I'm at work, so asking shouldn't be too hard

Are very strong in the fight against trafficking. I'm not a Christian, or anything else, but I appreciate any effort in the fight against this.

of the person speaking or doing as a christian with stuff like this. all of a sudden, if there is any mention of christianity the person and org are suppose to be dismissed. do you realize, most people we discuss as a voice are christians? but, we do not dismiss them out of hand.

But since you seem to be asking...

There is little that scares the crap out of me quite as much as religious zealots treating or "helping" children. I was the victim of this myself as a teen, so I am probably biased, but there you go. Looking beyond my personal experiences...

As an atheist I see great harm in coupling these programs with a religious message. According to their website, Christian worship is an important part of their program, and in my mind that's nothing but exploitation. These girls are coming from some of the most horrific environments imaginable, they are vulnerable, and there is a very real danger that these Christians will accidentally or intentionally exploit this. These girls don't need prayer or stone age morality, they don't need another environment in which they are powerless, and they don't need the acceptance of a religious belief as a pre-condition for help.

They need security, real therapy, friendship, compassion, and time. They need adults who are on THEIR team, not on god's team.

In my opinion.

I apologize. I was SERIOUSLY abused in a christian based youth center as a teen and I am really touchy about all that stuff. They were masters of putting on this noble righteous face to the world, but inside they were doing stuff so insane and evil that it still haunts me to this day.

So anyway, like I said, I apologize. I let my own personal experiences cloud my judgement and that was wrong.

I am very sorry to read about the abuse you went through as a teen. Yes, there are some very 'wacked' out groups out there who claim to be 'Christian' but are anything but Christian.

Your apologize is appreciated.

As some people might remember, I became involved with this issue when an acquaintance from church had a daughter who was taken and forced into prostitution. Her daughter was found dead 2 years later.

She was kidnapped/taken when she was 15. The reason she was taken is because of some type of feud. The father apparently had 'jumped out' or whatever the term is from the gang he belonged to several years before the kidnapping took place. She was taken by either the rival gang or former gang members because of something her father did. I was never given all the details nor did I ask. My job was to help offer emotional support and not pry.

My point is your comment is spot on - the realities of the world are often harsh and can come back in ways that are horrid. Seabeyond, I appreciate your support as well as the others that post in this forum.