To be proud of DS over this (warning, naughty parent/Operation CHristmas CHild-related)

[SolidGoldYESBROKEMYSPACEBAR]

Ds is 8 and his school will persist in the poxy Samaritans' Purse appeal though I have written and complained at least twice (if you don't already know, it's a racist rightwing evangelical organisation, culturally insensitive, despised by most aid charities and a waste of resources.). I have never contributed to it and never will, and have explained to DS that it's a bad organisation run by bad people, and that good people (like those at his school) don't always understand that sometimes bad people pretend to be good...

Anyway, today, according to DS, one of the teachers asked the DC to guess how many shoeboxes they were going to get this year/how many they hoped for. DS raised his hand and said...... 'ZERO'

That's m'boooy!

*toy car. Not sure a whole car would fit in a shoebox.

Original AIBU does ask about rudeness-as we weren't there we don't really know if he was rude. He did answer (what was a fairly silly question) in what sounds like a "smart alec" fashion.
It is hard to get a balance between challenging the authority of a teacher and in telling your child to blindly accept what is told. In our case-woman at church collecting boxes for OCC-I explained to my DS Why we were not doing it and told him not to mention it to anyone, and if anyone asked to say that we are doing something else instead.
As for evangelising (don't think Jews do "evangelise" as such?) part of the problem is that a lot of people don't realise about it and no- not every religious organisation feel the need to do it.
sites.google.com/site/occalert/Home was an interesting read-whether it is unbiased I have no idea.
Really do have to go now and pull myself off computer!

Christianity involves spreading the Good News of the Gospel, it's what Christians believe and it's part of our duty to do this. Many people may find this offensive, but that's just how it is. It's not brainwashing and it's not 'shoving it down peoples' throats', it's just telling the story and then they can make up their own minds.

I expect that SP have done a lot more to help people than 99.9% of us on here, myself included. We enjoyed doing the shoebox this year and the dcs loved helping to pack it. If SP are corrupt or whatever, then they will have to deal with their own conscience and judgement by the God they profess to have faith in. That's up to them. I never received any Christmas presents when I was a child and spend most of my life hungry and terrified. If I can give a little something to cheer a child up, then I will

pax vobiscum

So it's ok for our kids to have plastic tat but not for those in developing countries? When will we stop being so superior?
Last word for me as I can't read anymore without despising my own country's culture:
You may not like the shoeboxes, however, please do not use this as an excuse not to give anything and actually make the effort to give to a charity you do approve of, rather than just talking about it and getting on your western holier-than-thou soapbox.

Damn, I just replied to a post on the other shoebox thread; too many of them appear on MN at this time of year

But I think what I said is relevant here: The original post said:

I've just bought some lovely things to finish off my box, I've nearly done now. I bought a nice doll (to cuddle) Haribos (to eat, yum and some felt tips and colouring books. Just need a hat and gloves to go in now and I'm done.
How the bleedin' heck sweets and warm hats and gloves counts as a box of tat baffles me

and I replied:

Have you checked if there is Pork Gelatine in the Haribo?
What ethnicity is the doll?
Do you know what country the box is going to? Is there a need for warm hats and gloves in that country?

Not tat, no, but pretty thoughtless if the box goes to a warm, Muslim, ethnicly diverse country.

***

OCC doesn't give enough advice on what to pack in boxes. Link Romania does, as does the Rotary Club.

All OCC is interested in is getting their version of God out there, they don't actually care about the boxes, or the children that receive them at all... How Christian is that? That isn't helping people, that's using people.

Samaritans Purse also help with aid and disaster relief:

From their website:

'Samaritan?s Purse is supporting and facilitating projects to provide:

? Safe water supplies through access to clean water or filtration systems.
? Sanitation and Hygiene training and workshops.
? HIV awareness, understanding and training.
? Improved health and nutrition, education and human rights support to orphans and vulnerable children.
? Livelihood projects including business enterprise, savings and loan schemes,production improvement and technical and financial management skills.
? Supporting the elderly and disabled with practical help of home repairs, cooking, companionship and income generation activity.'

They don't just distribute shoeboxes.

They also spend hundreds of thousands of dollars running a campaign against the recognition of gay marriage in America.

Good use of donated funds, huh?

It is true that the charity have been denied charitable status in the US because of their accounts.

It is true that Oxfam along with other charities refuse to have anything to do with them.

It is true that their founder, Franklin Graham, calls Islam an evil religion and supported the invasion of Iraq. He campaigned against Obama and calls for a return to the America of old - you know the racist apartheid America? He also said that the tsunami in Japan was evidence of Armageddon.

I have no objections to religious charities. I have no objections to people spreading the word of their religion. I do object to this charity however mainly because of everything their founder represents. There are better charities out there to support, so why choose one that is founded upon such hatred? They may do some good in the countries they go to and I'm sure the people working for Samaritans Purse do so with the best of intentions. But I would rather support a charity without such a shady past, without such controversy.

I never give to a charity without first checking that charities intentions and credibility. Why do differently now?

