Operation Christmas Child

Dear Military Religious Freedom Foundation:

SHAME ON YOU!

Robbing innocent, needy children of love and gifts just because a few idiots like you don’t agree with the (loving and caring) message attached to the gift.

People and organizations like you and yours are a big reason for all the dissonance in our world today.

God is love. The Military Religious Freedom (hah – what a misnomer) Foundation is hateful.

(name withheld)

Dear (name withheld)

We at California Council of Churches IMPACT love Christmas. It’s our favorite time of the year, repleat with joy and hope and sharing and the love of children that the story of the First Christmas gives to us.

We definitely think holiday celebrations are worthwhile – though not pre-programmed ones from points of view we do not share. Rather than promoting donations to a broad-based organization that treats all children with love and compassion, the cadets this year in their “Christmas Child” drive have picked on who does not – and who seeks to benefit his personal fortunes and interests.

Too often the USAFA has arranged for “celebrations” that are to benefit a narrow version of Christianity, this time Samaritan’s Purse run by Franklin Graham. Mr. Graham, unlike his father, is extremely narrow in his view of who is and is not worthy in our world (thereby violating Matthew 7:1). He is entirely focused on proselytizing, and we have clear evidence that these toys and presents being recruited for children are held hostage until the children’s parents sign a pledge that they and the children will convert to Mr. Graham’s point of view.

Jesus would find that despicable. He said he was ‘the way, the truth, and the light’, but WE are not. He reached out to the Samaritan woman – he did not force her to believe him or believe IN him. These acts by Samaritan’s Purse – using presents for very poor children as lures – are totally unacceptable to us who also share the same faith but who believe in free will, uncoerced.

Mr. Graham finds all who differ with him to be damned – Jesus would never have had that view. Mr. Graham is wildly anti-Islamic. Jesus would not have been so inclined. Mr. Graham promotes his views at the expense of children’s free will. That is not a Christian attitude.

Mr. Graham is fully entitled to his views, but he is not entitled to be the sole focus of a holiday fund raising that is promoted by our military institutions. Mr. Graham has access to the entire world of private belief in which to operate. He may not use our military to further his goals.

It is because we love children, embrace their families and their beliefs, believe in the Constitution as well as the Bible, and believe in free will that we support MRFF in objecting to the selection of Mr. Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse as the recipient of the sole effort of USAFA cadets’ holiday actions.

It is not MRFF that is killing the spirit of Christmas – it is Mr. Graham. Using toys as weapons to force conversion of CHILDREN is despicable and utterly anti-Christian. For this and other reasons, we, as devout Christians, stand with MRFF in opposing an official sanction of Samaritan’s Purse as an authorized USAFA activity.

Thank you and blessing for the Christmas season-

Elizabeth Sholes
Director of Public Policy
California Council of Churches IMPACT
Sacramento, CA 95821