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Maxwell 26: The Toothbrush Thing Is Real


HerNameIsBuffy

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I know from previous reading that Operation Christmas Child comes up over and over and has probably been debated to death on FJ. But I feel compelled to say, as an ex-fundie who personally experienced mental and emotional damage from fundamentalist beliefs, I would never participate in OCC. Any small physical benefit could probably be as well served by existing secular organizations, and I would not want to give a gift that would be used as a means to indoctrination. I do not want to be responsible for a child receiving a tract (given in or with the box) that tells them they "are separated from God by sin" or that they need to pray the sinner's prayer to receive eternal life. 

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2 hours ago, Lisafer said:

I know from previous reading that Operation Christmas Child comes up over and over and has probably been debated to death on FJ. But I feel compelled to say, as an ex-fundie who personally experienced mental and emotional damage from fundamentalist beliefs, I would never participate in OCC. Any small physical benefit could probably be as well served by existing secular organizations, and I would not want to give a gift that would be used as a means to indoctrination. I do not want to be responsible for a child receiving a tract (given in or with the box) that tells them they "are separated from God by sin" or that they need to pray the sinner's prayer to receive eternal life. 

It's a big steaming load of colonialist bullshit is what it is.

Not only do you have a bunch of self-important white missionaries telling children, some of whom have likely been through a ton of trauma due to interreligious conflict depending on where they live, that they're bad and wicked and need to change their religion and culture to be good (which is incredibly fucked up), but you also have a bunch of self-important but probably well-intentioned enough white people giving impersonal, likely completely impractical gifts (with religious strings attached) that are utterly separated from those children's cultural contexts and frames of reference and will only add to the plastic landfill choking our oceans to death, and floods a community with goods that could have been bought in-country and supported local merchants. 

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@IReallyAmHopewell, we may have to agree to differ.  This has been discussed many times before and I have also lived in Africa.

IMO, activities like OCC do more to make privileged people in developed countries feel better about themselves than they help the recipients.  And OCC does do damage that the well-meaning people packing the shoe boxes do not understand.

Not to beat that dead parrot but:

http://emilyjoypoetry.com/7-reasons-not-to-participate-in-operation-christmas-child-this-year

http://humanistlife.org.uk/2015/10/14/why-parents-shouldnt-support-operation-christmas-child/

https://lifereconsidered.com/2015/11/08/unpacking-operation-christmas-child/

https://www.newstatesman.com/religion/2013/10/operation-christmas-childs-shoebox-campaign-just-propaganda-tool-christianity

https://baptistnews.com/article/stuffing-shoe-boxes-for-the-worlds-poor-maybe-you-should-reconsider/#.W-q235NKjIV

The slinky story is excellent.

And https://baptistnews.com/article/10-alternatives-operation-christmas-child/#.W-q2TZNKjIU

As for a shortage of reusable plastic bottles in Africa - Oh, please.  There are so many littering the continent already that they come in useful for things other than holding drinking water.  This is brilliant recycling if you want to send your empties to Africa.

https://inhabitat.com/africas-first-plastic-bottle-house-rises-in-nigeria/

nigeria-plastic-bottle-house1.jpg.600x31

 

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Just when I think Sarah's syntax cannot possibly be more awkward, she knocks another one out of the park:

"The lady Anna and Mary minister with for Bible club
hung cold weather gear on the fence
for those who needed them to take."

WTAF. :whaa:

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I remember when our giving tree was personalized so you knew the persons age size and what they needed. It was fun and gratifying to shop  for them. Now our church asks for gift cards and I find it so unpersonal. We didnt include  tracts with our gifts though. Maybe the Maxwells just feel joy to shop for those Christmas boxes? I assume the Maxwells include tracts in their boxes so there goes that idea. Im so naive sometimes.

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19 minutes ago, Candydandy said:

I remember when our giving tree was personalized so you knew the persons age size and what they needed. It was fun and gratifying to shop  for them. Now our church asks for gift cards and I find it so unpersonal. We didnt include  tracts with our gifts though. Maybe the Maxwells just feel joy to shop for those Christmas boxes? I assume the Maxwells include tracts in their boxes so there goes that idea. Im so naive sometimes.

