Posted on 08/01/2007 2:10:05 AM PDT by Clive
What are Christian Korean women doing in Afghanistan anyway?
Haven't there been enough horrendous incidents involving missionaries, Christian activists, peace-at-any-price zealots in both Afghanistan and Iraq to dissuade others from plunging into the morass, ostensibly to do the Lord's work?
In too many cases, it's fallen to NATO or other soldiers, who risk their lives to rescue such people from their reckless courage, and refusal to recognize the dangers of their humanitarian selfishness. Especially women, foreign or not, who are Taliban targets.
Presuming most are still alive, the Korean Christians held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan pose a huge dilemma for the Korean government, the struggling Afghan government of Hamid Karzai, the NATO troops trying to secure peace and reconstruction in that country.
The only ones in the catbird seat are the Taliban of Mullah Mohammed Omar (how come he's still surviving?) and the al-Qaida of Osama bin Laden.
A series of deadlines have passed in the Korean hostage case, with the Taliban demanding captured prisoners be released before they'll free the hostages. Meanwhile, they, the Taliban, are killing the male Koreans one at a time to encourage Kabul's capitulation.
No word at this writing whether the 18 Korean women are still alive.
Of all governments involved, none know better than the South Koreans the folly of cooperating with, or succumbing to, terrorist demands. Since 1953, South Korea has survived, lived and thrived under perpetual threat from North Korea, the world's most merciless and perverted regime.
The Taliban also have German hostages, whom they seem to be killing one by one.
While one has sympathy for anyone in Taliban (or al-Qaida) hands, one also cannot escape the conclusion that it is largely the fault of captives that they are in such a precarious and frightening situation.
In 2005, Canadian James Loney and four members of the Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT) in Iraq were kidnapped and held as hostages by something calling itself the Swords Of Righteousness Brigade. Before being rescued by British SAS troops and Canadian JTF2 specialists, an American member of the CPT, Tom Fox, was murdered.
The gratitude of those rescued manifested itself in Loney refusing to wear a poppy on Remembrance Day, and refusing to testify against his suspect captors later held by the Americans. A similar response came from Norman Kember, a British CPT member who was rescued.
Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, peace-types made a big hullabaloo about chaining themselves to supposed targets in Baghdad to deter air strikes -- but they cut-and-ran as soon as their demands were ignored and bombs fell.
The martyr complex exists among Christians as well as Muslim suicide bombers. Doubtless the Korean Christians exude sincerity, courage and probably forgiveness. But that's not the point. They shouldn't be there.
The Taliban are not Iroquois whom French Jesuits once felt faith-bound to rescue from paganism -- and suffered torture and death as a consequence. Those were different times, and one would think we, or the church, would have learned a lesson.
Apparently not. Christian groups should be discouraged from dabbling in regions where their religious faith is not appreciated, and where others are required to risk their lives to save them when inevitably they are kidnapped, to be used as political bargaining chips.
On the other hand, the fact that peaceful, decent people like the Korean Christians are captured and killed by such as the Taliban, is more evidence why Canadian and NATO troops are needed in that country -- not for the sake of hostages, but to help bring peace, security and a modicum of freedom to the Afghan people.
” The Nazi’s tried that, it did not work so good for them.”
I was thinking of how Confederate Col. Mosby responded to Union Gen. Sheridans’ orders , carried out by George A Custer , to hang any of Mosbys’ men they captured . Just a few go around sand there were no more hangings...
Why is that whenever anyone suggests putting the hammer down on our ultra evil arch enemies, people wax on about the ‘Nazis’ ? How about Patton ? Or our Admirals and Generals in the Pacific who had zero qualms about reducing japanese garrisons to the last man?
If we are ever going to WIN the WAR , we have to take the gloves off , in very non-p/c ways. You want p/c ? Join the democratic party
ps: Long Live Israel
Grow up. The biker bar mentality would have applied to Afghanistan, not the missionaries. The analogy, of course, doesn't address the relative worth of the pursuit, but the irresponsible short sightedness of those engaged in it.
Spend more time online...you may learn to avoid kneejerk reactions, as well as becoming more skilled at faux outrage.
You seem to be confused. I addressed my belief that sheepdog's lives and well-being are too precious to p!ss away. Your response was that if they don't want their lives to be p!ssed away, they shouldn't become sheepdogs.
There are too many who take their own well-being and the well being of their own country for granted. Try as you might, you won't be able to turn that into a virtue.
Women missionaries traveling to Afghanistan is foolish to the point of suicidal. It makes me suspect either a naivete or a martyrdom complex. The families of those missionaries are now asking the US to step in.
That, also, would be foolishness.
Are you new here? That’s what FReepers do.
So the missionaries are the girl with no underwear.
You advise me to “grow up” but your knee jerk “nuh uh” sounds more like a petulant teenager than a FReeper with a point to debate.
The Koreans are anything but short sighted in this pursuit. They are rendering humanitarian and medical aid, but the barbarians prefer try to use them as hostages than allow them to aid their own people.
