the movement of every atom in that universe, he knows everything that ever has and ever will happen, yet he lacks the ability to help you find the means to show love and support to people who are truly in need? The people that he told you to show love to?

“Hey, who are you to be attacking us like this, anyway? You’re just an atheist, we don’t have to answer to you!”

You’re right. You don’t have to answer to me. You are compelled (at least according to what you believe) to answer to your god, who explicitly commanded you to show love to those in greatest need, and have faith that he will protect and support you. If you are a Christian who is doing that, then kudos to you! But if you are not, why do you even bother going to church or paying lip service to this god you claim to believe in? You most obviously don’t really believe it. Heck, there are godless atheists out there making more of an effort to help these Syrians, while you’re sitting around effectively proclaiming the impotence of your beliefs.

To me, the message of this post is a win-win. Because I do believe that we have a deep, undeniable moral obligation to help as many of these people as we can. Not because I’m a Christian (I’m not). Not because I think some god told me to do so (I don’t). Not because they share my beliefs, or culture, or race (they don’t). But because, like me, they are humans; and they are in tremendous need. And I believe that everyone who is in a position to help should do everything they can.

So if this post accomplishes the goal of goading more Christians into actually taking action and helping these refugees, then it’s a win for humanity and the refugees. There’s nothing that I would celebrate more, regardless of who is doing it — Christians, Muslims, atheists, or any one else.

And if this message fails, and various Christians continue to just make excuses, then that just demonstrates one of the problems among many self-proclaimed religious believers. Because while a great many Christians are great at talking the talk, when it comes to real-life application that affects them in a real, meaningful manner, far too many of them demonstrate that they don’t really believe what they preach about their all-loving, all-powerful god.

The gauntlet is thrown. I sincerely hope that there will be at least some Christians out there who will pick it up.

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John Lombard is a Humanist and ex-missionary who grew up in Ontario and has been living and working in China for more than 20 years. He currently works as a cross-cultural consultant to help foreign companies seeking to do business in China. His blog, Wrest in Peace, was featured earlier on Rational Doubt.

>>>>>>Photo credits: “Lebanon-Syria border sep13VOA 05” by H. Murdock, VOA – http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-refugee-tide-rises-as-strikes-loom/1743908.html. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lebanon-Syria_border_sep13VOA_05.jpeg#/media/File:Lebanon-Syria_border_sep13VOA_05.jpeg

“Greatest Chrisitans” by Jobas – self-made from cropped versions of:Other photos Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greatest_Chrisitans.jpg#/media/File:Greatest_Chrisitans.jpg