Well, there's your first mistake...:my_biggrin:

I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with a giving tree. In fact, as long as it's not used to proselytize for a certain religion, I think it's far preferable to OCC.

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It's the overseas part that so turns me off OCC (well, and Franklin Graham, because BLECH).  

There are probably literally hundreds of kids within 20 miles of the Maxwell's home that would be thrilled with small gifts for Christmas,  Especially useful items like socks and mittens and hats.  I DON'T UNDERSTAND why helping children far, far away makes people feel more warm and fuzzy about what they're doing, but it does.  

Watch the documentary Poverty, Inc. if you haven't.  It's sobering and thought-provoking (and throws the colonialist bullshit, as was so eloquently stated above, right in the garbage where it belongs).

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5 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

@IReallyAmHopewell, we may have to agree to differ.  This has been discussed many times before and I have also lived in Africa.

IMO, activities like OCC do more to make privileged people in developed countries feel better about themselves than they help the recipients.  And OCC does do damage that the well-meaning people packing the shoe boxes do not understand.

Not to beat that dead parrot but:

http://emilyjoypoetry.com/7-reasons-not-to-participate-in-operation-christmas-child-this-year

http://humanistlife.org.uk/2015/10/14/why-parents-shouldnt-support-operation-christmas-child/

https://lifereconsidered.com/2015/11/08/unpacking-operation-christmas-child/

https://www.newstatesman.com/religion/2013/10/operation-christmas-childs-shoebox-campaign-just-propaganda-tool-christianity

https://baptistnews.com/article/stuffing-shoe-boxes-for-the-worlds-poor-maybe-you-should-reconsider/#.W-q235NKjIV

The slinky story is excellent.

And https://baptistnews.com/article/10-alternatives-operation-christmas-child/#.W-q2TZNKjIU

As for a shortage of reusable plastic bottles in Africa - Oh, please.  There are so many littering the continent already that they come in useful for things other than holding drinking water.  This is brilliant recycling if you want to send your empties to Africa.

https://inhabitat.com/africas-first-plastic-bottle-house-rises-in-nigeria/

nigeria-plastic-bottle-house1.jpg.600x31

 

 

The Maxwells send reusable water bottles purchased at Walmart that many of our kids take to school--not throwaways. I would NEVER support sending used water bottles like those shown.

Like these: They go on sale every fall.

 

We will agree to differ. I was  Peace Corps volunteer. I vote pretty liberal. But this group is fine by me.  No hard feelings from me and I hope none from you.  There are all kinds of stories for the organization too. I'll skip those. No hard feelings on my side--I'm only stating an opinion, as you are. First-hand experience for both of us but we come to different conclusions.

Sorry the image upload went crazy--I couldn't delete extras for some reason!

Now back to our regularly scheduled snark on the Maxwells.

image.png

 

 

 

 

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9 minutes ago, IReallyAmHopewell said:

No hard feelings on my side--I'm only stating an opinion, as you are. First-hand experience for both of us but we come to different conclusions.

No hard feelings here.  Although I will continue to try to persuade people out of supporting Franklin Graham's evangelism at every opportunity.  I also believe that it is neocolonialism at its worst.  I was being sarcastic about the used water bottles but Africa is not a landfill for the US.  And they make fantastic use of the trash they generate themselves.

Images gone wild. :) It has happened to me too.  You can report your own post and a mod will clean it up for you. 

Is that water bottle what the Maxwells included or is it just an example?   It is a good example of what not to put in a shoebox.   I would advise against sending bottles or toys with images of toy dogs wearing what look like police or military uniforms.  Dogs aren't cuddly pets in many cultures and neither are military or uniformed people necessarily thought of as benign.  Does it say Made in China on it too?

