WASHINGTON: Kidnapping 17 missionaries in Haiti Strengthens the difficulties for Washington religious groups are often seen as assets, go where many are not brave, but they can also find themselves in great trouble.
The gang which bravely ruled most nations slipped western hemisphere during weekends kidnapping 17 US and Canadian missionaries including children, the latest attacks that appeared aimed at raising ransom.
The United States has issued the highest warning of the trip to Haiti.
But religious groups, who believe that they do God’s work, is also a partner for the forefront when the United States needs the presence in the most dangerous places in the world.
Since the revolutionary chair of George W.
Bush, the United States has channeled the amount of foreign aid that developed into religious-based groups, the former controversial exercises were mostly received throughout the administration.
The religious charity has a long root in Haiti, where the kidnapped missionaries come from the Ministry of Christian Aid, an Anhio-based Pennonite and Amish organization.
“If you want to help regulate the clinic in South Sudan or Haiti, you don’t do it with the government, you do it with NGOs,” said Melani Mcalister, a professor of American study at George Washington University.
“And the American group is truly the main part of the NGO network,” he said.
Todd Johnson, Co-Director of the Global Christian Studies Center at the Theological Seminar Gordon-Conwell, said that long-term missionaries generally developed language and cultural knowledge skills – as well as proper documents – to operate effectively.
“This is for the benefit of the US government that they succeeded,” he said.
He said there should be no difference in the government’s response if the people who were kidnapped were missionaries or, for example, entrepreneurs held money.
The State Department said he treated missionaries not different from other US citizens who needed assistance abroad.
But missionaries often trigger the main diplomatic incidents.
Knox Thames, Former State Department official focused on international religious freedom, said US diplomats often did not realize missionaries, who were not obliged to share their beliefs or existence.
“However, the American Embassy often sees missionaries as a problem,” he said.
“They might mention local sensitivity, run after anti-proselite laws or find themselves kidnapped like in Haiti.” The Islamic world is very sensitive about conversion efforts.
In one upper class case, 23 Christian missionaries from South Korea were kidnapped in 2007 by the Taliban in Afghanistan, only released after Seoul agreed to withdraw troops from a US-led mission.
Among US citizens, Turkish arrest during oppression Andrew Brunson, a priest who has been a population for many years and has been the cause of Celebrre in Evangelical Christians, leading former President Donald Trump in 2018 to secure his release.
Russia has faced US criticism to ban most of the missionaries.
Minefields are even with friendly countries like India, which allows foreign missionaries only to enter if they do not do proselites.
Missionaries can also find themselves far from assistance as in the case of John Chau, America who was killed in 2018 by an isolated tribal group when he tried to bring Christianity to remote Indian Island in the Andaman Sea.
The kidnapped mennonite is not believed to be looking for conversions in Haiti, a country that has been mostly Christians, even though Catholics.
But processitization is an integral part of faith for many American Christians, especially members of the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-day Saints, who encourage young people to work abroad as missionaries.
According to the Church, around 54,000 missionaries served worldwide last year, with fresh-faced young people in the corners of the road sometimes became the first meeting of foreigners with Americans.
The US government, while partnering with faith groups, said he only provided funds for assistance and not because of proselitization.
Johnson, a missionary scholar, said that most Christians were fine with it.
“Ninety percent – maybe more – Christian assistance and development are very sensitive to proselitization, because it doesn’t work properly,” he said.
“From a Christian perspective, it is part of a Christian testimony to only help people,” he said.
“If people are interested in more than that, it’s good, but if they just help it too alright.”