Evangelical churches in Korea are receiving criticism for sending missionaries to Afghanistan, following the recent kidnapping of 23 church volunteers.
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(Photo: Christian Post / Christian Today Korea, Song Kyung-ho)Kwon Hyuk-su, an elder at Saemmul Community Church in Bundang, just south of the South Korean capital Seoul, speaks to reporters regarding the 23 South Koreans kidnapped by the Taliban last Thursday.
In one of the world’s most internet-savvy countries, “cybercitizens” have been building up anti-Christian sentiment by posting up insults to victims and their families on blogs and community forums.
Other more extreme and distasteful blogs have been used by some internet users to call for negotiators not to try and seek the hostages’ release, while others have even called for the Korean Christians to be killed.
The Korean government and the hostages’ families have appealed to the public not to promote anything that might aggravate the situation, according to the Korean publication Chosun. Despite their appeals, however, a number of internet users have published on web sites that the Koreans went to Afghanistan for missionary work, and not for volunteering, as has been stated.
Some have even tried to enflame the situation by saying the Korean missionaries carried out evangelism inside the Middle Eastern country’s mosques.
One popular website, DC Inside, was used by some cybercitizens to boast they had emailed the Taliban calling for them to kill the hostages. The website has now attempted to filter out and remove these postings.
Chosun has also reported that the official websites of Saemmul Church in Bundang, the home church of the hostages, and Korea Foundation for World Aid have had to close after being inundated with attacks and insults for sending the Koreans to Afghanistan.
According to the latest update from The Associated Press, purported Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf claimed Wednesday that one of the hostages had been shot and killed around 4 p.m., and a police official who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation said militants told him the hostage was sick and couldn't walk and was therefore shot.
Some of the 23 Korean hostages, meanwhile, had been freed and were taken to a U.S. base in Ghazni, said two Western officials who asked not to be identified, according to AP. Although the officials did not know how many had been freed, South Korean news agency Yonhap said eight Koreans had been freed.
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"It's time for Christians everywhere to get on the net & start posting support for the captured Koreans & their families & their churches."
Yes koko, it is time for Christians everywhere to get up and take a stand. Where are they? Why aren't voices being heard? Do we not serve an all powerful God? He can do so much through us if we would only make ourselves available! My prayers are urgent for this group and so many others facing the same thing....others who are not receiving any kind of media attention but still need our prayers. Why are we invisible? Our light should shine so bright that the world cannot help but notice! (I'm praying for strength to follow my own advice...I know it's scary but we have to remember we serve a mighty King!)
The first organized humanitarian aid in western history started with the medieval church and in the Protestant churches, relief aid and social services were predominately the service of local Christian churches and charity groups.
Since when has helping others been solely the realm of non-religious groups and what makes them think they have a higher moral ground to determine who can or cannot do charity?
There is always risk involved with doing relief work: disease, violence, psychological trauma due to witnessing horrible things. What makes this different from other cases maybe that the missionaries are not westerners than that they are Christians. When westerners have been captured by muslim extremists, Christian or not, there is a lot of media attention. But I never hear the media saying, non-religious people should stop helping people because they are forcing their non-religious views implicitly by being there.
While that kind of response from other Koreans is completely inappropriate and hateful, I have a hunch that these kind of responses are coming from more than just Korea. I agree that the church members knew that it was a dangerous area and that they could have done things differently and more responsibly, but we have no right to judge and label people as deserving of any terrible experience, including this. As fellow fallible human beings, we also make mistakes, but these people made these mistakes while trying to help others and change the world, even if be a small change, for the better.
In addition, what has the mainstream media in the USA been covering? I was watching TV to have the program interrupted by a "breaking story" on Linsey Lohan. If I hadn't gone searching for the details in this story, I would have only heard very brief snippets about it.
The hostages' church has also stressed that the mission workers were there for the main purpose of medical aid (although I'm sure that they were not hiding their Christianity from the people they were trying to help).
I don't think I feel restricted to talk about my faith in any aspect, just the setting is being restricted. Even so, the strictness of these legalities are often pretty relaxed. As a teacher in an inner-city school, the community that many of my students come from is open to Christianity and, while many of my students are not Christian, most students are exposed to ideas, values, and people rooted in the Bible.
I certainly have a lot to pray about these days.
Not all of Korea is Christian, and not every Christian supports Bible belief. More sadly, not every mission is smart or well-inspired. It is in fact irresponsible to rent a bus ex tempore and drive down to the Southern hot zone without any security concern for the young people who follow.
Ok... so they went there and got captured...
I am really appaled & surprised at the attitude of some of the Koreans in wanting their own people to be killed!
Aren't you one gigantic family with the same blood?
It's time for Christians everywhere to get on the net & start posting support for the captured Koreans & their families & their churches.
Nothing to fear. Only be ready.
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.--John 9:4
I am stunned by the utter insensitivity and hatred. It is becoming illegal to speak certain aspects of our faith in free countries, and we're condemned when we do it in other countries. How long until evangelism is no longer considered protected free speech in our own countries? And evangelism is violently oppressed in many Muslim countries. I have a growing fear that night is coming. But as our Savior said "Be not anxious."