Famed New Atheist Richard Dawkins has opened up a "religion-free" way of helping the victims of the deadly earthquake in Haiti.

Dawkins has joined 13 other groups to create the Non-Believers Giving Aid. Donors are told that when they give they are "helping to counter the scandalous myth that only the religious care about their fellow-humans."

"[W]e do not hide behind the notion that earthly suffering will be rewarded in a heavenly paradise, nor do we expect a heavenly reward for our generosity: the understanding that this is the only life any of us have makes the need to alleviate suffering even more urgent," the atheist and freethought groups say. more >>

Churches in Haiti and around the world prayed Sunday for those affected by last week’s devastating earthquake, which has claimed as many as 100,000 victims and left more than three million in need of aid.

Solid Rock First Haitian Tabernacle of Grace Church in Raleigh gathered its mostly Haitian congregation Sunday for a second straight evening to pray, sing and remember those who lost their lives.

The Atlanta Haitian Church of God, meanwhile, took donations during their service to help with relief efforts and reported that the community’s coming together is a testament to how strong the Haitian people are. more >>

Hundreds of Salvation Army volunteers in the United States have spent the last few days preparing and packing one million ready-to-eat meals to send to survivors of the Haiti earthquake.

They are in addition to the 250,000 meals are already awaiting shipment from Des Moines, Iowa.

The meals, courtesy of food group Numana Inc, consist of rice, soy protein, freeze-dried vegetables and vitamins that can be cooked in boiling water. more >>

As aid workers frantically rescue survivors of Haiti’s massive quake, several hundred miles north in the United States many churches and ministries are anxiously awaiting word about missing workers and missionaries.

In Florida, the state Baptist convention is praying for word that 18 of their workers in Haiti are safe, according to Baptist Press, the news wire service of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Florida Baptist Convention says it has not heard from 18 of its 21 Haitian staff after the 7.0-magnitude quake hit Haiti Tuesday and decimated the capital Port-au-Prince. The other three Haitian employees were found unharmed. more >>

Controversial charismatic Pat Robertson has put his foot in his mouth with yet another post-disaster remark – this time regarding the hard-hit country of Haiti.

While hosting “The 700 Club” on the Christian Broadcasting Network Wednesday, Robertson said the 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti a day earlier was the consequence of the curse that had befallen the country’s people after its founding fathers made a “pact to the Devil” in exchange for Haiti’s independence from France.

“[E]ver since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor,” Robertson said. more >>

From denominations and mission agencies to broadcasters and foreign governments, groups and individuals are responding to the devastation in Haiti with an outpouring of aid, on-site efforts, and calls for prayer and donation.

Meanwhile, officials fear that the death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake could reach into the tens of thousands, with some saying a toll of 100,000 and even 500,000 is possible.

“The death toll is climbing by the hour in the wake of the magnitude 7.0 quake that tore through the capital of Port-au-Prince,” reported U.S.-based Christian Aid, which has been assisting native missionary efforts in Haiti since 1970. “The trembler and aftershocks are the most powerful in 240 years and affect 1.8 million people who live in the immediate area of the epicenter.” more >>