It is for people like those Koreans that this country was founded. And while you can trample pearls to your heart’s content, I’ve been here a long time and don’t “rend” easily.
Believe me, the missionaries who I know personally understand that and will not be asking any nation's soldiers to put their lives at risk to save theirs in the event they are ever captured and held for ransom or prisoner exchange, as in this case. Also, missionaries of Jesus Christ are never "on their own" in a hostile situation no matter how isolated and helpless they may seem to be. The last phrase of Jesus' Great Commission is "and lo, I am with you always". Who could ask for anything more than the ever present and intimate companionship of the great God who made the universe and all that is in it? And furthermore, obeying the orders of Jesus Christ to go into all the world and preach the gospel is certainly not an indication that a Christian is delusional. It's simply an indication that he or she is acting in obedience to the commands of God and His Son Jesus Christ, and nothing makes more practical sense than that to any bible believing Christian.
As a Brit you should be aware of the predominantly British missionaries who first took the gospel message to the pagan regions of the Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Those men sacrificed the security and comfort of their lives in Britain and the company of their wives and families in order to evangelize the difficult and dangerous regions of the world. Their examples of uncompromising faithfulness to the Great Commission served to inspire hundreds or perhaps thousands of American, Scandinavian, German and other European Christians to follow them into the foreign mission fields of the world. But in today's world, both the US and the UK must say that to our shame those same nations our countrymen and women once evangelized are now finding it necessary to send missionaries to our own nations.
I don't personally know any Korean Christian missionaries, but going by their reputation for possessing a zeal for preaching the gospel and a willingness to suffer persecution in the process of carrying out the commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel of salvation by grace through faith In Jesus Christ to all people of EVERY tribe and language (yes, Islamic Afghans too), I have very little doubt that they are of the same mind on the matter of rescue by coalition armed forces as the American and British missionaries who I do know.
A very dear missionary friend is now in Cuba attempting to get permission for several young Cuban Christians to attend the bible college that his mission board operates in another Latin American nation. Although Cuba seems to have moderated it's hostility to Christianity in recent years, thousands of both evangelical and Catholic Christians have suffered severe persecution in Cuba, including torture and execution, over the course of the last 5 decades, and there is still the possibility that my friend could be held captive by the communist regime for the "crime" of proselytizing in Fidel's communist "paradise". In the unlikely event that something like that should happen, I can assure you without any reservation that he will not be sending out pleas to the US government to secure his rescue by force of arms. By diplomatic means perhaps, but certainly not rescue at the risk of any American's life or limb.
Houses are built for families. You don't sacrifice the family to preserve the house.
I have no doubt your concern for your own well-being is sufficient for the task.
The families of those missionaries are now asking the US to step in.
As do I. Your preference for "fat, dumb, and happy" is an offense to the American spirit.
That’s one of the dumber things I’ve seen posted on FR lately, and you should apologize to Jemian for posting it, if you haven’t already.
Just absurd.
This guys misses the point of Christianity completely.
I’m sure the Good Lord has a special place in heaven just for them.
Amen FRiend, but I wish there was a way to stay devoted to praying for them instead of gnashing my teeth over what I'd like to do to the captors.
So, how's that working out for them?
You serve as a reminder of what Ron White tells us, "You can't fix stupid."
I'll add...you shouldn't enable it, either.
Since questioning my motives and morality has had zero effect, why don't you address the issue...how predictable was this result? And...why don't those who want their chestnuts pulled out of the fire ask, beforehand, if it's such a good idea in the first place?
The lives of our military are too precious to squander on foolish people...and my time is wasted trying to explain something that is demonstrably over your head.
Thank you, Jess. I have seen their work, too, and it isn’t pretty.
Gogeo, I did not mean for my answer to sound condescending. I just don’t think I’m able to convince someone who does not have the same committment I do. I can’t explain why I love my husband to someone else who doesn’t see his charm in the same way. My words are simply inadequate.
A friend of mine has a daughter who went to China with a missionary group. They were detained by the Communists. It was a very unpleasant experience. I told here how stupid it is to not only endanger their lives, but the lives of the Chinese regardless how noble the cause.
Thank you for your encouragement. I need to hear your words from time to time.
With which would you prefer to share an Airplane ride?
Laz, your words are like music in my ears. You know that you hold a special place in my heart. I hope you’re doing well. I haven’t talked with you very much in the last several years. I miss that.
You don’t need to keep your mouths shut, nor should you be going to areas that don’t invite you. The galling part is that these ingrates don’t show their respect and gratitude for the rescuers, not to mention the resources that were expended to extract them. But then they aren’t showing their respect for their families by playing religious “Indiana Jones”. It would be far better to get a short wave radio and start broadcasting.
I'm sure glad that the early Christians didn't share your opinion. May I remind you that Christians weren't exactly loved by the government of the day.
I don’t pretend to be very knowledgeable in politics. I have trouble remembering names and positions. I have to keep a scorecard and watch very carefully. For that reason I don’t speak very often on other threads.
But I do speak to things I know and with what I have personal experience.
Thank you.
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