My friend Connie is going to an East Asian country posing as a college student, and yesterday was Draw Mohammed Day.
What do those two things have to do with each other? Free discourse of ideas. I may or may not agree with Draw Mohammed Day, and did not participate as no one has yet convinced me that it's really unoffensive and worth my time. But I do appreciate that someone wants to stand up to violence and tell the world that the free discourse of ideas is important, and that we as humans should not submit to aggressive censorship from any religion.
Connie's trip to East Asia, which is a much less offensive step for free speech, IS worth my time, and yours. Although Connie will travel with Agape Christian Fellowship, an organization related to Campus Crusade, she cannot tell you what country she will go to (I know where she's going though nya nya nya) because the religious ideas that she's going to share with other college students are restricted by that country's government. Even if you don't agree with her beliefs--she is a born-again Christian who wants to tell other people that she believes Jesus, a real human God, can get them to heaven--I know you agree that no country should restrict citizen's rights to hear new ideas. Free discourse helps good ideas grow stronger, and weeds out bad ideas--even religious ones. Talking about Christianity in East Asia helps promote debate and understanding between multiple belief systems, and Connie's work will ultimately help her also to discover and understand the views of others. I know you believe in that.
So please, even if you're not a Christian, consider supporting Connie's efforts to travel to East Asia, take a language class, and spend her days sharing her ideas with people who haven't had the chance to hear them before. If you're a Christian--well, this is a little sister of yours, and she's stepping out in faith to do something big and a little dangerous. Doesn't that seem worth your time and money? If it does, please e-mail me immediately at petrepan@gmail.com, and I will give you Connie's designation number and the website where you can give. She needs $2000 by Monday!!!
What do those two things have to do with each other? Free discourse of ideas. I may or may not agree with Draw Mohammed Day, and did not participate as no one has yet convinced me that it's really unoffensive and worth my time. But I do appreciate that someone wants to stand up to violence and tell the world that the free discourse of ideas is important, and that we as humans should not submit to aggressive censorship from any religion.
Connie's trip to East Asia, which is a much less offensive step for free speech, IS worth my time, and yours. Although Connie will travel with Agape Christian Fellowship, an organization related to Campus Crusade, she cannot tell you what country she will go to (I know where she's going though nya nya nya) because the religious ideas that she's going to share with other college students are restricted by that country's government. Even if you don't agree with her beliefs--she is a born-again Christian who wants to tell other people that she believes Jesus, a real human God, can get them to heaven--I know you agree that no country should restrict citizen's rights to hear new ideas. Free discourse helps good ideas grow stronger, and weeds out bad ideas--even religious ones. Talking about Christianity in East Asia helps promote debate and understanding between multiple belief systems, and Connie's work will ultimately help her also to discover and understand the views of others. I know you believe in that.
So please, even if you're not a Christian, consider supporting Connie's efforts to travel to East Asia, take a language class, and spend her days sharing her ideas with people who haven't had the chance to hear them before. If you're a Christian--well, this is a little sister of yours, and she's stepping out in faith to do something big and a little dangerous. Doesn't that seem worth your time and money? If it does, please e-mail me immediately at petrepan@gmail.com, and I will give you Connie's designation number and the website where you can give. She needs $2000 by Monday!!!
Additionally, the last few digits of her designation number spell 1337. Duh, you have to give.
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