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The U.S. Air Force Academy has pulled out of a Christian-sponsored children’s toy drive after commanders were accused of religious intolerance. Mikey Weinstein, an academy graduate who runs the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the academy’s participation in Operation Christmas Child is inappropriate because of its evangelical Christian roots. Operation Christmas Child is sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham — the son of evangelist Billy Graham. It packs toys and other items into shoe boxes and sends them to needy children around the world, along with a Christian message in each gift. “This is arrogance beyond measure,” Weinstein...

It has long been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Much has been written and broadcast in the past 48 hours about the need to see a certain picture. A picture that some believe could provide comfort, closure, or confirmation of a death; a killing. This is a picture of death. It is bloody and gruesome, yet so many want to see it. Another picture caught my eye today. This was a picture of despair. It was a picture of hope. At its core it is a picture of the greatest hope the world knows. This was...

In 35 seconds, the city of Léogane was almost entirely destroyed by last year’s earthquake. A year after, 80% of the victims are still living in camps surrounded by rubble, without water or electricity. Despite millions in international aid, the rebuilding process is at a standstill.

To Japanese and Japan-based Freepers: What's the best, quickest way of getting aid to people on the ground directly -- via local groups, religious instutitons, etc. I'd rather not give it to an international bureaucracy like the Red Cross (Japanese website was confusing), other NGO's or government. This is being posted Front/Breaking because I imagine a lot of other Freepers want this info and, let's face it, it's an emergency over there and these people need quick, effective help as soon as they can get it. I've seen too many stories of waste, corruption and abuse (Haiti, Katrina, etc.) and...

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin traveled to Haiti this weekend as a guest of the Rev. Franklin Graham and Samaritan's Purse to spotlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the earthquake and cholera-stricken Caribbean (half an) island nation. Instead she has found herself embroiled in a scandal, accused of bringing a hair stylist on the trip to make herself look good for the cameras and "photo-ops.".The Associated Press transmitted a photo from Haiti of Palin captioned, "Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, center, has her hair done during a visit to a cholera treatment center set up by the NGO Samaritan's Purse...

An American aid worker abducted by gunmen in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur on Monday described the "nightmare" of her situation in a telephone call to AFP. "In the past it was okay, but now it is not. They are threatening me, my life, my health," the woman, who works for US aid group Samaritan's Purse, said. She was kidnapped in mid-May in the village of Abu Ajura, south Darfur, along with two Sudanese colleagues who have since been released.

January 30, 2010   A barge carrying 400 tons (800,000 pounds) of Samaritan’s Purse emergency relief supplies arrived in Haiti on Friday. An assortment of heavy equipment was also on board, including a bulldozer, dump trucks, skid loaders, and flatbed trucks to help with debris removal, access clearing, hauling, and other difficult tasks.“One of the first things I want to do is help rebuild secure perimeters around churches to help them be established as distribution points for the community,” said Ken Isaacs, the vice president of projects for Samaritan’s Purse. “One of the first jobs we’ll tackle with the excavator is...

Surviving Day By Day Samaritan’s Purse relief supplies are helping earthquake victims who lost everything It was almost sunset and 77-year-old Marie Casimir was sifting through the ruins of a cathedral that the earthquake claimed in Petit Goave, searching for scraps of wood for the cooking fire.Marie wiped her dust-covered forehead with her hand and paused to tell the story of where she was the day the earth rumbled. “I was outside cleaning the pot when everything started going like this,” she said, gesturing wildly with her hands and stumbling from side to side. “Whoa! Whoa! I fell down...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—The day begins early in the capital city: In the middle of packed streets, whole families rouse from sleep as the sun comes up, stumbling out of makeshift tents crammed along the entire length of cracked medians. Others huddle under tarps and sheets that cover the open space in small parks and soccer fields, a sign they are either now homeless or afraid to return to homes that might be structurally damaged. On another street corner, some 200 people form a growing mass at a tiny bus stop, waiting for the multi-colored school buses that have long bustled...

