Missionaries Relocate 300 Orphans

[CornField]

Va. Group Says Muslim Tsunami Victims Will Be Raised in Christian Home

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5018-2005Jan12.html

A Virginia-based missionary group said this week that it has airlifted 300 "tsunami orphans" from the Muslim province of Banda Aceh to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, where it plans to raise them in a Christian children's home.

...

Most of the religious charities do not attach any conditions to their aid, and many of the larger ones -- such as WorldVision, Catholic Relief Services and Church World Service -- have policies against proselytizing. But a few of the smaller groups have been raising money among evangelical Christians by presenting the tsunami emergency effort as a rare opportunity to make converts in hard-to-reach areas.

"Normally, Banda Aceh is closed to foreigners and closed to the gospel. But, because of this catastrophe, our partners there are earning the right to be heard and providing entrance for the gospel," WorldHelp said in an appeal for funds on its Web site this week.

...

The Web site was changed, and the appeal was removed yesterday after The Washington Post called to inquire about it. The Rev. Vernon Brewer, president of WorldHelp in Forest, Va., said in a telephone interview the organization had collected about $70,000 in donations and was seeking to raise another $350,000 to build the orphanage.

...

[mslux]

1. The local "insurgents"

have said that aid workers will be protected as long as that is all they are doing. Missionaries, oil prospectors, etc., are not welcome.

[aikido15]

3. Don't missionaries work for oil prospectors?

Like SIL in Ecuador? Slime balls with bibles...:puke:

2. This is disgusting

These people never miss a chance to fuck other people over somehow. How crass. It seems that all told Aceh is going to be worse off for the "relief" effort than it was before.

A very good and different analysis than usual on the Tsunami: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2938030

[aikido15]

4. Did anyone else get nervous when US troops...

...were deployed? The chickenhawks are drooling over the prospect of installing some military bases in Indonesia. I new this was going to happen...Bush doesn't care about those people, just their OIL and strategic military location for his "war on terror"

[Hell Hath No Fury]

9. Oh yes...

the Indonesians did too -- just required foreign troops to be out by a certain time period. They're not stupid.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. Vile!

The fact they see this as an "opportunity" is nothing short of disgusting! They are vile creatures and do a disservice to their own religion by their hard hearts and putrid practices!

[daleo]

6. He is lying about something (the head of this church)

Either this is a scam, and there really were no children taken, or he did it without legitimate government permission.

"Brewer said the Indonesian government gave permission for the orphans to be flown to Jakarta last week and was aware that they would be raised as Christians.

<"We have no knowledge of this," Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said Thursday in Jakarta. "If confirmed, this would constitute a serious violation of the standing ban by the Indonesian government on the adoption of Acehnese children affected by the tsunami disaster and appropriate steps would be taken accordingly." He added that he did not believe any Indonesian official would have approved the transfer of the children.> "

And this, a little later on in the story. I think this guy is describing the religious implications of going through a natural disaster in precisely the opposite way most people would experience it. He doesn't seem to have a very firm grasp of the theological "problem of evil", which is probably the biggest obstacle to religious belief.

"It's easy to be an atheist when you have no crisis in your life. But have a 50-foot tidal wave sweep your family and village away, it makes you ponder the big questions in life," he said.

[booksenkatz]

14. That's kinda funny because

I think that the tsunami kinda confirmed my agnosticism for me. If there IS a god out there, he or she doesn't give two shits about us, from what I've been able to observe. It's every man for himself down here on this little ole ball near the sun.

A kick for the morning crew -- this gets my vote for the most breathtaking story of the day, and it's only 7am!

[daleo]

18. I agree, these events make faith more difficult

I would say, on balance, that natural disasters of this scale and arbitrariness challenge the inclination toward religious belief more than they confirm it. It may well be that some people get shaken out of a complacent agnostic state, but I think many more would get shaken out of a complacent piety.

The Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 which killed many people while they were worshiping (it happened on All Saint's Day) is considered to be a seminal event in the development of the Enlightenment.

Here is a blog that includes Voltaire's poem on the subject.

http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/earthquakes.htm

On edit: For the record, the views expressed here aren't necessarily my own, but they sum up the problem pretty well.

[booksenkatz]

21. That was GREAT reading, thanks daleo!

It really elaborated on many of the things that are certainly running through my mind these days. Thanks!

[chookie]

7. Oh oh -- here comes an international incident

So much for "improving America's image abroad." This kinda sounds more like "rescuing innocent children from Islam" than helping them to survive after a profound natural disaster.

