Fuck Yeah: Free Orphans! Tsunami bonanza for evangelicals

[Apos]

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

“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 appeal said WorldHelp was working with native-born Christians in Indonesia who want to “plant Christian principles as early as possible” in the 300 Muslim children, all younger than 12, who lost their parents in the tsunami.

“These children are homeless, destitute, traumatized, orphaned, with nowhere to go, nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat. If we can place them in a Christian children’s home, their faith in Christ could become the foothold to reach the Aceh people,” it said.

Look, I sort of even get this. It makes sense with their worldview. But on the other hand, it’s just fucking bizarre to see these evangelical charity groups that see horror as a great opportunity to make sales pitches. Most other Christian charities (and all atheist charities) focus their efforts on saving and helping people. They don’t have ulterior motives beyond compassion.

But some of these evangelical groups: it’s just creepy. Instead of desperately needed food and things like counseling and social services, money being donated is going to buy endless truckloads of Bibles. Well, I can fucking guarantee that even after the tsunami, there is no shortage of Bibles.

And while it’s hard to argue with an attempt to give orphans a place to live, crowing about how they are the perfect subjects for creating an army of cultural inflitrators is just… did I already say creepy?

[gobear]

I already started a thread on this subject.