The first Samaritan’s Purse cargo plane arrived in Haiti Wednesday with emergency relief supplies for victims of the massive earthquake that rocked the country on Tuesday. The initial shipment included shelter material, hygiene kits, and water purification kits, as well as members of our disaster response team. Our team is comprised of veterans of many disaster responses, but even they were shocked by what they encountered when they arrived. “The streets are full of people that have no home to go back to,” said Dr. David Gettle, medical advisor. “They’re running out of food, fuel, and water. The situation is...

Here is video of the immediate aftermath of the Earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday, January 12. The video is a CNN Exclusive, and it shows people trying to get out of the rubble of collapsed buildings just after the Earthquake hit. It is a scene of utter devastation, and the wailing of the people just breaks your heart. . . . (VIDEO)

I dont know if this has been posted..... As a Katrina survivor I will tell you that the Red Cross and The Salvation Army were heros... You can text the word Haiti to 90999 to donate $10.00 to the relief efforts. I intend to donate much more than this but I found this to be a very convenient way to do something.

Muslim civil rights group calls for meeting to clear up 'misconceptions' WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today requested a meeting with Christian evangelist Franklin Graham to discuss his latest remarks attacking Islam. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it has received a number of complaints from concerned Muslims who watched an interview last night on CNN during which Graham stated in part: "...we have many Muslims that live in this country. But true Islam cannot be practiced in this country. You can't beat your wife. You cannot murder your children...

Board pulls out of program; Organizers try to understand reasoning Posted By Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles The Nugget Posted 10 hours ago Rose Haufe doesn't buy the reason given by the area's largest school board to no longer support Operation Christmas Child. The Powassan resident told The Nugget Tuesday the project is "simply caring for people and is beyond any religious boundaries." "I'm trying to think of their motivation, but I can't think of why they wouldn't want to do this," Haufe said. "When a child gives they never forget. It's a lesson they need to learn. It teaches them there's others...

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - What do Pat Boone and Bono have in common? It turns out they are both fans of the Rev. Billy Graham. They are joined by such acts as Michael McDonald, LeAnn Rimes, Marty Stuart, DC Talk and others on "Thank You Billy Graham," a track organized by Boone that celebrates the evangelist's 87th birthday. Net proceeds from the song and video, out November 7, benefit Mercy Corps and Samaritan's Purse for Hurricane Katrina and Global Poverty Relief. The song, written by Boone, David Pack and Billy Dean, appears on Boone's new album, "Glory Train," which was...

Later this morning I will be leaving California to travel to Mississippi to help with the hurricane relief effort through Samaritan's Purse. Ten people from our church will be going into southern Mississippi to help with cleanup and relief services for the next ten days, but I am a member of the advance team. I will be driving non-stop for the next few days with a friend. We are carrying the tools and supplies needed and will be meeting the rest of the group at the Jackson airport after we arrive. I know that there are many God-fearing Freepers out...

Dr. FRANKLIN GRAHAM’S CALL FOR CHURCHES TO ADOPT TEN KATRINA VICTIMS FAMILIES From: tpoffice@kyol.net [TPM = Theophostic Prayer Ministry] Subject: A Special Message from TPM founder Dr. Ed Smith Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2005 ... No matter the "reason" for this event [Hurricane Katrina], I believe God expects His people to make themselves available to be used of Him so that He might be glorified in and through it. ... I encourage Churches to consider revamping your ministry structure to reach out to these dislocated families. I heard Dr. Franklin Graham on television make an appeal to the denominational and...

On Fox news Franklin Graham boldly challenged churches to adopt refugee families. His group, Samaritan's Purse, provides large scale international relief largely by assisting local churches.

Are American Christian evangelists using the devastation wreaked by the tsunami to spread the word of God—their God? Disturbing stories from the region and fund-raising appeals from religious leaders in the US who want to "plant Christian principles as early as possible" in the orphans of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India have raised profound questions about proselytisation of vulnerable people in times of tragedy. Some groups send help along with Bibles—in Bhojpuri—to increase the fold in affected countries, making it harder for others to provide relief. By lacing help with questions of faith, however delicately, evangelical groups can deepen religious...