If you want to give at Christmas that is a VERY GOOD THING and SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED. If you want to participate in Samaritans Purse then you are free to do so, but if you have doubts then why not support a similar charity for which links have already been given?

They have a right to hold the opinions that they do and people can choose whether or not they give to them. If they believe that it's money well spent, then that's up to them. Not everyone holds the same opinions as everyone else.

The established Christian aid charities in the UK do NOT proseletise as part of their aid work.

They may well do aid work because charity is part of their Christian ethos.

A wholly different thing,

And actually it seems very unchristian to me to say 'you can have a shoebox but only if you attend our church service first' (as one MN-er living and working in a developing country had witnessed - the boxes were given out after an hour's talk.)

And in truth if one of these apparantly time-rich people were being encouraged to spend an hour in church or listening to a christian message instead of foraging for firewood for cooking or walking miles to the nearest well it makes it even more irresponsible.

Can anyone please explain the enthusiasm for all these toothbrushes that get sent? Is there real joy for a child who lives miles from the nearest place where toothpaste could be bought once the tube runs out and couldn't afford to replace it anyway? Is tooth decay a big issue in places where there is no refined sugar and people eat ground cassava or rice and little else? I am asking this in a genuine way.

You are seriously proud of your son for that?

Well, the brushing motion is much more important than the toothpaste. Toothpaste just gives you nice breath and stings yer tongue.

Presumably, the toothbrush and toothpaste are to deal with the aftermath of eating the sweets that are also in the box.

I know thread may have moved on but OP I hope you realise you are teaching your child to be ungracious and selfish. A poor child will benefits from this type of work.

Also being a Christian is not just about evangelism, it is about being Christian in every sense of the word. It means putting other people before yourself, being selfless and putting something greater than self at the centre of your life.

I am a practising Christian and the motto of my Church is

Jesus first
Others next
Yourself last

If you truly believe that atheists are doing a good job in standing in where religious people left off please tell me - I am with Larry in that I can't see it anywhere!

WHAT?

Loads of the huge aid charities are run, managed, staffed (voluntarily) by atheists and / or non-Christains.
Loads of good non-evangelising charitable work is done by christian charities and supported by non-chirstians
Loads of community voluntary projects are uindertaken by non-chritians.

Surely in truly charitable work, it should be those in need first, not Jesus.

I am cross now.

I work for a registered charity.

I have a low pay (in relation to skills, training, education and experience), no perks, work long hours etc.

We carefully monitor the impact of our work over the longer term to ensure that we make the best use of our donors and public money, and enable genuine benefit to our users. That is one reason why I am not impressed by organisations who encourage people to be dewey eyed about momentary pleasure transported at huge cost, to children who are preached to as part of the deal. The resources could be SO much better used. People fall for a load of sentimental claptrap.

A tad controversial there Katie,just a tad.

*thread. For fucks sake

How wonderful that you don't indoctrinate your children, like Samaritans Purse. oh wait...

I think Blu that a lot of Christians would say that by putting Jesus first one could not help but put others first alongside that, you could not do the first without the second with any integrity iyswim.

I'm torn about OCC. I think they need to be more transparent, but don't think they do forcefully evangelise etc either. A friend who worked with them said they didn't give out the leaflets in eg muslim areas, it was about giving gifts to children. However I think I prefer Link Romania. There doesn't need to be any agenda at all - giving gifts is in and of itself an act of love and care.

Katie4u Are you blonde dear

What a load of uneducated twaddle, if you will excuse my rudeness. It is you dear, who needs to do your research.

I will quote Franklin Graham, these are words from his mouth:

On Islam "a very evil and wicked religion" "is a religion of hatred. It's a religion of war"

"The Muslim Brotherhood is very strong and active in our country. It's infiltrated every level of our government. Right now we have many of these people that are advising the US military and State Department on how to respond in the Middle East, and it's like asking a fox, like a farmer asking a fox, "How do I protect my henhouse from foxes?" We've brought in Muslims to tell us how to make policy toward Muslim countries. And many of these people we've brought in, I'm afraid, are under the Muslim Brotherhood."

On Obama "I think the president's problem is that he was born a Muslim, his father was a Muslim. The seed of Islam is passed through the father like the seed of Judaism is passed through the mother. He was born a Muslim, his father gave him an Islamic name." Franklin continues to say, "Now it's obvious that the president has renounced the prophet Mohammed, and he has renounced Islam, and he has accepted Jesus Christ. That's what he says he has done. I cannot say that he hasn't. So I just have to believe that the president is what he has said"

You can look up those quotes dear and whilst you're at it, see what he had to say about the Japanese Tsunami.

Charity review standards not met

This is majorly off topic but thought that I would share:
the other day I walked in on DS and his best friend praying!( both 7!) DS is British Christian-best friend is Turkish/Muslim-they were praying in German for our gay friends in America and that Obama would be elected and everyone could get married and have equal rights! I welled up majorly and just thought aren't kids lovely when grown ups don't spoil things? I walked out and left them too it!