I'm sure most of you are familiar with this charity, if not, it is a Christian charity in which various churches and Christian schools/facilities that allows people to bring in shoe boxes filled with children's toys and/or books, which are shipped to foreign countries where Christianity is not well known/not the main religion. Missionaries stay in these places for a while after delivering the boxes to the children and then preach the gospel to them.
Basically, children are indoctrinated into Christianity without knowing much at all...
My question is, should I donate to this? I really like the idea of making a kid who doesn't have much smile, but the last thing I want is to pollute their mind with the thought that the reason I had enough compassion to send a box was because I had Christ's love. When that is certainly not the case. I care about the kid regardless of religious beliefs.
So should I donate or not? I'm very conflicted.
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When I read the topic "Operation Christmas Child"; I thought it would be about couples trying to conceive in late March!
NO!
Don't contribute to these things.
You would be providing the bait for the missionaries to hook the unknowing children into their trap.
You wouldn't be helping the kids, you'd be helping the missionaries.
Im completely with Cap'nBob on this one ....
under no circumstances donate to this sham....
If you want to help kids who need a reason to smile, as you've said, there are a ton of more effective ways to do so. A toy for a child who is hungry, a book for a child who has no access to education, a toy for a child who has no one to talk to doesn't really go very far.
Since so many of our homeless and hungry are children, are there any food banks or soup kitchens in your area? You can donate to or volunteer for them. Are there any kids who need tutors? If you're not old enough to be a 'Big Sister' in the Big Brother/Sister program, can you help in some other way?
I admire that you want to make a child smile. That is something that tells me you are pretty wonderful. There are a lot of ways to do it without supporting organizations that have ulterior motives.
Agree with Cyber here, there are many other ways that you can contribute.
The church is the only organisation that does not keep a track where the money is going.
It just goes to the Vatican and it vanishes.
Donate to organisations where they keep a track of what is being spent, where and for what reason.
You might not know but Mather Theresa was a sham from the very start.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2003/10/m...
and
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Articles/mother_teresa/sanal_ed.htm
If you look around you or on the Net, there is ton of information about real charity.
As CyberLN said, you can start by helping your own community first.
The better your community is the more charity goes to help others in the long run.
Look at it as an investment.
No you should not, I used to think just like you, until quote recently actually. In fact I changed my opinion after finding this site and joining in on discussions here. I have been struggling to do charitable work since and want to start some actually have toyed with names like"Message Free Charity " or "Good For Good" I have helped people since but not through organizations with messages they are trying to push. I have learned that it supports belief systems I have learned to fear may have detrimental effect on the world. Later I will try to find the discussion that changed my mind.
My advise, start your own charity group or just find small things you can do to make the world a little bit better. the pleasure you can get from doing good , Huh, "Doing Good" would be an awesome name, it a feeling hard to find elsewhere.
Go for it despite current beliefs argeists do guilt free charity work and it may convince a few theists that we arent evil, can be message free over there but not necessary to be message free over here youll make the papers (because theists 'believe' we dont do charity were evil) and get more supporters.
I would not donate. Yes, the child will get a new toy. But along with the toy comes preaching and indoctrination, and the happiness the child gets from the toy will inevitably be exploited as a "blessing from God" or just make the kid trust whatever missionary gives them the toy. I think its a lot better not to condition kids to only be happy in winter if they get new toys anyway.