Operation Christmas Child Fact Sheet The World's Largest Children's Christmas Project of Kids-Helping-Kids WHATSome 7 million suffering children in more than 100 countries on six continents will receive personal, gift-filled shoe boxes through this kids-helping-kids project. For many of these children, the gift will be the first present they have ever received. WHEN Now through Christmas 2003... Kids, families, scout troops, schools, churches, civic clubs, and businesses are filling their shoe boxes now. Shoe box gifts can be dropped off at one of more than 1,300 drop sites located in all 50 states.To find the nearest location, call (800) 353-5949,...

The evangelicals who like to giftwrap Islamophobia The world's largest children's Christmas project has a toxic agenda Giles Fraser Monday November 10, 2003 The Guardian It all sounds innocent enough. Operation Christmas Child "is a unique ministry that brings Christmas joy, packed in gift-filled shoeboxes, to children around the world". Over the past 10 years, 24 million shoeboxes have been delivered, making it the world's largest children's Christmas project. Every US president since Ronald Reagan has packed a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. In the UK, thousands of schools, churches and youth clubs are doing the same. Some will fill...

The children of Lui scoop their beans and mash from plates laid out on the ground, using only their fingers, often aware that something bad is about to happen. Their necks begin to swing backwards and forwards. "Nodding disease", as the malady has been called, takes hold. "I don't feel good when I eat," said Malesh Reuben, a skinny 12-year-old who has been nodding this way for five years. About 300 children in and around this jungle village in southern Sudan have the mysterious ailment. It typically strikes during or just after a meal. The neurological disorder has left epidemiologists...

Help Unwanted What's wrong with Christian groups helping Iraqis? BY VINCENT CARROLL Friday, May 16, 2003 12:01 a.m. EDT When an outfit that has successfully disbursed humanitarian aid world-wide for 30 years announces that it intends to expand its efforts to postwar Iraq, you'd think the news would be met with enthusiasm. Yet reaction to just such an announcement by Samaritan's Purse, headed by the Rev. Franklin Graham, has been anything but positive, revealing much about the cultural divide in America over Christian evangelism. Maureen Dowd, the New York Times' faithful barometer of liberal intolerance, mocked Samaritan's Purse for "waiting...

Pentagon Muslims Angered by Rev. Graham Invitation WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Muslims at the Pentagon are incensed by what they say is an insensitive invitation to evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham, who has called Islam an "evil religion," to preach on Good Friday at the Defense Department. In letters to the Pentagon chaplain's office this week, Muslim office workers complained strongly about Graham's plans to lead prayers on Friday, one of the most religious days in the Christian calendar. The letters urged officials to find a "more inclusive and honorable" religious leader to take his place. A spokesman for Graham, son of...

With the exception of his unfortunate post-Sept. 11 call for a "crusade" against terrorism, President George Bush has fashioned his rhetoric about Islam carefully. The administration has scrupulously crafted numerous speeches that make clear that the United States is not making war on Islam, even as it hunts down Osama Bin Laden and invades Iraq. I believe him: Ever since he was the governor of Texas in the mid-1990s, Bush has been friendly to Muslims and to Islam and has pointedly referred to "churches, synagogues, and mosques" in speeches. But I wouldn't believe Bush if I were a Muslim in...

Are Christian evangelists eyeing Iraq? In its war against Iraq, the United States has reportedly been aiming to win over the “hearts and minds” of the Iraqi people. But some US-based Christian evangelists are readying themselves to take it a step further. Dedicated workers of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Samaritan’s Purse—two of the biggest evangelical Christian missions in the US—are reportedly waiting in Jordan on the Iraq border for the war to end. Ready to go into the battle-scarred country with both relief and their Gospel. Baghdad under attack: attempts to preach Christianity in Iraq is bound to...

April 4, 2003 Groups Critical of Islam Are Waiting to Aid IraqBy LAURIE GOODSTEINwo evangelical Christian organizations whose leaders have outspokenly denounced the Islamic faith are among the aid groups waiting at Iraq's borders to take humanitarian relief — and a Gospel message — to a nation whose people are predominantly Muslim. The situation presents a dilemma for the Bush administration, which does not want to alienate its strong Christian evangelical constituency but cannot afford to have the war in Iraq perceived as a crusade to Christianize a Muslim nation. Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said yesterday that it...