Like many dyed-in-the-wool empiricists, John D is insufficiently empirical. Let’s watch what people do. I suppose many readers of the Corner are evangelicals. Evangelical churches have invested a fair amount of effort and money in humanitarian work in Africa. I imagine this comes up in sermons they hear, which most of them approve, and which they support in any case by some fraction of their giving. Same for Roman Catholics. Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt. This is a bluff, I know no Latin, but I don’t have my Sarah Ruden by me.