Muriel Lester

The job of the peacemaker is to stop war, to purify the world, to get it saved from poverty and riches, to heal the sick, to comfort the sad, to wake up those who have not yet found God, to create joy and beauty wherever you go, to find God in everything and in everyone.

- Muriel Lester
(1884-1968)

Muriel Lester's year of birth is giving variously as 1883, 1884 and 1885. She was well-known as a pacifist in the years prior to World War II, and had a long association with Mahatma Gandhi.

Being a Do-Gooder

More than one person in the world has begun to do small acts of kindness (sometimes 'random acts of kindness') with effects far beyond what they expected.

Debbie Tenzer is a marketing professional who felt helpless to change the state of the world with regard to war, crime and the schools in Los Angeles. So, she started with small gestures of kindness on Mondays, her own most difficult day. Then friends soon suggested she post these activities on a website, and DoOneNiceThing.com was born.

"OK, I can't fix needy schools, but I could give them my children's old schoolbooks," Debbie says. "I can't end the war, but I can send a phone card so a soldier can call home and feel comforted. I decided then I'd find a way to do one nice thing for someone every week."

Now she communicates with "nice-oholics" in 53 countries — people inspired by the Web site. Amongst other things they pour tons of school supplies into Afghanistan, meet the needs of students fleeing hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, and send sweaters to help people endure the bitter winter winds in Iraq.

Sharing these stories gives other people hope, Tenzer says. "The world is an imperfect place, and there's a lot to do and we can do."

Too often people in our congregation find it hard to know where to start. Either of these sites might give someone the impetus to get out and 'be kind.'

Chris Hedges: I Don’t Believe in Atheists

On May 22nd, 2007 Chris Hedges and Sam Harris debated “Religion, Politics and the End of the World.” Hedges’ opening statement, in which he argues that Harris and other critics of faith have mistakenly blamed religion for the ills of the world, when the true danger lies in the human heart and its capacity for evil, can be found here. It's quite long, so settle back for a good solid read.

Chris Hedges is the son of a Presbyterian minister, but I'm not clear that he's a practising Christian himself. The link on his name gives details of his biography.

Sam Harris, like Richard Dawkins, has become a strong voice for atheism in the last decade. Some information about him is available in the link under his name.