We often discussed empathy at this website, for instance here. And here. Most of the time, we discuss the importance of empathy-based morality without invoking any supernatural beings, beliefs, or commandments. This is not to claim that religion is always irrelevant to such discussions. For the past day, I have repeatedly thought about Rush Limbaugh's recent invocation of Jesus. He claimed that Jesus would prefer that we lower the tax rates for rich people and that we dismantle the federal social safety net for those who are not rich. This morning, coming out of a courthouse a poor-looking man smiled and said, "I hope you're having a good day." I thanked him and walked on, struck that an upbeat man of such modest means, a man I didn't know, would take time to greet me. That reminded me of a recurring thought I have: If I were God, I would visit earth dressed as a poor person, and I would mingle with well-to-do people to see how they treated me. If I were God and I did this, I would repeatedly be reminded that rich people avoided me. [More . . . ]