Help the Victims of Japan's Catastrophe

Heroic responders pulling a man from the rubble in Japan.

Like pretty much everyone else on the planet, I've spent the last four days watching the disaster in Japan unfold with a humbled sense of horror. I've wanted to post about it, but to be honest I wasn't sure what I could add to the conversation. Here are a few brief thoughts, though I suspect they're nothing that hasn't been said already elsewhere.

According to Merriam-Webster, theodicy is defined as "the defense of God's goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil". When it comes to evil perpetrated by human beings, we usually get a limp, unsatisfying response regarding free will. When it comes to the astounding devastation occasionally visited on humanity by the impersonal forces of nature, there is no religious answer.¹ If there were a god, there'd be no doubt in the wake of such carnage it could only be classified as a malevolent torture-master. No matter how mealy-mouthed you want to be, there's no way around that.

There's no need to fear a wicked deity, for none exists. There are no gods above, no demons below, no magic, no spirits, no supernatural forces to blame in the event of these natural catastrophes or to pray to for succor in their wake.

Luckily there are people who want to help. Even as I type this, the Japanese military and responders for nearly every nation in the world are working to save lives and provide aid to the hundreds of thousands of people suffering in the wake of the nearly unthinkable destruction that has been wrought in Japan by last Friday's earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. The lesson to take away from Japan's suffering is not one of pious platitudes, but instead it's a lesson in human altruism, the willingness of people to risk their own safety to help others.

As I've watched the news coverage of the tragedy in Japan, I've felt awed by the sheer power and ferocity of nature...but I've also been awed by the headlong rush to provide aid. Heroic efforts are underway to save lives, and the outpouring of compassion makes me proud to be a human being.

If you want to help the humanitarian efforts in Japan, I strongly recommend making a donation to Doctors Without Borders. They're one of the most well-respected humanitarian organizations in the world, and I trust them with my own donations. Other fantastic organizations helping with the relief effort include UNICEF, the Red Cross, and the Foundation Beyond Belief. You can't go wrong with any of these groups. Just be sure to give - it doesn't matter how much or how little. People need your help.

That's all I've got. The scope of the destruction and suffering in Japan has left me speechless. I don't want this post to be read as some snarky fist-pumping about the unreality of god, but instead as a celebration of human altruism and a plea for donations to the help the victims of this latest tragedy. Humanity is a family, and right now a lot of our brothers and sisters need our help.


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1- No sane answer. Some Youtube videos by the dregs of humanity claiming that Yahweh is punishing Japan for atheism has, predictably, popped up. I'll not dignify them by linking them here, nor will I link to that crass jackass Ray Comfort's giggling blog post mocking atheists for our sympathy and happily spouting on and on about God punishing his"fallen" world.

A Good Cause in Need of Support...

I'm sitting here watching the UFC "Fight for the Troops" and now seems as a good a time as any to suggest that any readers looking for a good non-religious charity to support should have a look at the Fallen Heroes Fund. It's a fund set up by Intrepid Museum Foundation and is dedicated to helping injured veterans and their families. The Fallen Heroes Fund is currently looking to establish a Traumatic Brain Injury research and treatment facility, and that's one hell of a worthwhile goal.

As my sidebar states, I'm a social services worker and I do almost all of my work with people who have mental disabilities. One of the gentlemen that I provide services for is a former military serviceman who suffered a traumatic brain injury during the first Gulf War. This brave guy was once a highly trained soldier - now he can barely talk and needs help to go to the bathroom. I can't think of very many things that are scarier than that. Trust me, I've seen firsthand the havoc that a traumatic brain injury can wreak on a person, and any research that may lead to more effective treatments for TBI is worth supporting. Seriously, check out the Fallen Heroes Fund and help support our returning veterans.

Making a difference without all the preaching...

I consider it a mark of shame that religious folk donate more money to charity than secularists. That's one of the reasons I bug the hell out of everyone who will listen about donating money to Donors Choose. I've recently been looking into other secular charities that have a bit of a broader scope. That being said, a lot of secular charities seem to exist to perpetuate secularism rather than actually render services to those in need, which is frankly one of the concerns I have about religious charities. I want my money to go to people in need, not to proselytize about belief-systems - even if its one I agree with.

Sure, I agree in general with groups like the ACLU, but there's an extent to which I'd rather fund direct services like food and educational aid rather than give money to fight over esoteric, if often important, legal issues. With that in mind, here's a list of secular charities that do provide direct services that may be worth looking into for folks who want to donate some of their resources to the less fortunate.

UNICEF - The United Nations World Children's Fund. UNICEF provides everything from food and vaccinations to educational services and is also at the forefront of the battle against HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Second Harvest - Second Harvest is the largest food bank in the United States and provides emergency food aid to disaster victims throughout the USA and Canada.

S.H.A.R.E. - Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Efforts. Paul Kurtz's secular charitable organzation, S.H.A.R.E., provides emergency aid to disaster victims and helped to alleviate some of the suffering doled out by the recent Indonesian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Some of you may recognize Kurtz as the found of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

I'll continue to post info on other secular charities as I get the chance to do so.

A shameless plug for a good cause

Thought I'd take the time to recommend an organization called Donors Choose for anyone who wants to make a difference in the educational lives of children. Donors Choose lets you peruse a large, fully searchable index educational projects in need of funding and then decide what you want to fund and exactly how much you wish to donate. There's no limit on donations either, so you can make a difference just a few dollars at a time if that's all you can afford. Check it out. The difference you can make is well worth the cost.