A common charge to hear leveled against atheism is that no charity is done in its name, whereas religion feeds the poor, shelters the homeless, and generally reaches out to humanity. According to some believers, theism is partially but significantly valuable for its 'humanitarianism', and the fact that so many charities and hospitals in the world are religiously connected makes a case for religion deserving a position of special importance in contrast to atheism. Is this really true though? How is anyone sure that in the absence of theism, charity and humanitarian aid would be any less prevalent? As this article will illustrate, atheist charity is a reality, and yet it demands to be said that the motivations we have for helping others are nowhere near as simple as a question of faith in god or no faith in god.

I. Humanitarians Among Us

Some of the greatest emancipators in human history have been non-believers. They were not just donors of money, but donors of their own time, sweat, and occasionally even blood. Asa Philip Randolph was a central figure in the African-American civil rights movement, as well as the founder of the "March on Washington" that influenced the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were major activists in both abolitionism and women's suffrage. Henry Stephens Salt campaigned for animal rights, prison reform, and school reform. Salt also befriended Mohandas Gandhi and introduced him to the very inspiring work of Henry David Thoreau.

In addition to the activists, several other atheists have made very generous monetary contributions to charitable causes. The most surprising may be Robert Wilson's $22.5 million gift to the Catholic Church's Scholarship Program [1]. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, who has identified himself as a non-believer in multiple interviews [2], has set up his own foundation to aid in reducing poverty, improving healthcare, and expanding education and technology. Warren Buffet is another irreligious individual who has donated a great amount of money, approximately $30.7 billion to Bill Gates' own charitable organization [3].

Among the groups specifically rallying to do humanitarian work in the name of atheism are the Council for Secular Humanism, EARTHWARD, and Atheist Volunteers, the latter of which includes both a charity to help the homeless and to donate blood. There are also many charities that are simply secular, with no religious or atheistic affiliations, like American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, and so on. Atheists are certainly active in charity work, although it may not always be clear who they are, because there is rarely advertising or badge-wearing, as is often the case with many religious charities.

II. Conditional Charity

Catholic and Christian charity groups may help a lot of unfortunate people, but there are drawbacks to religious charities. In November of last year, the Archdiocese of Washington threatened to withdraw charity efforts from D.C. if a bill respecting gay marriage passed into law [4]. The Christian Children's Fund turned down a donation of more than $17,000 that was raised in memory of Gary Gygax [5], creator of the popular Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, which has been condemned by numerous conservative Christians over the years. Even in the winter, a Catholic shelter in South Nevada tests for blood alcohol levels before any homeless are allowed to enter [6]. Anyone at 0.02% or above is turned away to the Salvation Army or other shelters. For contrast, the national standard used as the limit for driving is 0.08%.

In many instances, religious charity comes at a price. Conditions are almost always in place, even if it's just the propagation of the gospel or bibles along with a service. We will help you, but you will have to consider our doctrines and dogma in return. When Jesus says to "sell your possessions and give to the poor" in Luke 12:33, I don't recall that any conditions were attached, like making sure the poor abide by your religious values. Even so, as I've just mentioned, there are plenty of charities that do not give or help indiscriminantly.

Personally, I feel that charity under certain conditions is not true charity. Charity comes from the Latin word caritas, which later became the standard Latin translation for the Greek word agape, a word meaning "unlimited loving-kindness to all others" in Christian theology. In its natural state, charity is altruism, it is helping another person. But when conditions and restrictions are applied, it becomes reciprocal altruism - helping someone with the intent of having your own desires met. Reciprocal altruism can be a good thing, but it is not charity. When an organization operates under the auspices of charity and freely discriminates in who it will help, the service that it provides is no more charitable than a person who will give to the rich and turn away the poor. If charity is helping people and some groups intentionally do not help some people, then those groups may hardly be called charity.

III. Why We Give to Charity

One fact on which I think no religious believer will disagree with me is that not all members of their religion are actually giving or charitable. Televangelists amass great fortunes that simply go to line their own pockets. Some people would rather spend time on themselves instead of on other people, and then there are those who just may not have the time or the resources to donate. It should be fairly obvious then, that being a Christian, Catholic, Jew, or Muslim does not make one a more charitable person by default. Several charitable atheist individuals and initiatives have been named above, so rejecting religion does not make one less (or more) likely to be a humanitarian either.

Faith in a god may be a contributing factor in someone's charity work, but so might a person's background, their life experiences, their desire for praise, their sense of empathy, and even their distaste for faith. There are many atheists who clearly recognize the importance of assisting others, because they realize this life is the only one we have, and no amount of prayer will help the needy like action will. The truth is that our reasons for giving to charity are a complex array of beliefs, emotions, memories, and many other factors. By no means is it as one-dimensional as a question of faith or no faith.

However, I do see a kind of poverty in religious inspirations that go into charity. It is always commendable to aid others, but I question the value of doing a good deed in the name of a god or a belief system. Should Christians be helping their fellow human beings out of a feeling of obligation to their savior, or should they be helping out of empathy, compassion, and love? Likewise, should atheists be helping our fellow human beings out of a desire to prove our humanitarianism to religious critics, or should we be helping out of empathy, compassion, and love? I think that superficial reasons like faith or a lack of faith stand in danger of being insincere or being lost over time, while real and personal connections are the most important and long-lasting reasons one could ever have to assist someone in need.

When it comes to religious vs. secular charities, I think the difference is primarily in symbols and titles. Religious charities have crosses, they may be named after saints, and yet they do often the same work as so many secular charities. They might carry bibles into the field and apply conditions to their services based on some religious principles, but who could not imagine charities existing just fine without those aspects? In the absence of theism, I see no reason to think there would be any less charity. At the core, we all help others because of our deep emotional, physical, and social connections to one another, not because any god of the imagination approves of it.

1. (2007) Atheist Gives $22.5 Million to Catholic Education. ZENIT.com. Retrieved Jan. 18th, 2010.
2. Anonymous. Bill Gates - Celebrity Atheist List. Celebatheists.com. Retrieved Jan. 18th, 2010.
3. Anonymous. (2006) Warren Buffet signs over $30.7B.... USAToday.com. Retrieved Jan. 18th, 2010.
4. Craig, T. & M. Boorstein. (2009) Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum. Washington Post. Retrieved Jan. 18, 2010.
5. (2008) Children's Charity Turns its Back on Gygax Memorial Donation. Retrieved Jan. 18, 2010.
6. Harasim, P. (2006) CATHOLIC CHARITIES: Homeless who drink left out. Reviewjournal.com. Retrieved Jan. 18, 2010.