What surprises me is is how many atheists and agnostics give a damn about helping these people. Yes, I know they are human beings, but step back for a moment Haitians are mostly pseudo-catholic (over 90% of the population) followed up with protestants making up a high percentage of the remainder. These people are zealous in their religious beliefs and for the most part would find my non-belief contemptible at best. Why should I help them when they would spit in my face for my beliefs? Screw them!

Since the earthquake struck Haiti, it became clear that countless atheists were interested in donating to relief efforts. Some contributed immediately to a variety of organizations without regard for whether such organizations might have a religious agenda; others contributed to explicitly secular efforts designed to help combat the stereotype that atheists are uninterested in charitable giving. noted a recent example of the latter in the form of Non-Believers Giving Aid, and there have been several others establishing ways for atheists to support relief efforts without having to support proselytizing. What I had not anticipated in this context was the question raised by one commenter on a post I wrote about Haiti : whether atheists should give at all to help a predominately Christian country such as Haiti. Brad wrote:Honestly, the attitude expressed here made me feel nauseous. Was I missing something here? I wondered what sort of person might be capable of such a callous perspective. I help because it is the decent thing to do and because I would want others to do the same if I was in peril.I recognize that Haiti is thoroughly Christian. So is Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida (other places to which I have sent money following natural disasters). I realize that a majority of Haitians (just like a majority of U.S. Southerners) despise me simply because I am an atheist. I do not deny any of this. At the same time, none of it strikes me as a valid reason to withhold aid.