Who is your Neighbour?

After the terrible inferno at Grenfell Tower, where many people perished and hundreds lost their loved ones, homes and everything they had, Robert Hardman wrote this in the Daily Mail,

‘In the midst of it all I met a team from Islamic Relief unloading a van full of food and clothes. From around the corner came a reassuringly, familiar sight. Here was the Khalsa Aid, the Sikh disaster relief operation that brought so much comfort the Somerset Levels during the dreadful floods of 2014’

A few days later Sarah Vine wrote in her regular column,

‘One local Mosque said it had collected 60 tonnes of clothing, toiletries, bedding, food and medicine. Their efforts rose above class, colour or caste. PTA mums with clipboards and battered estate cars worked alongside shy ladies from the Philippines and elderly Catholic Nuns. St Francis of Assis Catholic Church was teaming with volunteers.’

There will be countless other stories of Good Samaritans who looked after their neighbours after fire. These accounts of love that we have read tell us that loving your neighbour is not just a Christian action but one that belongs to all the major religions and those of no faith.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog ’Don’t blame Religion’ and here I am seeking to highlight the virtues of religion again.