Jason Collins: "I'm Gay"

[Houston]

Religion hurts people...and it's not real.

[JimLeavy59]

I can't wait until dave weighs in on this.

[Villain]

While I understand there is a small minority of folks who use religion as a way to discriminate and justify bigotry, you cannot discredit the millions of people around the globe who generally use their religious beliefs to give back to their communities and try to make the world a better place. I mean, I don't see a lot of science sponsored food kitchens and homeless shelters.

[Villain]

http://www.withbeans.com/2011/07/10/10-best-secular-non-profits/

10 Best Secular Non-Profits

Being charitable isn’t synonymous with being religious. Here are our top 10 secular non-profit organizations.

10. DonorsChoose.org
Donors Choose is a web-based charity that allows you to give to classrooms in need. Teachers post donation requests on the websites, and donors choose which projects to donate to. The organization takes care of buying and delivering supplies, so all you have to do is click a few buttons to give to the teachers and students who need it most.

9. Music For Relief
Beginning with members of the band Linkin Park, Music For Relief started as an effort between musicians and fans to help those in need. The program aids people affected by natural disasters such as Haiti’s 2010 earthquake and Japan’s 2011 tsunami. MFR also reduces global warming by planting thousands of trees. Supporters of Music For Relief include musicians and bands such as Jack Johnson, Disturbed, Beck, and Ozzy Osbourne.

8. The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth. Their mission is not only to prevent suicide, but to deliver a message to the LGBTQ community that it’s okay to be different. Their campaigns work to spread messages against bullying and other hate acts against the gay community, while their services include a 24/7 “crisis intervention lifeline.” More than 90% of donations to The Trevor Project goes to programs helping a LGBTQ youth in need.

7. Oxfam
Oxfam is one of the most popular non-profit organizations dedicated to stopping poverty and injustice in the world. With only a 6% overhead, Oxfam is involved in issues such as agriculture, hunger, food security, oil, natural disasters, war, water, worker’s rights, and more. Their diversity and support has allowed them to aid thousands of needy people worldwide.

6. Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer is one of the trendiest charities dedicated to bringing about an end to cancer. It was started because of the belief that the entertainment industry has the ability to help others, which explains why so many celebrities are involved with this organization. Stand Up To Cancer is using star power, and your donations, to help find a cure for cancer. If you’re wary about a charity that’s so closely related to Hollywood, be comforted by the fact that Stand Up To Cancer only uses 9% of donations for administrative purposes.

5. Invisible Children
Invisible Children is a secular non-profit started by a few filmmakers who saw something they could not live with in silence: Africa’s children being used by Joseph Kony as soldiers in war. Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, considers himself to be spreading Christianity throughout Uganda through this bloody war. The website states that the “war in northern Uganda has been called the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today.”

4. Red Cross
The Red Cross is one of the most popular charities in the world, bringing emergency response to the people who need it most. Not only do they help victims of war and natural disasters, but they’re the largest organization to collect and distribute blood to those who need it. The administration cost of the Red Cross is only 4% of their income and the charity is not affiliated with any religious agenda, making it an efficient and easy way to help those in need.

3. Doctors Without Borders
Through Doctors Without Borders, doctors and nurses can volunteer their time and expertise to help needy people in over 70 countries. The charity operates on a strict medical ethics code, which means that all care is given without prejudice. The Doctors Without Borders website states that the charity “operates independently of any political, military, or religious agendas,” ensuring your money will not benefit any goal outside of helping people in need, especially since only 1.1% of money raised goes to administration costs.

2. Kiva.org
Kiva is one of the most unique charities in the world today. When you donate money, you’re loaning it directly to needy people so they can start their own businesses and help themselves out of poverty. The basis of the charity is something called “microfinance”, which is the lending of small amounts of money to the poor. If you’re skeptical, Kiva ensures that 100% of your contribution goes directly to a person in need, and there is a 98.75% repayment rate on loans.

1. Charity Water
Charity Water’s goal is to provide clean, safe drinking water to people in third-world countries. Their website boasts that “100% of public donations directly fund water projects.” According to Charity Navigator, administration costs for Charity Water are only 11%, which means a majority of funds raised go to providing safe drinking water to those who need it.

LOL @ Number 5, though.

[Houston]

Science makes its own contribution to food. For instance, without it would we have McDonald's chicken nuggets?

[JimLeavy59]

Science makes its own contribution to food. For instance, without it would we have McDonald's chicken nuggets?

Without science they would have to use real chicken.

[JimLeavy59]

[EmpireWF]

Poor religious people, so much persecution. Such heroes.

[FedEx227]

America is a terrible place for middle-class, Christian white people.