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.
I have been on this thread for 3 hours. It is time for me to go and take the car to get the oil changed. I will be happy to discuss things further when I return.
What about those Christians who killed abortionists or those who bombed abortion clinics? Zealots are limited to religious or political beliefs. Not all Christians or Muslims are murderers, but all religions have their fair share of those who become fanatic in their religious beliefs.
My parents got in a cab and brought my brother to a private clinic and I got into another taxi to the largest hospital in town with a fistful of money to try to get a dose of epinephrine. Fortunately, the clinic had the medicine and my brother was stabilized before I showed up two hours later and $400 poorer with a shot.
So you don’t have to tell me that the American Government doesn’t look after her citizens particularly well when they are overseas. To his credit, though, the American Embassy doctor did show up at our house the next day with a few doses of epinephrine and instructions on how to use them if my brother had another attack. He said it would be his job if anybody found out, and we never told anybody.
If you require Christians to be magically infallible, you are destined to be disappointed.
I suspect disappointment is you goal.
Your reading ability is not in question as you were able to respond to my comments, but I do have questions about your comprehension skills. If you read and comprehend all my comments in this thread, it might occur to you that I am far more a principled realist than a zealous idealist.
These Koreans are not causing problems for our troops. If there is a chance to rescue them, there will be plenty of volunteers.
I would never suspect, given your comments, that you were a zealous idealist.
Your religious “responsibilites” are not omnipotent, i.e. if you are a “true” Christian, you should acknowledge the sensibilities of others. Many of the problems of our society is everyone feel their rights are paramount to the detriment of the rights of others. I have the right not to be assaulted by others’ beliefs. Besides ethical and legal considerations, I have a healthy respect for manners which are also sorely lacking in opur society.
Moral relativism, eh? Interesting.
I understand that Christians may be called to go into unsafe parts of the world. However, they, their families, and their fellow missionaries must understand that the government is not going to release captives in a hostage exchange if they are captured.
NATO and the Afghan government should attempt to discover their location and free them militarily as part of their war against these terrorists, however they should not even consider bargaining with the terrorists for the release of the missionaries.
The missionaries need to understand that going in.
Jemian is not here, so I don’t think he is going to answer you.
I cannot speak for him, so I will speak for myself. I acknowledge the sensibilities of others, but that does not mean I have to agree with them. Telling somebody the truth is not an assault. Telling somebody the truth is a service. What somebody decides to do with that truth is his own business.
The difference between Christians and Muslims, of course, is that Christians will not persecute you if you do not agree with them, while Muslims will. As a purely practical matter, this makes Christians much better folk to have around, if one had to choose. Even if you don’t think you have a dog in this fight, you might want to consider that.
You may think that Christians accosting people is ill-mannered, but a knife to the throat is downright uncivilized!
“What about those Christians who killed abortionists or those who bombed abortion clinics? Zealots are limited to religious or political beliefs”
How many instances of this have their been? A handful of cases is used to counter all the good that is done. Whats ignored is the rights of Christians that have been trampled on so the abortion industry can continue without delay.
“Not all Christians or Muslims are murderers, but all religions have their fair share of those who become fanatic in their religious beliefs.”
Its true that all religions or non-religions have murderers and other criminals in their ranks. Looking at the news over the last 30 years the number of Muslims crimes are a much greater percentage than any other.
In the last 50 years how many Christians raped and killed a woman because she was raped? How many Christian honor killings have their been? How many airplanes have been crashed into buildings by Christians?
To compare Christians to terrorists displays a lack of understanding of the problem and a complete bias against Christians.
Muslims have it in their Quran that all non-believers must convert or be killed. Its ok to rape any woman who they can catch un-protected. Its ok to have sex with animals.
For Christians its convert or we’ll pray for you and give you a bottle of water.
What was your point again?
It gets better... Read on...
“The answer to that question is obvious. The question is, why are the rest of us not there?”
Umm, because it’s extremely dangerous, not a place I would take a 14-year-old boy, and there are many millions right here in the U.S. who need help?
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You are sounding silly, let it go.
“Most missionaries that I know, and that’s a lot, do not expect that the military will run to their aid when they encounter problems. That aid is the prerogative of the military if they are in the area.”
But you’re bound to know it will happen anyway in most cases. Shouldn’t you go to the miltary when you arrive and tell them to ignore it if you are captured (not that they’ll listen)?
Agreed. Speaking from personal experience, the US State Department makes it abundantly clear the US citizen is own his own when visiting areas like Afghanistan. Read your passport. I don't know what the South Korean government tells her citizens, but I suspect it is pretty much the same thing.
“Never light a match or sharpen a knife in case you have to be rescued by an ambulance crew or fireman, and never ever drive a car. Only this way can you be responsible by never risking a rescuers life.”
This is what these people do for a living. Our soldiers did not go over there with a mission of saving missionaries who put themselves in harm’s way with no security.
True enough. I withdraw that comment. That was unfair.
Hey, Worthy: Your daughter’s got a BIG mouth! I see now where she got it.
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