BootsnAll Travel Community

I read this story in the Washington Post and it's really upset me. We've been hearing about the crackdown on aid groups in Indonesia and that their movements are now being restricted and regulated because of activities like these. Well no wonder

Other groups are worried that they will be forced to leave or curtail their work even further because of this.

quote:

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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.

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quote:

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"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.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6819471/

That's disturbing indeed

Ugh. I wish I hadn't seen that.

WHy is it so disturbing and depressing? i think it is better that a religious organization for the sake of humanity are better off helping these kids than some of these kids being sold as human commodity as sex slaves by under world crime syndicates.

It is disturbing to many (including me) because it implies that the children, and the nations they come from, are needing to be saved in the spiritual sense, and that they need to 'see the light'.

The second quotation implies an ulterior motive, which I think is what disturbs people - that if these children are 'saved,' then the group has a better foothold on the 'lost' nation. Etc.

I understand your point, though, soofligo.

The great thing was later in the article the pastor actually said, "We have no ulterior motive."

Right. You're just there the "help". Not "fix".

Of course the children are better off being cared for than not, by whomever can provide help. But a lot of other religious-based aid groups provide aid, and leave religion out of it.

These children are of Islamic birth, why would I be offended if they were placed in Islamic boarding schools? This smarts too much of the Residential school system were Aboriginal children were taken from their parents and communites to be "saved".

What's really got people upset about this is it would appear the children were taken without being properly identified and there is no absolute proof they are orphans.

Good points Libby.

Adoption agencies here have been stressing that children can only be taken away from their home if they are indeed orphans, and no other family members or people from the same community can take care of them, and that it is way too early to determine that now. This just seems like abduction to me.

Just ask yourself if this is what their parents would have wanted if they'd known they were going to die (if they are indeed dead).

It is impossible in such a short period of time to declare these children orphaned.

Even if they lost everyone who was living with them in Indonesia, what about family abroad? Canada has announced applications for immediate family members to immigrate will be fastracted in the countries hit. Children who were orphaned are at the top of the list to be reuined with family living here.

What about Aunts and Uncles living abroad? Cousins and extended family? There is no way this could have all been checked before these children were taken..and yes, "taken" is the word being used.

It upsets me because that particular evangelical group, coming in from a totally different culture outside of Indonesia, is apparently looking at it as an "opportunity". At least, that's what the article implied.

Speaks to motivation. Children orphaned by a natural disaster in Indonesia (or anywhere) is NOT an opportunity. It's a non-demoninational human tragedy. I don't believe that helping other human beings during a crisis needs to come with a side-order of, "By the way....have you met MY God?"

Didn't get a chance to read your links. Buried with work. I'm sure there are a lot of things going on right now that I wish were not.

Travis

I think this hits home an issue which is very prevelant in 3rd world nations. Christian groups or any religious group with money "trying to save the natives". I have no problem if you preach your faith to educated people and give them an oppurtunity to learn about christianity and if they want to they want to they can convert..but to do it to Kids and especially those now looking for love and support is just plain wrong. To give incentive to change religion is an insult to the Christian faith as well as the local faith....right now they just need a helping hand. I think this is asking for trouble right now.

People do need faith right now...a faith that people are there to help them. Religion should not be made a factor on both sides...

The Washington Post has updated the story.

The group involved is now claiming that only 50 kids were removed from the area, not the 300 they originaly said. There will be NO more children removed from the area. HOWEVER....there is no way to prove it wasn't done.

Their website has been changed. It no longer says the tsunami was God's invitation to bring the Christian word to this area. They have also backed off on their claims that they informed the Indonesian government about their plans and that it had been approved. They now say they were unaware the government didn't agree.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7535-2005Jan13.html

People from Evangelical groups do this all the time and then people get upset when they are taken hostage, shot, beheaded. I usually chuckle and say to whoever is sitting next to me, "Well, what the hell did they expect? Idiots."

Their motives are never innocent, even if they themselves believe so. If you want to help, go dig wells and build toilet houses. Teach them about hygiene and food safety. Tell them the truth about AIDS. Then go home. And you will have done God's work and still live to tell your congregation about it.

Hmmm. Well I think somewhat as Madhu said, I don't think anybody would object to someone in the appropriate environment and state of mind making a personal judgement about faith and religion.
But in this case when you're dealing with traumatized, orphaned children who have other options in Indonesia through their government and other aid bodies, the religious goals of this organization takes on slightly sinister overtones.
If there was nobody else to feed them or shelter them, then I'm sure nobody would object to their lives being saved even if it meant they endured some attempt to convert them to Christianity.

But no doubt many children (and adults) have experienced the same for centuries from Christians, Muslims and other religions. Non-Christians were called Godless heathens, and non-Muslims were called Infidels...

despite the recent natural disaster in indonesia...the real depressing part about these countries is that there are human slave/ child trafficking. The human traffiking has been there and will be there even far after this whole tsunami disasters gets cleaned up.

And the underworld crime syndicates tries to take advantage of tsunami for their profit. These kids will be sold in the underworld for human sex toy/ sex slavery market, and other underworld porn industry for the sole purpose of money.

NOw according to the CNN news, there are about 13,000 orphaned kids...i don't see a big deal about this Christain organization preaching the word of God as they feed and clothe approximately 300 of these orphans.

CNN traffickers

LIfe is cheap in these countries....and it is sad that the world is made up of people who will take advantage of the weak. But as far as these christians missionaries, they are serving the purpose of their ideology and beliefs which is to serve...and they are exactly doing that. They are serving by helping the people in need.