Antoine, this is the core of the Christian message, and one must wonder why it has not been universally embraced, since it would transform the lives of all humankind for the better. Jesus used the parable of the Good Samaritan (Matt. 37-40) to illustrate this truth, but so many of us do not believe it applies to each and everyone of us. Why should we, safe and comfortable in the U.S., care about families fleeing Syria from the dual plague of a brutal dictator and bloody terrorists? Aren’t we products of an evolution that dictates Survival of the Fittest?
@Relates makes a good argument that the evolution employed by our Creator also rewards cooperation, but that seems too easily overlooked. We would rather stick to the Selfish Gene argument. It satisfies our need for immediate gratification. A century ago Pierre Teilhard de Chardin proposed a world view that we humans are the sole inhabitants (on this Earth, at least) of a new sphere in the Universe, the Noosphere–a sphere which proceeds from the Cosmosphere and Biosphere–a sphere which began with the appearance of a creature with Mind and Conscience. Personally, I have found this a very convincing way of viewing the Christian message that human fulfillment can best be attained through love of God and love of neighbor combined. I am in a very small minority in this regard, for even the church Teilhard so loved so much turned its back on him and considered his views at least semi-heretical. Is there a way to reach consensus on this vital point? Or is that just an illusion?
Al Leo