No Jesus? No Tsunami aid for you!

[Ted Striker]

Zombie Mother Teresa

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
Who is Christopher Hitchens?

A former leftist who wrote an expose on Mother Theresa a few years ago. He's currently a major critic of the left for his perception (not entirely inaccurate) of the left's opposition of the War on Terror. He has a column in Harper's and has for many years. His critiques are generally quite thoroughly researched. He also wrote The Trial of Henry Kissinger which fairly well lays out the claim the Kissinger was a war criminal, and Kissinger has don nothing except to say that Hitchens is wrong. No libel suit. His book on Mother Theresa was written while she was alive, and she didn't sue him either.

His two main accussations agains ther were the denial of care for those who wouldn't convert and the acceptance of money from questionable sources.

[Winston]

From the OP,

Jubilant at seeing the relief trucks loaded with food, clothes and the much-needed medicines the villagers, many of who have not had a square meal in days, were shocked when the nuns asked them to convert before distributing biscuits and water.

(Emphasis mine)

Now why do I get the feeling this whole story is a seriously messed up report on some nuns combining ordinary relief aid with also holding a religious service for those who were interested, and as part of that, administering holy communion.

[Ted Striker]

Probably because you believe nothing bad ever happens in the world.

[GePap]

Because you use wine, first of all.

Oh, and nuns can't do communion. What kind of catholic are you?

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Before we burn these people at the stake might one ask what religious order these people are with. there are lots of religions such as chatholics and baptists that are also christian. It is believed you are a christian if you believe in christ. I find it wrong to condemn all christians based on one denominations bad choice in judgement.

[Tuberski]

These nuns were not Catholic, otherwise it would have stated they were Catholic, not Christian.

There are Buddist, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican nuns, just to name a few.

Buddist, obviously not, they aren't Christian.

ACK!

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by GePap
Because you use wine, first of all.

I would imagine they use whatever absent wine

[Boris Godunov]

I guess I'm just not up on my religious dogma...but what does Xianity think of people who "convert" out of desperation? I mean, could the religious conversion of a starving man who is having food dangled in front of him really count for much in terms of "soul saving?" I certainly would pay lip service to a religion if it meant either that or starving/dying of thirst. This is one step away from the Inquisition's "conversion" of Jews under..."pressure" in terms of the significance for their souls.

And wouldn't it be a more powerful religious message if the missionaries, I don't know, just gave the food to those in need?

[DinoDoc]

Insightful post. You must have been the first to say such things in this thread.

[Shi Huangdi]

"
Physical aid does not save souls- saving the body is not the same as saving the soul- you can svae the body and not the soul, AND VICE VERSA. Besides, how do you judge the authenticity of conversion by simply having people claim conversion, when the likely reason was simply to save the body? They would then fail in their supposed aim. And they have no way of judging why people would be saying "fine, I convert, whatever", if they trully wanted to save their souls, OR simply their bodies."

Apparently you aren't reading my posts: I DO NOT BELIEVE THESE MISSIONARIES ARE TAKING THE CORRECT ACTION!

However, just because of that does not make me feel as though I have the right to morally condemn people who have traveled so far and worked so hard to provide aid and save souls.

"Again, these idiots are exploiting the suffering of people in dire need of food, water, and medicine to get them to convert."

See, this is a problem of perspective, from your atheist viewpoint you view conversion as a form of exploitation. From their viewpoint rather then exploitation it is performing a great work of charity which can save their souls.

"
As with any group, but where a specific impediment is caused by a specific factor (or the direct consequences of that, i.e. racism or race identity etc) charity can be distributed accordingly."

What does that have to do with it? A white person who is poor isn't able to afford college any better because he is white(in fact hew would be less so because minority scholarships aren't avilable to him)

"if you're attempting to delinate then you would say something on the order of "it was the bullet's responsibility" "

No, because in your case the SS officer caused the bullet. In this case, the missionaries did not cause the starvation.

"That some did not give aid is choosing not to help the entire region, and they're not there so there may well be other factors out of their control influencing the decision, as opposed to evident selfishness. "

There might be reasons for some people who lacked the means to contribute. But the fact that they aren't there haas nothing to do with it because it is very easy for them to donate to a charity from their own homes, they had ability to help just as surely as these missionaries on the ground did, and yet many people chose not to.

"the reason the UNCF chooses to give aid to a specific group is directly related to the need of that group, "

The need is not specific to black people.

"
The UNCF isn't trying to convert people to being black."

And so you point out why these missionaries are being better then the UNCF. The missionaries are basing their action over something you can control, the UNCF is basing their actions on an inborn trait.

"I feel sick just reading Shi's posts."

This is BS. This is one of the most silly displays of faux outrage we have seen in a while, people here are simply taking any chance they can get to vent at a group that they are opposed to (Christians). These missionaries traveled all the way to Asia to distribute aid and do what was in their view saving souls. They are going about it in a bad way, yes, but to condemn these people is patently absurd.

"His book on Mother Theresa was written while she was alive, and she didn't sue him either."

Maybe she was too busy caring for those in poverty to be concerned with such things?

[monolith94]

Apparently you aren't reading my posts: I DO NOT BELIEVE THESE MISSIONARIES ARE TAKING THE CORRECT ACTION!

Do you or do you not believe that they are taking a MORAL action?

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by monolith94


Do you or do you not believe that they are taking a MORAL action?

In so far as they have gone all that way to do what is in their view helping people, and because of the fact that they have not inflicted harmed anyone, they are behaving morally.

[The Mad Monk]

If they were withholding aid because the villagers would not convert, they were not showing the love of Christ and were not being good Christians.

I am astounded, appalled, and ashamed.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
This is BS. This is one of the most silly displays of faux outrage we have seen in a while, people here are simply taking any chance they can get to vent at a group that they are opposed to (Christians). These missionaries traveled all the way to Asia to distribute aid and do what was in their view saving souls. They are going about it in a bad way, yes, but to condemn these people is patently absurd.

Oh please, talk about bull****... you're the ONLY one here defending these people. Even the other Christians here are (rightfully) disgusted. This isn't about bashing a religious group, it's about being disgusted by what a very few members of the group did.

If they thought what they were doing was so moral and righteous, why did they flee from the reporters when confronted about what they were doing?