An article written by my father, the Rev. C. Thomas Paige, as it appeared in the Tri-State Defender on the date shown.
A few days ago, an old couple was found dead in their house. Authorities believe that the man died and his invalid wife starved to death before they were found. A few days later an elderly lady was found in serious condition in her house, the victim of a stroke. No one knows how long she had been ill. Later, I went down the street and one of my daughters saw a man coming up the street. She extended her hand and shook hands with a dirty, unkempt man. The man shook hands with her and as he departed he said, “Thank you, Sonny.”
One would wonder why he would say, “Thank you, Sonny.” I thought about it after he had left and it came to me: maybe this man had not had anyone to recognize him to the point that he was extended a hand in a long time. Maybe he felt neglected in this world and felt that no one care for him. Maybe he was burdened to the point that nothing really mattered any more. Here in the midst of all of his trouble, God place it upon the mind of a little child to speak to him and extend her hand.
To me, when people can starve and die in the midst of neighbors, or have a stroke and go unattended for hours and possibly days, there is something drastically wrong with our Christianity. On one occasion Jesus said, “In as much as you did it for the least of one of these my little ones, you have done it for Me.” We live in a day of gross neglect. People aren’t concerned basically for those who are not in their particular groups. Those who are disinherited find no place in our areas of religion. This brings me to the point that finds me summarizing our way of religion as being too exclusive. We exclude too many people from fellowship that would make this world a better place in which to live.
The Christianity as laid down by Jesus was most inclusive: “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” In all walks of life today people are in dire need of the fellowship of Christians. These people are in need of kind words, noble acts, and a fellowship that could make them feel an identity with the better things of life. How many thoughts go through the mind of a person dying of hunger!
What a sad commentary it is today that these things can happen in our midst! How tragic it is that there are people who walk our streets, burdened, with no one to whom they might turn. How sad it is that there are hungry and pain-ridden among us who have no source of comfort! Yet they tell me there are more names on church records today than ever before in the history of mankind. What has happened to all of these people who lay claim to being Christians? How do we account for all of the complacency on the part of Christians? Something must be wrong with our interpretation of Christianity. The “Second Mile” or “The Good Samaritan” means nothing to many of us today.
The same old question of moral responsibility haunts us once again today. Years ago, the question was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” This question comes to us today with all of its implications. One would ask to whom am I indebted> Are we indebted only to our friends, or are we indebted to all people? In far too many cases, many of us interpret religion in terms of only our friends — we owe nothing to anyone else. Our religion will never mean anything as long as we cherish this idea.
Whatever we thing of it, our Christianity is that thing within each of us that makes us extend our hand, walk the second mile, and give our cloaks. Our hearts need to be turned around and revitalized. World conditions and individual conditions must change. The status of our local conditions or world conditions will change only to the extent that we fully realize our duties as Christians. Human suffering, human anxieties, conflict and chaos in the lives of people will be moved only to the extent that we as Christians fully realize our place in this world and set out to make the world better. Nothing short of this will bring about the great fellowship for which Christianity is designed.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
This is the root message of Christianity. The funny thing is though that this is very prominent in many of the world religions. Furthermore, many atheists would define this as humanism for them. The world is a little twisted isn’t it. Most of us believe in the same core of all beliefs, but our the little details that determine our place in the world makes us forget what we believe in the most important of situations. I guess all we can do is life as we believe we should. Recognize and acknowlege everyone we can without expecting anything in return, if only for the betterment of ourselves.
“Later, I went down the street and one of my daughters saw a man coming up the street. She extended her hand and shook hands with a dirty, unkempt man”
Sounds like a very proud father speaking … I’ll bet she continues to do it to this very day.
Ah, but it wasn’t me 😦 When I was typing this in, I wondered which of my sisters it was. (They are all older than I.)
Ah … the young sister … I still bet she does it to this very day … personally I only have 4 younger sisters … I’d say only 2 would have extended their hand