The Truth About Red Cross
The ladies of Jesus Couture, a local online and retail Christian clothing store for women, put their heads together to design a t-shirt in honor of the victims of Japan’s catastrophic disaster. When deciding which organization to send the proceeds, they unanimously decided to go with the most reputable, or so they thought.
Excited to be—if only just a small part—of the rebuilding of Japan and its hurting people, to their surprise, the world-renowned charity, Red Cross, denied them the privilege of raising funds on their behalf. While one can only speculate since they were not given any kind of an explanation as to why their proposal was refused, it is relatively safe to assume it must be in part because of the religious tribute proudly displayed in the name of the company.
What kind of non-profit organization refuses funds that will only further their mission? Who refuses financial help for their claim of supplying “hot meals, blood when needed, and shelter?” And if it is due to an applicant’s religious standpoint, since when is it a problem for people with different beliefs and values to partner together with the same vision in mind: helping others, especially in life or death situations?
It is understandable that liabilities are involved when trademarking a fundraising event with your logo; for instance, if the t-shirt happened to be offensive, it is believed that Red Cross could end up in a legal bind. But when the only words on your shirt happen to be an uplifting Bible verse from the book of Psalms and the encouraging words “pray, heal, revive,” it makes you wonder who really should be offended. Perhaps religion isn’t the issue at hand, but if it wasn’t, why couldn’t the organization have at least given a reason for the disapproval? For this reason, the Jesus Couture staff has no choice but to jump to a conclusion.
It is truly disheartening that in a world where natural disasters are becoming more and more frequent, people are so taken aback by their differences instead of working together despite them to make our world a better place. It is an unpleasant reminder that in many aspects, the biblical theory of reaping what you sow is legit and very real, even to non-Christians. When humankind sows racism, unkindness, selfishness, ignorance, criticism, judgment, or in this case, literally refusing to work together to save lives because of religious differences, that is exactly what they will reap.