In fact -- this incident -- which I conjecture is just one of many -- may eventually be interpreted as kidnapping. They may be orphans, but they did exist within extended families, within communities, within a nation -- and I believe they deserve rights as such -- and not snatched and placed into an "alternative" environment by people who think they know better....

Tsunami victims are profoundly grateful for aid, generously provided by so many Americans -- but the sort of motive described in this story is going to go over very very badly in Indonesia, and the rest of the Muslim world.

It will be interesting to see what will happen. Will they be pressured by the State Dept to cease and desist kidnapping Muslim orphans -- and will they cry to George W and Sean Hannity about how Christians are being persecuted?

And here we go again -- If Muslims complain or retaliate that their children are being (I suspect surrepticiously) relocated to evangelical Christian "homes", are we supposed to be surprised --uh, again.... -- about their cruelty and barbarity and ingratitude?

And finally -- is this the kind of faith-based program George W wants our tax dollars to fund?

UH -- BTW -- is the organization cited "WorldHelp" -- the one George W sent his $10,000 to? Not sure -- anyone know?

[aikido15]

10. Good questions...

that need to be answered...just stick them on the list with the other THOUSANDS of questions that no one in this fucking government will address! Liars, thieves, torturers, war criminals, child snatchers!:grr:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. Utterly, utterly disgusting...

taking advantage of those people when they are in the crisis of their lives -- those "christians" are nothing but vampires. Shame on them.

A real Christian would be over there, helping those poor people no strings attached because that is the Christian thing to do.

:puke:

[BrendaStarr]

11. World Help has strong ties to Liberty University.

Also other things make me think this is a kinda a scam on Christians too.

I am going to send what I found about how World Help is using money to Washington Post. I expect nothing to come of it of course. I'm not going to post the website I found here. I don't want it taken down too quickly.

Then again expensive vacations being billed as missionary trips may be nothing unusual for ministers.

What am I think of? Of course they aren't. When I was attending church we got the latest news of the pastors' trips along with the admonition to get that tithe in regularly.

[CornField]

17. Yes, Brewer was the very first graduate of Liberty.

Brewer, a Baptist minister, was the first person to graduate from the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., in 1971. He served as a vice president of the Christian university before founding WorldHelp in 1991.

[BrendaStarr]

12. Mother Jones reports that Christians created out of Muslims are at risk

They are often killed.

At least the ones the MJ article was about were introduced to Christianity as adults.

<ol> The growing movement to hunt souls in Muslim lands-by missionaries who often pass as aid workers, teachers, or business owners-has raised hackles outside the evangelical world. Missionaries themselves acknowledge that their work endangers the lives of converts, and critics charge that it disrupts the delivery of humanitarian aid and fuels resentment of Westerners during one of the most dangerous moments in recent history. But to those at the heart of the movement, including Rick Love's students, any damage done by their work is outweighed by the importance of their mission: to wipe out Islam.</ol>

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2002/05/stealth.html

[Blue Gardener]

13. Despicable

There is nor shortage of "ugly" Americans is there? How would they like it if American children were kidnapped by Muslims because they thought they needed to be converted?

[Stella_Artois]

15. If they didn't know about it then there are two possibilities.

Either it didn't actually happen, or the children were kidnapped. If they managed to kidnap 300 children then thats quite some logistical feat, since i understand that the only airport is under local military control.

[IndianaGreen]

20. Or this preacher is lining his money with contributions

just as those ministries that are constantly raising money to convert the Jews do, when in fact the money goes into their pockets.

[ernstbass]

16. SAving the young heathens huh?

[IndianaGreen]

19. Drink your Jesus Kool-Aid children

or else we will kill you to save your souls.

[CornField]

22. More information on this from Islam Online

http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2005-01/13/article05.shtml

...
John Budd, UNICEF Indonesia Communication Officer, said last week that UNICEF's Malaysian office had received an SMS advertising 300 orphans from Aceh aged between three and ten who could be bought.

“It's chilling…What this indicates is that they have got children or they have a network where they can identify a child and take them,” he said.

Also in reaction to the increasing missionary work, an anonymous electronic text message spread through Indonesia this week.

“Please ask among friends who would like to adopt orphans from Aceh. 300 orphans coming soon. Need Muslim homes. Christian missionaries want them. Pls help!” it read.

Immediately after the tidal waves devastated several countries, a number of Christian missionary groups rushed to the affected areas to offer not only relief aid, but more importantly spiritual counseling.

...