DUmmies getting into the Christmas spirit early this year. What a miserable lot they are.
WillParkinson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 11:37 AM
Original message
How horrible! Atheist objects to religious messages being included in gifts to kids around the world
Shot down: Operation Christmas Child
Talk about bullying; Mikey Weinstein has them all beat. He has now played Grinch to thousands of needy children around the world. How? The outspoken anti-Christian activist has browbeaten the U.S. Air Force Academy into dropping Franklin Graham's "Operation Christmas Child." Why? Because the long-time project of Rev. Graham's Samaritan's Purse ministry provides shoeboxes to hundreds of thousands of needy children around the world with Scripture messages. The shoeboxes contain toys, toiletries, and messages of hope. They note the boxes are sent from the love of Christ. The charity effort had been spearheaded by compassionate Air Force cadets. The Christian cadets want to share from the bounty we enjoy in America. All that was enough to raise Mikey Weinstein's hackles. Mr. Weinstein runs something called the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. They're all for "religious freedom"-- unless it happens to be Christian. A secular toy drive would be OK, Weinstein said.
Backing down, the Air Force Academy dropped the charity but will allow the institution's chaplains to continue to collect contributions -- for now. This is a part of Weinstein's long running crusade against Evangelicals at the Air Force Academy. Unfortunately, military leaders are all too ready to retreat in this brave new anti-Christian, anti-American environment created by President Obama and his Administration. I weighed in on this story earlier today over at FoxNews.com.
On edit - Forgot the link, my apologies.
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2011/11/tony-perkins-athei...
(As for who wrote the tripe: Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council.)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2246834The link in the OP goes to an atheist site that celebrates the news. Here's the link to the original piece:
http://www.frc.org/washingtonupdate/shot-down-operation-christmas-childHugabear (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 11:41 AM
Response to Original message
1. There are some very valid points here
1. Why is it necessary to include religious messages with the gifts? Why not just simply send the gifts? Is it necessary to include proselytizing as part of your charity?
2. Why is the Air Force Academy, a government institution, taking part in an overtly Christian operation? We know damned well the Christian community would be up in arms if a government organization was working with a Muslim organization sending out gifts with Koran messages included, or if it were some Wiccan organization that included some sort of "New Age" messages.
BiggJawn (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 11:44 AM
Response to Reply #1
3. The AF academy is infested with fundi-gelicals.
They're in command positions, and they answer only to a "Higher Authority" (no, it's NOT the Sec. of Defense)
Welibs Donating Member (117 posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 11:53 AM
Response to Original message
5. IT'S THEIR BELIEF, NOT MINE! R/wing Christians ignore the
rights of others and think the Constitution protects ONLY their freedom of religion. Not only do they run around the world trying to foist their beliefs on others, they are trying to force the entire country to live by their idiotic warped and twisted ideals.
They need to mind their own damned business.
R/WING CHRISTIAN INQUISTION ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST THREATS TO GLOBAL STABILITY AND PEACE! REPUBLICAN TERRORISTS ARE THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE USA!
Zeno of Citium (24 posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 12:03 PM
Response to Original message
6. ...evil looking man. Evil people do evil things.
For the record, I am an atheist.
Party pooper.
immoderate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 12:19 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. For the record, you can detect evil from looks?
does looking at the Koch brothers make you nauseous?
--imm
PassingFair Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 12:25 PM
Response to Reply #6
9. For the record. Mikey Weinstein is a total HERO.
http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org /
You don't know Jack, and you certainly don't
know Mikey.
Strelnikov_ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 12:30 PM
Response to Reply #6
10. Mikey Weinstein is fighting to get the AFA back to being a secular institution
Evil are the right-wing bible thumpers that have taken it over.
I, for one, don't want the people managing the nuclear arsenal believing in 'higher powers' and the 'rapture'.
Fumesucker (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 01:26 PM
Response to Reply #6
17. Welcome to DU..
I hope you enjoy your stay!
SoCalNative (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 12:23 PM
Response to Original message
8. Charity is supposed to be just that
without a catch or attached proselytizing. Especially when affiliated with a Government institution.
Scuba Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 12:34 PM
Response to Original message
12. If they were sincere, they'd give the gift without the strings attached. n/t
What strings are attached? No one is requiring them to convert in order to receive the gifts. For all you lamebrains know they're
already Christians.
pipi_k Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 01:20 PM
Response to Original message
14. I don't know if he has kids, or even whether he was ever a kid himself...
But I recall being a kid, and I have two of them (and three grandkids now).
Include a birthday or Christmas card with a gift to a kid, and you're lucky it even gets opened, much less read and taken to heart. Well, most of the time...unless the parents "help" the kid.
So those religious messages he's so upset about...bah! I would bet the kids jumped right into opening the boxes and threw aside everything that didn't look like fun.
I don't agree with putting religious messages in the boxes, but geez...it's not like the kids were actually going to sit and study them and be poisoned for life or anything...
:eyes:
Fumesucker (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Nov-05-11 01:28 PM
Response to Reply #14
18. In that case then why is it so important the messages are attached that they will cancel the program
If the messages aren't attached?
Just because that official program may be canceled doesn't mean the gifts won't go out one way or another, and yes, with the messages intact.
That would really chap your ass, wouldn't it?
