These people are stupid for thinking they could make a difference. I really don't care about the merit of their "mission". What they did was pure idiocy, plain and simple.
Again, I am not Christian, but man....."they are stupid for thinking they could make a difference." (sigh) I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then. All I'm saying is people should be having sympathy, not this "I can't believe you are so stupid" attitude towards the political prisoners of an unjust government. There are a whole lot of other instances in this world where political prisoners have been taken. I don't know how many of y'all consider them "stupid for thinking they could make a difference."
I'd say maybe 50-80 people will make a difference. They will actually go in and snatch those people out of the clutches of the Taliban, and have no fear doing it. They will not ask "Why are we risking 10 men to save one civilian woman?" or anything like that. If any of you have ever met any SF, you'll know that such a mission is what they HOPE for. They are perfectly willing to risk it all to save those aid workers and the Brit reporter. Eager would be a better word. Everyone here can sit and whine about religion while they're being snatched out of a compound in Kabul. If you're really Christians, you'll pray for a safe delivery. I'm not religious, and even I will pray for that.
DOD, It has nothing to do with them being liberal or whatever the reason they are over there. There is a dominance of athesism and it seems some are writing them off because they are Christians and they knew what they were getting into, so therefore,we shouldn't worry about them. As for Puedlfor, he would rather argue my statement than think about it. Ever heard the saying ... If the damn shoe doesn't fit, don't wear the damn thing!??
If there was some messed up country that proclaimed that anyone who admitted to being gay would go to jail, and some Americans went to that country and told various people that they were gay...that would not be bright. If there was a country that said they would imprison any black person walking around on the street and some black Americans went to that country to go walking around on the street...that would not be bright. If there was a country who...oh, you get the point. I, like DoD, love all the labels that are being tossed about. This issue has nothing to do with liberal/conservative or Christian/non-Christian. That is absurd and to suggest otherwise is equally silly. This has to do with knowing risks, knowing penalties, and doing them anyway. Often this is called heroic, sometimes this is called stupid. In either "scenario" it is still dangerous and not always logical. These people were doing good things, passing out humanitarian aid, etc...however, it is part of the whole missionary goal -- one whose main goal is that of conversion. That is fine. However, if you go to an extremely hostile environment, you run high risk. When you go around promoting your religion in public, that is even more dangerous. It is a catch-22, I guess...you can't just help people because that is against the procedure of your missionary work, but you also know that spreading knowledge of Christianity (in hopes of conversion, etc) is risky. So, they got caught. As the law of the land states, they go to prison. Now, is this a good thing? Of course not. I have not seen anyone in this thread argue the merits of jailing Chrisitans in an oppressive fundamentalist Islamic country. To argue that anyone is doing so based upon party affiliation or religious doctrine is very simple minded. Setting aside the moral justification for incarcerating people for having beliefs different than the govs, is it wrong for the Taliban to attempt to use these would-be prisoners as political bargaining chips? In accordance with international relations policies throughout history, no. Should they be released? Yes, and will be once the Taliban loses its power. It seems highly unlikely that a government which has the support of perhaps 20% of the country cain maintian that power when being beseiged both internally and externally. I know, I should be ashamed of myself for my views....they are bad. So very very bad.
Just to add a little insight to this whole discussion... Most of you know that I myself spent two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so I can appreciate to a point the mentality that these 8 people might have had. (I should mention that our church strictly believes in upholding the laws of the country in which you live in, so we do not and would not proselyte in countries such as Afghanistan where it is illegal to do so) But understand that these people are driven by a belief that they are doing the will of God in helping the people of Afghanistan. And DoD is right. You can't possibly become part of such a missionary trip without considerable preparation and a firm resolve to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal. Of course these people knew that they were getting into something hostile and difficult and technically illegal. I disagree with their violation of the law, however wrong I feel the law is, but these people are not blind, or stupid. It is narrow-minded to accuse someone of stupidity or foolishness because they are motivated to do something that they feel is right - and in their minds, the BEST kind of right. They were not killing people, or causing pain or terror. Just basic human concern and benevolence. And I assure you it is genuine. It was for me and everyone else I worked with. And also, people so devoted as to go into a situation like this are certainly secure enough within themselves to accept the fact that they may never return to the U.S. You may not be able to understand, but when you're willing to put yourself on the line everyday because you believe you're contributing to the greater good in the world, you really don't think about yourself anymore. God bless those 8 people, but don't hold back punishing their captors either....
Look Kim, I'm not saying that what they were doing wasn't good, and they deserved this, but you would have to be an idiot if you didn't go to a war torn country and knew they would do something like this. You don't just go to a country assuming all is well, especially a country as battered as Afghanistan. I'm not saying they deserve what they get, but they weren't completely ignorant of the consequences they faced. With that being said, I hope they get home safely and don't suffer from a simple mistake because of some sick freaks. As for the people comparing this to white, and blacks and gays, this has NOTHING to do with race, or anything like this, it has to do with a crazy Taliban ruling over a warn torn country, and people putting themselves in a bad situation. I don't have a clue how someone could use this as a "liberal vs conservative" situations. You liberals would be all over this? I have a question, do you think Osama bin Laden thought about liberals or conservative when he killed thousands of people?
I haven't argued with you yet, I asked you three questions in the hopes that you would clarify your statement into something that was less obscenely stupid, did I hope in vain? If I didn't hope in vain, would please clarify what you said?
if you must ... 1) I suppose I should not have just limited it to liberals...probably shouldn't have said it at all. It was a tongue-cheek-statement. It was made for those who said something to the effect of "They were christians, they knew what they were getting into" Now I offered a few thoughts ... If the person was one of those I listed, would they feel the same way? Would they want to mount a million man army to save them? 2) rhetorical question - But in a way, yes 3) rhetorical question - No I don't Once again, it was stated to those who held them as "Christians" held hostage in another country as opposed to "humans" being held hostage. And on the flip side, for the Christians who felt more biased to them because they were fellow Christians, would they be so eager to get them out if it was something they didn't believe they had a reason to be there.
