Tsunami victims denied aid by Christian missionaries

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Villagers furious with Christian Missionaries

If there's any truth (I don't know that it is, I can't find anything else on it)to this article

Interesting topic of discussion though: Is this an acceptable form of missionary work/conversion? Is this how you'd like followers added to your flock?

 

Aid from Israel was also denied. Some people never learn.

Edit: after reading this for the second time, i realise this has little to do with the topic. My bad.

 

WTF? Now some people obviously don't understand their own religion.

If the story is true and someone dies, his blood will be on the missionary's hands.

 

It is pretty common really, the large aid packages promised to Africa for AIDS prevention and treatment refuses to give any funds to organisations who performs abortions or advocates it and they are not even fond of organisations who advocates the use of condoms and the like.

 

That's understandable so long as the money can't be given directly to the people who need it. I.e. if the money goes to pay for abortions or to pay for the organisation's bills, it's understandable to withhold donations. Especially if there's another way of reaching the needy. If you are entrusted with some charity money by your church, it's quite reasonable that you don't hand it over to the church's enemies - or ideological opponents, if you prefer. But demanding conversion, religious or ideological, from a needy person under the pain of not receiving the aid is a travesty.

[ January 19, 2005, 18:09: Message edited by: chevalier ]

 

I hate this kind of socalled Christianity. Gives my Lord a bad reputation.
Like you could really expect these refugees would love God this way.

 

Ah, but which is more important--saving the body or saving the soul?

Or so the reasoning goes.

 

Good point AMaster, for the missionary it's a bit like a firefighter trying to help a suicidal man.
If the firefighter wouldn't grab the man from the ledge, then he would kill himself, if the missionary wouldn't grab a man from his 'ignorance' then he would burn an eternity.

 

I'll be honest, I haven't directly helped with the tsunami effort, even by giving money, so who am I to criticize people out there who are willing to help those of their faith?

Still, this unnerves me, and I share the opinion that religion should not have been a big deal in whether the missionaries helped the victims. But I've heard the deal has probably worked the other way around too, with some victims refusing help on the basis of faith.

 

I hope the story is false. Refusing aid unless you convert is (IMO) the same as demanding conversion at sword point. Die or convert. The conversion is made under duress and is null and void.

 

And I'm certain the nuns would realise that. I think there is a high chance the report is false.

 

The story of the Good Samaritan is very much to the point, I think. You help those who need help. To refuse to give it, when you could, is not just un-Christian (if that is your religion), it is evil.

 

I wasn't saying the argument was valid, dmc--just trying to understand what was/is going through those missionaries' heads.

 

I thought the Christin attitude was to help all those in need unconditionally - not to convert.

When it comes down to it religion is a business just like Mcdonald's. Of course I am not talking about all religions or even all branches of Christianity.

I guess what the Bible teaches and what Christian leaders preach are 2 different things.

 

Unfortunately this is often too true.

I did a search and did not find any other reference to this incident. I wonder if anyone has seen it anywhere else?

 

The soul is not saved by a forced conversion and I dare say the missionary endangers his own soul by making aid conditional upon conversion. If he really does that, though, and we only have this one source.

Not necessarily. The biggest problem is the relation between what some of them preach and what they do. There's also a difference between what the big leaders preach and what the small leaders do when they don't think they are being watched. When the cat's away...

Then again, this wasn't a truckload of self-proclaimed champions, but a convoy run by nuns. I don't say the report is false, but there might have been some misunderstanding. For example preaching in the same time as distributing the aid and the locals refusing the aid because they wouldn't accept the preaching. But fact stands, some Christians do behave like that. Which only shows they don't really understand what they are preaching.

 

If, and I empasize if, this story is true then these nuns should have known better. This is the exact same tactic the English used against Irish Catholics during the potato famine: food was available to starving Irish *if* they would give up their Catholic Faith first. Having been the victims of it, it would be a disgrace to do it to others. Additionally, despite lying propaganda to the contrary, the Catholic Church absolutely forbids forced conversions -- including the kind described here.

 

My country was christned by a viking, who was tasked by a king to do so. He traveled throughout the land, attacked chieftains at night, and gave them the choice between the cross or the sword. Hows that for saving souls? For as we all know, people that are forced to believe in God, would truely believe in him, and not just say they did because they were forced. Right?

As for the incident, well it does seem rather unlikely and could be an misunderstanding. If not, them I guess the nuns would have some explaining to do when they shuffled off this mortal coil.

 

And this, young ones, is why I don't belong to any religous group, even though I am a christian, a quite fanatical one.