Goerwitz

This is the Compassion International Thai headquarters.

We visited here at the request of Amy's mother, to make a connection with a child she helps through Compassion International. (Amy, my wife, is on the right. Jariya, my daughter, is beside her.)

Compassion International is a Christian aid organization.

I confess that I am typically pretty cautious about religiously affiliated groups, because they don't always respect the cultures they are helping, and they often use food and aid (not true compassion) as a way to demonstrate the superiority of their religion and culture. Their view of the native populations often come out as a kind of skewed compassion: "I feel sorry for the poor Thai people who will go to hell because they don't believe as I believe." A lot of well meaning Christians feel this way, and they don't realize how arrogant they are.

At times, I believe, this attitude conceals a deeper racism.

Note that my comments aren't meant to reflect badly, or well, on Compassion, which we know little about—other than that Amy's mother supports it, and that we respect her opinions, and want to help her.

It's just an opportunity for me to voice an opinion about a deep flaw I see in many Christians' belief systems. My view is that if one's religion can't tolerate the notion that all good people are "saved" (or, in general, that they are dealt with respectfully and mercifully by a higher power) then that religion itself might what's in need of salvation.