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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

to draw your attention to MN'ers being threatened with court for posting

568 replies

gordyslovesheep · 09/10/2014 16:07

By Samaritan's Purse

I know I'm not the only one

who else have they decided to silence?

It's quite interesting that they dislike criticism so much

OP posts:
PlentyOfPubeGardens · 10/10/2014 19:50

Hahaha windchime you are a one!

windchime on a recent thread: Try to comfort yourself that every fag they are smoking is reducing their life expectancy by 60 seconds.

Lovely Christian attitudes you have Smile

DMum is going to strongly suggest to her church that they support a different appeal this Christmas. That's about 70 boxes SP won't be getting.

TweetingInFury · 10/10/2014 20:15

Private Eye got in touch.

WhistlingPot · 10/10/2014 20:18

I wonder if SP is also suing the Guardian for defamation, and the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, vicar of Putney and lecturer in philosophy at Wadham College, Oxford?

Am I allowed to link???

It was in 2003 so bit late in the day to sue I would think!

www.theguardian.com/world/2003/nov/10/religion.society

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 10/10/2014 20:19

Private Eye got in touch.

And?

CrumpleHornedSnorkack · 10/10/2014 20:20

What are they planning to do Tweeting?

gordyslovesheep · 10/10/2014 20:20

yes and????

OP posts:
ImNoClownIWontBackDown · 10/10/2014 20:45

Come on tweeting!

PlentyOfPubeGardens · 10/10/2014 20:50

Well no, WhistlingPot because even though Franklin Graham, Samaritan's Purse's CEO and President, holds disgusting anti-islamic, misogynistic and homophobic views (IMO but not allegedly - you can find it all on YouTube from the horse's mouth) it would be 'utter nonsense' to suggest that Samaritan's Purse 'as an institution' holds those views.

Maybe they could sack him if they want to distance themselves? That's what would happen at the charity I work for. What do the trustees have to say?

Wine Brew and Flowers for the MN 5 or 6 or however many of you there are now, and for MNHQ who must be feeling the stress of it all too x

raltheraffe · 10/10/2014 20:52

As a Christian I believe the Beatitudes state we should turn the other cheek.

ClockWatchingLady · 10/10/2014 21:06

Wow.

Massive respect to all the people highlighting and standing up to SP's nonsense.

Also, in a way, thank you to Samaritan's Purse for making these threats. If you hadn't, I for one wouldn't have known about the shadier aspects of your organisation (which I now feel compelled to spread the good word about). And judging by this thread it seems I am far from alone in this.

Gordy and others, I hope you're doing OK.

WhistlingPot · 10/10/2014 21:14

Oh yes of course, thank you Pubes, utter nonsense indeed! Confused

PlentyOfPubeGardens · 10/10/2014 21:20

Yes I'm really looking forward to a Private Eye update. Well done, Tweeting.

littleducks · 10/10/2014 22:11

Our school no longer does the shoe boxes after i complained when dd was in reception. I sent the HT links to Samaritan's Purses site and she agreed it wasn't appropriate for our school.

I think for future reference MN should add a disclaimer when asking for our RL names and addresses stating how long they would be stored before being deleted. If they are only ever stored for short periods of time linked to that event the issue of MN being forced to reveal details on file via a court order should not occur.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 10/10/2014 23:06

I think it is very good of SP to devote part of its website to a person they may or may not agree with. How charitable of them. They even selflessly draw attention to his social media presence.
www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/franklin-graham/

MsBug · 10/10/2014 23:56

Wow, I'd never heard of this organisation before. After reading this thread, I certainly have an opinion on them - I'm just too scared to say what it is Grin

quietbatperson · 11/10/2014 17:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 11/10/2014 18:05

Their website is interesting reading. The US website gives more details about the evangelical nature of the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes than the UK one does.

www.samaritanspurse.org/article/an-eternal-impact/

My children came home last year with the leaflets, I explained why we would not be doing it but there was pressure from school, in fact one weekend's "homework" was to fill the shoebox.

cricketpitch · 11/10/2014 18:53

There are plenty of charities who do wonderful work and who do not threaten to sue. I will give to those instead.

WhistlingPot · 11/10/2014 18:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AugustRose · 11/10/2014 19:25

I have been following this thread with great interest as DH and I have been aware of SP for some time. I hope those caught up in their nastiness are doing OK.

DH linked all the negative publicity to our village school's HT (another CofE) last year and as with many others she was unaware of all the criticism. We have not received the leaflets this year so I'm hoping that will be an end to it. I think we did the boxes fro two years before we realised what they are really like.

TweetingInFury · 11/10/2014 19:49

Jane Mackenzie tweeted asking for further info and queried why some posts were deleted. No idea what happens from here. Social media I know, this stuff, not so much.

PausingFlatly · 11/10/2014 20:22

Posts were deleted on this thread because some posters who had been threatened by SP asked for their whole MN history to be deleted.

Because although some of them had given MN permission to delete the posts SP was objecting to - just to avoid the fight - they were afraid of being cyberstalked and outed.

Not because they'd done anything wrong, but just to keep their and their families' privacy. No one in RL needs to know about little Chelsea's bedwetting problems 9 years ago, etc.

ArkhamOffett · 11/10/2014 20:27

Anyone had any luck in a church school?

Yes. Put your reasons before the Head/ Governors and they can make their own decision based on the evidence freely available.

RedToothBrush · 11/10/2014 20:38

Well I can say one thing.

This is shit PR for a charity. Particularly a Christian one.

If I needed a reason to avoid donating to them or supporting their cause then, then this is a good one. I personally do not need any other reason which may or may not be true. Its a big organisation going against individuals, which is very intimidating, and not particularly forgiving nor accepting of others. That's enough for me. I don't like Big Guys going after Little Guys in that way no matter who it is.

I have to say I saw a lot of the comments that came straight from Brian last year. I feel they really don't need anyone to defame them when they are represented by someone with opinions that I feel are rather disgusting. I think they would do better with better representatives than going legal. It only tends to reinforce the idea that they are Christian Fundamentalists. I honestly hope this backfires spectacularly on them. (Incidentally I wonder how much the legal action is costing them?)

Above all else I thought the word of God stood on its own merits without the need of solicitors to prove it/defend it. Threatening legal action is something much more consistent with business rather than religion.

Ultimately you can not force others to your way of thinking. If anything it tends to have the opposite effect when you do, by alienating people you are trying to convince and creates conflict. Again another thing that I thought was very much against Christian belief.

Oh and any Christians feeling the need to apologise for the actions of others who profess to follow the same faith, please, please don't. Everything about this action does not hold with what I feel and learnt to be Christian.

If you want to say something, I'd rather you simply said what you think is Christian, if that makes sense.

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