Haiti awash in Christian aid, evangelism

Source: msnbc.com

The horrific destruction and human suffering in Haiti exert an almost irresistible pull on U.S. Christian missionaries eager to help.

...best intentions don’t always translate into good deeds in the chaotic aftermath of the monster earthquake.

Haiti has been a popular destination for missionaries at least since 1804, when Haitians threw off French rule.

“Every church and mission group has a presence in Haiti,” said Wendy Norvelle, spokeswoman for the International Mission Board, which supports foreign missions for the Southern Baptist Church. “It’s very, very, very saturated with those who would want to go and share God’s love and do hands-on ministries providing humanitarian relief.”

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35262608/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/

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Opportunistic, vile hypocrites. Most want to help. But many, I think, are taking advantage of the devastation to proselytize.

I appreciate NGO groups that go to provide food, shelter, and support to people, but draw the line when that "mission" includes saving the souls of people, especially the "savage brown people". :( :puke:

but how about volunteering or donating to an organization that actually knows WTF it is doing.
This isn't even just going over to a developing nation and helping out. This is a highly congested disaster area where experienced disaster relief organizations are having enough trouble getting in. The last thing they need is weekend yahoos running around doing whatever comes to mind as a 'priority'.

But I guess if you reject entire sections of modern science based on bronze age mythology you are bound to reject the hard learned lessons of international aid agencies in favor of whatever your god 'tells you' in your gut.

They could refuse the aid and The Word... it's not like they're being waterboarded in secret prison cells.

- From your http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4261117&mesg_id=4261148">comments you appear to be a

OP seems to be deriding the fact that evangelists and christian charities commonly set up shop in haiti.
Who cares if they are christian/bhuddist/muslim/atheist/mormon/whatever... they are reaching out and helping.
Who cares if they openly advertise the charity effort is only for good PR. Everyone's got an angle.
You don't think the United states exerts imperialistic influence with military disaster relief?!?

In the end needy people are receiving charity - the source is irrelevant.
And if the Haitians don't agree with the message... no one is going to force them to accept charity.
:shrug:

Some people live for alarming sensationalist hyperbole... others call 'em like they sees 'em.

PS: Insinuating that another DU member is a troll is in direct violation of Forum Rules.

...and calling someone http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4261117&mesg_id=4261148">ignorant could likewise be viewed as a violation of Forum Rules. Particularly when it turns out you appear to have had less knowledge than the OP in the other thread. (And btw, that was a nice rebound in asking for "help and insight" later after your previous off-the-cuff "ignorant" comment).

As for this OP's take on this matter, I totally agree. Have a good day!

OP seems to be deriding the fact that evangelists and christian charities commonly set up shop in haiti.

I'm not deriding the fact that Christian charities set up shop in Haiti. I'm deriding the fact that they are completely overwhelming the place and are proselytizing in such massive numbers to a population at their worst and most vulnerable.

They are preying on the Haitians as much as they are helping them. I find that morally objectionable.

Also, I don't think the Haitian people experiencing this level of catastrophe are really capable of refusing charity. You say they have choices and that no one is forcing them to accept charity, but you're wrong: The near hopelessness of their situation is forcing them to accept almost ANY charity they can get - or, they die.

So, are you suggesting that if a Haitian must choose between death or receiving some foreigner's idea of "God's love", that they should choose death if they don't agree with the message?

Seems to me I remember some religious/cult nuts bumped others out of their landing slots to get in (Scientologists). AFAIK kidnap charges are still being leveled.
And if 1 plane can get in and it is Christian fundamentalists vs. some non-religious NGO...
isn't that kind of saying we are giving you the choice of taking food from the fundies or dying?
This isn't an open market. We are not talking about a developing nation that isn't getting enough offers of help.

So I and my three children are starving because the place I worked at for $5 a day no longer exists. Oh yeah, and I have no house because the hovel I lived in was flattened.

Yes, I have plenty of other opportunities so I can refuse the aid. :eyes:

First rule of "missionaries": "Hit'em when they are vulnerable."

