Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
Who is saying they should get nothing? How about giving the gifts - hold the religion?
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Maybe you are overlooking the fact that giving gifts in the month of December is a very ummm...CHRISTIAN tradition?
Obviously, given the lack of non-denominational groups doing the same thing (the shoebox full of gifts) either during December, or year-round, would point to the fact that religion, in fact, plays a role in the motivation here.
Why would you give gifts to an anonymous kid at all, if not due to some underlying moral convictions and belief about why things are the way they are, and why certain things should be done? These people do it in a Christian context, that's all, and that's how they explain it, straight up.
So - more to my point, is that all altruistic actions imply a faith and belief in _something_ (that or they aren't altruistic, if you just do it to make yourself feel better, you've missed the point in the first place), so really, all of these programs can be described as being "religious" in a broader sense.