Church gives $1M to help Syrian Refugees

[pam]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565323/LDS-Charities-gives-million-dollar-humanitarian-effort-for-Syrian-refugees.html

 

 

With tens of thousands of ill-prepared refugees fleeing war-torn Syria in search of peace and protection across the border in Jordan, LDS Charities has answered the Jordanian government’s call for help with more than $1 million in humanitarian aid already provided or in the works during the next few months.

 

A press release issued late Thursday indicated that LDS Charities, a non-governmental organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “has made a substantial commitment to support efforts by the Jordanian government and other charitable partners to provide relief to the thousands of Syrians displaced from their homeland.”

[Palerider]

Awesome .... You won't hear about that in the main stream news.

[Guest MormonGator]

Very proud of my church right now. 

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I saw this (and shared it) on FB.  Makes me proud to be LDS.  :)  

[Leah]

I saw this yesterday in Deseret News. 

 

I wished I had known about it earlier in the day when the subject of the refugees came up at work in the lunch room when one of the attorneys was reading the local paper and commented on the tragedy.  I would have loved to have the opportunity to point out to my wildly liberal, anti-religion (and some flatly anti-LDS) the amazing humanitarian efforts that the Church regularly engages in.  I am sure most people haven't the slightest clue.  Including an awful lot of members of the Church.

[pam]

I saw this yesterday in Deseret News. 

 

I wished I had known about it earlier in the day when the subject of the refugees came up at work in the lunch room when one of the attorneys was reading the local paper and commented on the tragedy.  I would have loved to have the opportunity to point out to my wildly liberal, anti-religion (and some flatly anti-LDS) the amazing humanitarian efforts that the Church regularly engages in.  I am sure most people haven't the slightest clue.  Including an awful lot of members of the Church.

 

I agree.  How many times have we seen people complaining about how the church should spend more money on people instead of on shopping centers?  The church donates soooo much money to humanitarian efforts and it gets overshadowed by those who want to nit pick at how the church spends money.

[Ironhold]

I agree.  How many times have we seen people complaining about how the church should spend more money on people instead of on shopping centers?  The church donates soooo much money to humanitarian efforts and it gets overshadowed by those who want to nit pick at how the church spends money.

 

Thing is, that "shopping center" was an effort on the church's part to combat urban blight in downtown SLC.

 

The church bought 10+ blocks of downtown for the purpose of renovating them. The shopping center was to be the anchor, but the rest was to be redone as a mix of parking facilities, parks, office buildings, and apartment complexes. 

 

Believe me when I say that if you don't nip blight in the bud, it'll spread. 

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

My thought about the shopping mall is this...property is an asset.  Assets bring in more money...money that can be used for humanitarian projects, or anything else our leaders deem important.  I love humanitarian efforts, but if you give and give and give until you have nothing left....then you won't be able to give anymore.  If you give and you also have assets, then you can keep on giving.

 

This BTW is why I hate the popular children's book The Giving Tree.  That poor tree just gives and gives and gives until it is nothing but a stump, with nothing more to give.  The boy learned to take, take, take.  How much better if the boy had learned to give back to the tree and then both could benefit.  

[Vort]

This BTW is why I hate the popular children's book The Giving Tree.  That poor tree just gives and gives and gives until it is nothing but a stump, with nothing more to give.  The boy learned to take, take, take.  How much better if the boy had learned to give back to the tree and then both could benefit.  

 

I love The Giving Tree, and for this very reason. It's a parable of destructive "giving", not "love", which the tree supposes it is giving. It's a brilliant book. The key is to recognize that it very obviously is not a children's book.

[Guest]

I love The Giving Tree, and for this very reason. It's a parable of destructive "giving", not "love", which the tree supposes it is giving. It's a brilliant book. The key is to recognize that it very obviously is not a children's book.

 

I never looked at it that way. That's the good start of a conversation with young teenage girls. . . hmm. . . 

[Vort]

I never looked at it that way. That's the good start of a conversation with young teenage girls. . . hmm. . . 

 

It is a (very) cynical book, but in this particular case I don't see that as a weakness. I see it as a recognition of how some people are.

 

"And the tree was happy...but not really."

[Vort]

(By the way, as the quote above shows, Shel Silverstein made no attempt to hide what he was doing in the book, which is relentlessly depressing and ends in the destruction of both the tree and the boy. I do not see how such a message could be missed, but it clearly is widely misunderstood, with many people talking about how it's a "parable of Christ-like giving" -- it is nothing of the sort; if anything, it is exactly the opposite -- and others voicing LP's objection, without realizing that that was the whole point. So no criticism to anyone intended, but this is one little book that I would love to see valued and appreciated for what it actually tries to teach.)

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

(By the way, as the quote above shows, Shel Silverstein made no attempt to hide what he was doing in the book, which is relentlessly depressing and ends in the destruction of both the tree and the boy. I do not see how such a message could be missed, but it clearly is widely misunderstood, with many people talking about how it's a "parable of Christ-like giving" -- it is nothing of the sort; if anything, it is exactly the opposite -- and others voicing LP's objection, without realizing that that was the whole point. So no criticism to anyone intended, but this is one little book that I would love to see valued and appreciated for what it actually tries to teach.)

 

No offense taken.  No that you put it that way, I'm surprised that I didn't see it before too.  As you said, Silverstein didn't try to hide it.  Now, I want to read it again, LOL.

 

Eowyn, yes, great book for teenage girls, and some some boys too...and well, maybe a lot of people who are single and lonely.

[Guest]

Maybe it's because the last time I read it was to my oldest about 11 years ago when she was a toddler, but  I didn't even remember the, "but not really" part. It's kind of important! 

[Guest]

No offense taken.  No that you put it that way, I'm surprised that I didn't see it before too.  As you said, Silverstein didn't try to hide it.  Now, I want to read it again, LOL.

 

Eowyn, yes, great book for teenage girls, and some some boys too...and well, maybe a lot of people who are single and lonely.

 

And actually, you could use it in conjunction with scriptures that show how the Lord cares for the vineyard, compared to how the boy "cares" for the tree. Feeding, building up, pruning (helping get rid of bad habits and etc.) versus using and using and using until and past the point of the tree being used up.

[RMGuy]

I applaud the church's efforts in this.  I wish that there was more we could do as an organization and I wish that my country would allow us, as citizens, to host and pay for a refuge family.  

[Just_A_Guy]

I applaud the church's efforts in this.  I wish that there was more we could do as an organization and I wish that my country would allow us, as citizens, to host and pay for a refuge family.  

 

Glenn Beck is actually working on a similar initiative.

[blueskye]

"ill-prepared" is an unfortunate word choice. People in Syria are fleeing war, leaving everything behind. There is no way to prepare for your children being injured in gunfire and burned by explosions. You just get them out.

[Still_Small_Voice]

Glenn Beck is actually working on a similar initiative.

 

I gave some money to this initiative.  I am also glad that the church is perhaps using some of my tithing money to help these suffering people.  What is going on in those regions is just horrible. 

 

I read that the Iraqi government disarmed the Christians by taking their firearms.  After this happened the I.S.I.S. radicals came in and began to sexually assault, murder and sell them into slavery.