Okay, here's a new one to shrug off.

[SeaCat]

Here's another one from a local paper. It makes me wonder.

Tsunami Missionaries

Cat

 

[cantdog]

Proselytizing, in muslim countries, is a big problem. Shari'ah law was laid down when the muslims were the planet's biggest empire builders. Apostasy merits death by that law. In other words, if a person, once a muslim, turns to any other religion, or to none at all, that person is punishable by death. Consequently, the people who announce that they have come to a muslim country to proselytize are usually ejected.

 

[shereads]

Proselytizing, in muslim countries, is a big problem. Shari'ah law was laid down when the muslims were the planet's biggest empire builders. Apostasy merits death by that law. In other words, if a person, once a muslim, turns to any other religion, or to none at all, that person is punishable by death. Consequently, the people who announce that they have come to a muslim country to proselytize are usually ejected.

Washington Post says its not happening: a Christian fundraising group stopped its activities on behalf of 500 orphans when it was informed by the gov't of Indonesia that the children, all muslims, could not be placed in a Christian children's home. Seems harsh on both sides. I can only imagine the reaction by westerners, though, if we learned that American and European and Australian orphans were being placed in a Muslim religious home.

Faith-based initiatives. Not as simple as it sounds.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Washington Post says its not happening: a Christian fundraising group stopped its activities on behalf of 500 orphans when it was informed by the gov't of Indonesia that the children, all muslims, could not be placed in a Christian children's home. Seems harsh on both sides. I can only imagine the reaction by westerners, though, if we learned that American and European and Australian orphans were being placed in a Muslim religious home.

Faith-based initiatives. Not as simple as it sounds.

I was raised baptist. I guess it was a simpler time. We always pitched in to help when needed. I know some of the brother would witness when we helped, but it was always on thier initiative and we never checked up on someone's religion before offering aide.

I'm all for spreading the gospel, if that's what you feel moved to do, but helping those in need should never depend on them accepting christ. that's about as foerign to my understanding of the word of Jesus as you can get.

 

[cantdog]

I know, Colleen. These people have no shame. It's kind of like profiteering, isn't it?

I have had the most to do, over the years, with a Baptist denomination, the one to which Martin Luther King belonged, actually. I was able to do good and decent things for people under their auspices. Some of the time they were talking about proselytizing, but it was mostly "by example," meaning I am here, I do my level best to be of service; consequently, you will see that it was my Baptist faith which informed my actions.

On that basis, I suppose my works were used to proselytize, but I don't worry about that, so long as what I did was useful to poor people.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Reminds me of Browning's "Fra Lippo Lippi," where the monk describes himself coming to the cloister as a starving boy and being asked to "devote his life to Christ" with a bowl of hot food under his now. I think the Divine One might look a little skeptically upon such conversions.

Shanglan