Not Like The Good Samaritan

While it is open-minded and altruistic to do what is right by someone who thinks differently from you, helping that person wrong someone who thinks like you is not.

Even though you are a Christian yourself, you decide that to be open-minded and altruistic, you should laugh at a joke Allan makes about something Carl said, thinking this shows that you are willing to side with people who think differently from you. 

Christians,

While it is open-minded and altruistic to do what is right by someone who thinks differently from you, it isn’t altruistic or open-minded to help that person wrong someone who thinks like you, which includes laughing at another Christian who is trying to stand up for Christianity.  Imagine one of your coworkers, Allan, is questioning another coworker, Carl, about his belief in God in a derisive way.  This is happening during break.  Even though you are a Christian yourself, you decide that to be open-minded and altruistic, you should laugh at a joke Allan makes about something Carl said, thinking this shows that you are willing to side with people who think differently from you.

However, that decision was a clear example of helping someone wrong another person.  It was especially wrong since Carl was being made fun of while standing up for his belief in God.  Also, when it comes to a person standing up for their faith, they often need all the help they can get in the first place. Why?

A Christian who stands up for their faith is often outnumbered today.  It isn’t altruistic and open-minded to refuse help to your immediate family in their time of need and give it to others who already have plenty of it.  In other words, it is no great act of altruism and open-mindedness to take a spoon of food from your hungry daughter’s mouth and bring it to the well-fed child next door.