# "Good Samaritan" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062 "2011-11-25T17:31:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/1 "2011-11-25T17:31:46Z")
In the United States the use of the term “Good Samaritan” (someone who helps a needy stranger) is very common. Wondering if this is true in the “Christian” countries in Europe. What about Australia/ NZ and Canada? ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/2 "2011-11-25T17:48:40Z")
It’s used commonly in the UK. It’s from the Bible, obviously, so I imagine it’s pretty common in a lot of places. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/3 "2011-11-25T17:51:28Z")
According to Wikipedia, it seems pretty widespread. Going back as far as Van Gogh, Rembrandt, etc. who used the phrase, and it was apparently popular in medieval art. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/4 "2011-11-25T18:30:12Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > In the United States the use of the term “Good Samaritan” (someone who helps a needy stranger) is very common. > > Wondering if this is true in the “Christian” countries in Europe. What about Australia/ NZ and Canada? I’m fairly sure its universal in all Christian cultures, English speaking or otherwise. Few people understand the full implications of the term of course. The Samaritans were a sect mainstream Judaism considered heretical, and so there was much hostility between the two religions. A modern analogy to the Samaritan in the parable might be a Muslim. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/5 "2011-11-25T19:05:03Z")
There are [Good Samaritan laws](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law) throughout Europe and countries whose legal system is based on English Common Law, including Canada and Australia, so yes the term is widely used. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/6 "2011-11-25T19:25:27Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > A modern analogy to the Samaritan in the parable might be a Muslim. Or if you’re a Catholic, a Protestant (or vice versa). Judaism and Samaritanism weren’t all that different as religions go, and each considered the themselves to be the “true” Judaism and the other the “corrupted” version. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/7 "2011-11-25T19:49:35Z")
It’s a perfectly common term in Canada as well. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/8 "2011-11-25T20:25:10Z")
When you think about it, the expression could be offensive to Samaritans. [Obligatory Mitchell and Webb sketch.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rywVlfTtlMY) ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/9 "2011-11-25T20:41:39Z")
In most countries in Europe, Christianity was the main religion for centuries. This meant that many expressions from the Bible entered the popular speech, esp. after translations were done into the local language. Martin Luther’s Bible paved the way to establishing Mid-Germanys dialect as High German, in the middle between Bavarian and Platt. King James version also introduced dozens of metaphors and sayings into English. The old rule if you encounter a phrase or metaphor and want to know where it comes from is in English, either the Bible or Shakespeare in German, either the Bible or Goethe. BTW, just because these laws are called Good Samaritan laws in English doesn’t mean we call them that in our language, too. In Germany, there is no concept of being required to help, because that’s understood; the law insures people who help others for damage they incur during that; and a second law punishes people for failing to help (unterlassene Hilfeleistung). But one of the three aid organisations (besides the Big one, the Red Cross) is the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (Workers Samaritan Group) - which uses the biblical reference despite being a “socialist” or at least non-religious group when founded. The two sister groups are both offshots from the Order of Maltese knights: the Malteser (catholic-oriented) and Johanniter (protestant). In practise, it hardly matters because they work well together without obvious rivalry and care equally well for the elderly, sick, injured and handicapped. ---
**Author:** ![Oukile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@Oukile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oukile)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/10 "2011-11-25T21:26:15Z")
It is very common in France. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan/604062/11 "2011-11-26T00:32:42Z")
It is widely used in Australia.