Pope Leo calls for kindness to strangers and the poor in Christmas message

Refusing to help those in need is tantamount to rejecting God himself, says pontiff during Christmas Eve mass…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/24/pope-leo-christmas-message-kindness-strangers-poor

 

 

Blackboot - Act of kindness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvdDkH0D28

 

Barbara Walker: Does religion make people kind, generous? - Freethought Today

" But is it really true that religion makes people more kindly, generous or loving? History tends to disprove this…" 

"It would seem that religion does not initiate moral virtue in the community, but rather grudgingly reflects it, once the community has sufficiently overcome religious objections to its progress and become somewhat more enlightened. We should remember that in our country, churches endorsed slavery, public lynching, wife-beating, whipping of schoolchildren, and many other abuses. To this day, the faith called Islam, which translates "submission" — of women in particular — still allows "honor killing" of women who are deemed insufficiently submissive..."

https://www.freethoughttoday.com/sections/100-front-page/barbara-walker-does-religion-make-people-kind-generous/

A White state trooper pulled over a Black woman and her father. The two men shared a surprising act of kindness - CNN

But this photo is being widely shared for another reason. The trooper is reaching into the car to help, not to harm. And the encounter has been described by those who witnessed it not as tragic, but inspired...
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/11/us/trooper-traffic-stop-prayer-blake-cec/index.html

WOTME: God is Kind?

If your religion is kindness, I know you're not a follower of the Tribal War god of Abraham... or His son/self.
https://youtu.be/uA5JXQ9r5J4

The origins of human kindness may be found in these surprisingly generous apes | TheHill

...But research suggests we aren't the only ones who've learned to show empathy for one another and a recent report by NPR suggests that another species of ape holds clues to the evolution of kindness in people...

https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/546073-the-origins-of-human-kindness-may-be-found-in