[split] Are Questions About God Important?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

"Charitable giving has been part of human culture for thousands of years. Dating back to 2500 BCE, ancient civilizations launched a tax to help the poor. The word philanthropy, meaning 'love of mankind,' dates back to ancient Greece, where it was considered to be a fundamental component of democracy."

It may go back a good deal further. There’s a story (probably apocryphal, but worthwhile all the same) that anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked when civilization began. Much to the questioner’s surprise, Mead referenced a 15 000-year old femur that was healed. She surmised that someone had cared for the injured person, finishing up with something like, ‘Civilization begins when we start to worry about what happens to other people.’

Even if the story isn’t true, it simply beggars belief that we are asked to accept the notion that attitudes like charity, caring, and loving kindness didn’t exist until Paul started hoodwinking the gullible.

Boru