tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post979856107254893332..comments2023-05-02T11:34:45.330-04:00Comments on Thinking for Free: World Vision and Arguing With WilkinsKizhe the Couch Czarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046357500651886319noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-11492311787492573492009-03-31T22:48:00.000-04:002009-03-31T22:48:00.000-04:00Read The Road to Hell by Michael Maren - this real...Read The Road to Hell by Michael Maren - this really tells the story on child sponsorship programs by NGO's such as Save the Children and organizations such as World Vision.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-78162156053117907632008-11-07T11:49:00.000-05:002008-11-07T11:49:00.000-05:00I can speak only to Foster Parents PLAN:My parents...I can speak only to Foster Parents PLAN:<BR/><BR/>My parents sponsored one child for about twelve years. He was in Bolivia. His family fell apart when the father left to look for work in the city, and the agency lost track of the child (not incompetence, just that the family moved and the child was old enough to work, by Bolivian standards).<BR/><BR/>Whereupon, without notice, FPP switched kids. My parents were notified when the first letter arrived from the new child.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure they would have been happy to continue supporting FPP, but at that point they disconnected and directed their contributions elsewhere.<BR/><BR/>Me, I think most highly of <A HREF="http://spreadthenet.org/default_en.aspx" REL="nofollow">Spread the Net</A>. I feel Belinda Stronach is much more effective with them than in Parliament.Metrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13338677991161252796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-66711755254985824392008-10-28T23:12:00.000-04:002008-10-28T23:12:00.000-04:00Theophilogue: Depends what you mean by an "atheist...Theophilogue: Depends what you mean by an "atheist organization". Strictly speaking (and this is my preferred usage), "atheism" is nothing more than an answer to the question "Is there a God?", and in itself implies no further moral or philosophical commitment. It would seem perverse to organize a charity around such a non-concept. There are, of course, positive philosophies like Secular Humanism which attempt to build and teach ethical systems in the absence of divine revelation. While there are Humanist Associations promoting such views, I am not aware of any systematic "helping" humanist groups (though I know a certain amount of money and time does get funneled to worthy causes in an informal way).<BR/><BR/>There is, however, no shortage of <B>secular</B> charities (several of which have been mentioned by me or Wilkins) doing relief and development work (as well as the myriad of cure-this-disease, help-local-kids etc. charities). By "secular", I mean groups whose foundational statements do not appeal to religious principles or motivations, and who do not make faith an issue for their volunteers or employees (one of my Google hits says that WV only hires Christians as full-time employees). According to my tax return, I support a mix of secular and faith-based Good Works.Eamon Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04262012749524758120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-68120454260790880782008-10-28T00:41:00.000-04:002008-10-28T00:41:00.000-04:00Wow ... you've researched your thoughts well. Thi...Wow ... you've researched your thoughts well. This post and conversation is very informative for me. <BR/><BR/>I wonder why there is no atheist counterpart to all these religious organizations that seem so passionate about humanitarian aid and such. I imagine if there were such an agency, you would prefer to give your money to something equally effective in humanitarian aid without the risk of the workers having religious agendas. <BR/><BR/>Any ideas?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-52221484147127411662008-10-26T08:40:00.000-04:002008-10-26T08:40:00.000-04:00I recall from that time (mid-70s) that an increasi...I recall from that time (mid-70s) that an increasing number of evangelicals were treating condoms as an invitation to have premarital sex, and were trying to have them banned for children under the legal age and even later. It was so strong that Francis Schaeffer was making comment privately (according to his son's book).John S. Wilkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417266986565803683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-50963226567106850842008-10-25T23:17:00.000-04:002008-10-25T23:17:00.000-04:00John: Thank you for your reply. A few comments, if...John: Thank you for your reply. A few comments, if I may:<BR/><I>The opposition of WV to contraception was, I recall, public knowledge in the Phillipines, where they were uncovered giving the standard line as evangelicals (it was odd because at that time the linkage between evangelicals and anti-contraception was still fairly recent)</I><BR/><BR/>Not only recent, but inconsistent, and thus doubly odd. That was bang in the middle of my fundy period AND I was engaged, so Christian family planning was therefore a live issue for us. I did hear a some voices (Larry Christiansen, the Trobisches) speaking against artificial contracpetion, but at that same time, Tim LaHaye was recommending the Pill to Christian newlyweds (though still advocating large families, ie. 4 or 5 kids), and being rather sarcastic about rhythm. Anyways, if the available reports are any indication, WV's position has softened since then. Certainly, the strict Catholic folks don't seem to like them.<BR/><BR/>I also have the impression (from receiving their literature over the years) that their understanding of mission has migrated in a Social Gospel direction -- certainly their current publications (including one that I linked to) talk enough about "Empowering Girls and Women" and "systemic injustices" to warm the heart of any feminist or liberation theologian. In cynical/suspicious mode, I might argue that that's all just talk for the consumption of liberals like me, but I have no evidence of that.<BR/><BR/>And my own anecdote to illustrate the above: sometime in the mid-80's I attended a meeting about organizing a local group to do WV publicity and promotion in Ottawa. Nothing came of it in the end, and the one thing I recall was some hard-liner getting up to inveigh against WV's neglect of their Christian duty to preach the Bible at people, instead of merely feeding them. OK, that's not very strong support for my argument, but I recall it with amusement ;-).Eamon Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04262012749524758120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-16869876032699263542008-10-25T21:38:00.000-04:002008-10-25T21:38:00.000-04:00I cannot back up my claims with hard information a...I cannot back up my claims with hard information as they all came to me sub rosa, back in the 70s. The opposition of WV to contraception was, I recall, public knowledge in the Phillipines, where they were uncovered giving the standard line as evangelicals (it was odd because at that time the linkage between evangelicals and anti-contraception was still fairly recent). The "dry hole" comment was told to me by a worker who had left WV after finding out they had spent several tens of thousands of US dollars on refitting the office, and who found out that similar Australian WV money had been sent to the US. The business in Ethiopia was not publicised, but they helped contribute to the expulsion of western aid agencies, if they were not directly the cause of it, and of course it is silly of me to state it in such a way that they caused the revolution itself. A field worker there at the time said that the WorldVision media plane was deeply offensive to the new government, and it helped cause the ban on foreign workers.<BR/><BR/>I have no documentation for all this, but I remain deeply suspicious of WV, globally and locally. I know they once had a religious agenda. I doubt that somehow evaporated. And I was careful to say this was all anecdotal. You make of it what you wish.John S. Wilkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417266986565803683noreply@blogger.com