We term volunteers for Bush/Cheney imperial wars as "Rust-belt Draftees". There is a far greater element of "coercion" in play in Haiti. Are these religious groups merely doing "good works in Jesus's name", or are they "fishing for souls" in a distressed buyers market?

...doncha know?

Interesting

before the plethora of missionaries came to give aid. Haiti is a very religious country with a deep faith. Of course that is shaken now to the core but praying with them for whatever they believe is not a bad thing. There are hundreds, if not thousands of religious groups who where in Haiti for 20-30 or more years before this quake hit who choose to live and help the poor (medical clinics, schools, food distribution). Many of those religious groups have stepped up where the gov't could not (and yes you can fault the US, but there are thousands who have tried to help). It was THESE groups who were in place giving out aid and medical help BEFORE the US and other countries landed as they were already in place, they knew the people and their needs and already had feet on the ground. The ones who are coming in afterwards trying to set up their own relief efforts IMO are wrong to do so on their own, they should be required to work with existing groups and structures...if they are still there.

Oh, and yes I have been and worked there.

...praying with them for whatever they believe is not a bad thing.

No one said praying for them is a bad thing. My objection is with the significant "outreach" that comes with the aid.

I volunteered stateside for a Christian, faith-based group at the University of Arizona when I was in college (mid-1980's). They were providing aid mostly to orphanages and children in central America at the time.

Their aim was food, medical and educational assistance for the children. They firewalled the religious activities from the aid activities. They did conduct services down there and offered Christian education to those who were already associated with Christian churches. But, when food, medical and educational aid was administered, there was no mention of church stuff and religious symbols and literature weren't even allowed to be brought in by the volunteers when meals were being served, doctors were being seen and school was in session.

It is possible for faith-based groups to fulfill their humanitarian mission separate and apart from religious indoctrination activities. Sadly, that's not the approach in the Haiti situation of today.

:grr:

of Bishop Desmond Tutu:

"When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land."

- And that's only for starters......

K&R

Money money money money..

feckless do-gooders, hopped up on jesus, raking in the dough from folks in the Yoooooessssaaaaay, looking for tax write offs and a feather in their "meeting St. Peter's Hat".... and if a few "borrowed" orphans get an extra bowl of gruel or a new pair of rubber flipflops (made by 8 yr old Chinese slave girls)..what's not to love?
:puke:

to Haiti numerous times. Also to Romania recently. What's interesting to me is that they are always building churches as if that's what the people need. My understanding of Christianity is that Jesus can be worshipped anywhere and anytime, so why build churches instead of doing public works projects?

Which brings up an interesting comment I read on a Facebook "friend's" site. There was a commentary going on about the bible scripture on the gunsights of American rifles. One of the women who responded said something to the effect of "once you accept Jesus your allegiance is always first to God and Christianity and then to country". I couldn't resist reminding her that the people who founded our nation were trying to get away from that kind of governmental control by people who had their own ideas about what god's followers should have allegiance to and what constituted the correct god.

charitable work done by devout Christians. More than any other religion that
I am aware of. Kudos for that.

That said, I do not relish the Christian idea that only faith in Jesus is the
way to heaven. I prefer what swami Vivekanand said "all prayers reach God just
as all rivers big and small reach the oceans".

These idiots are preaching Christianity to Christians. But Catholics ain't Christians right?

They should go somewhere where it takes balls to preach that stuff. I would love to see them set up shop in Afghanistan.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Isn't Haiti nearly 100% Christian already? Or don't these Prot fundamentalists count Catholics as Christian?

Probably so. SOME Christians will try to leverage this to tell others how they believe, many will also just be there to help.

Help is help in this situation, and if I and my family were in such dire straits I might well listen to the message of someone coming to rescue me, more so than I would the message of those who were not.

that if it were me who just lost my family and I'm starving, my neighbors are starving, people are hurting, then I don't care what label they wear, I'm glad to have the help!