But Walmart and other companies are probably delighted to sell toys cheap, the shoe box manufactures get paid, the postal system is delighted, and a whole lot of volunteers and children packing shoe boxes feel good.  And Franklin Graham gets richer.  His estimate net worth was around $28 million last time I looked and his annual salary makes a lot of people wince.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/why-franklin-grahams-salary-raises-eyebrows-among-christian-nonprofits/

Back to your regularly scheduled Maxwell snarking now.

 

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2 hours ago, freejugar said:

Can someone remind me how the moody series ends and why? like, did the kids get too old or what?

I think Sarah got bored.

 IIRC, Mollie Moody Married a Missionary, Max and Mitch Mastered Multiple Money Making Management Methods and went into business together.

Maddie - perhaps she had learned to speak properly by the 8th book.  I forget about the twins.  I'm sure they were Major Moral Muppets though.  There was also a dog called Snowflake by the end.  

3 minutes ago, SilverBeach said:

Franklin Graham is a prick and a dick.

In a nutshell!  :laughing-jumpingpurple:

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43 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

No hard feelings here.  Although I will continue to try to persuade people out of supporting Franklin Graham's evangelism at every opportunity.

THIS is what Makes America Great--peacefully agreeing to disagree and let each her own! Thanks! For what it's worth I'm not a Franklin fan--I'm a fan of the ministry. Very different.

Images gone wild. :) It has happened to me too.  You can report your own post and a mod will clean it up for you. 

 

Thanks

43 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

Is that water bottle what the Maxwells included or is it just an example?   It

 

Back to your regularly scheduled Maxwell snarking now.

 

 

 

An example. Walmart has bins of them and they go down to pennies each in the fall. They are decent quality. If your well goes dry and you have to walk to get water even a toddler can carry that one! lol

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3 hours ago, Lisafer said:

I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with a giving tree. In fact, as long as it's not used to proselytize for a certain religion, I think it's far preferable to OCC.

My church has a giving tree each year - usually with a person's name and size and what they would like on it. Last year, however, they just asked for monetary donations and had a shopping trip to get all the gifts in one shot. We currently only have access to 1/3 of our building so there's just no space to store gifts as they trickle in, and that way no one forgets to bring in their gift. We do ours through the local Community Relief Organization, which is supported by most if not all the local churches, but is a secular organization as far as I know - they have a food bank and help with emergency rent and utilities and such. I didn't get to go on the shopping trip last time, but if I can go this year I will, it sounds like fun!

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OCC comes with conditions. How sincere is the "giving" when it comes with strings? I've always firmly believed it's a way for people to feel good about themselves without having to actually DO something. And, of course, to spread their religion. 

Here, take these (often useless) little trinkets we've picked up but first - - a tract! Let Jesus save you & fix your life!

Big. Nope!

Everyone has to do what their conscience allows. Mine won't allow me to do any giving with strings or ulterior motives. I also cannot and will not do any giving where an organization "gets" something out of it. Like, OCC & the bigot Franklin Graham. 

I love the giving tree at Christmas. An ornament with a wishlist, made out by the person receiving the gift. The person in need gets a gift that is needed/wanted and no profit is made by the group organizing it or anyone else. 

Maybe I am cynical, but I rarely - very rarely - donate cash to anything. 

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I hope artistic Mary usues her art skills to artistically tell the littles why Noah only put one Unicorn on the ark....

 

 

1C4B023A-9B51-4F33-A94F-7C5055D82E02.jpeg

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10 minutes ago, johnhugh said:

I hope artistic Mary usues her art skills to artistically tell the littles why Noah only put one Unicorn on the ark....

Nonsense.  We all know that Noah put two unicorns on the Ark.  But only one got off because the other one was accidentally eaten by a hungry dinosaur.

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My church used to "adopt" a local family every Christmas and buy items on the family's wish list. But this year, we "adopted" some classrooms at the local school, where we supply the teachers with backpacks, crayons, glue sticks, boxes of tissues, and other items that she/he would normally have to pay for out of pocket. We are also buying hats, gloves, and coats for the teachers to give to the students who need them. The kindergarten teacher also requested extra pairs of pants because little ones sometimes have accidents in school and need to make a quick change. The kids don't know that any of this stuff is coming from a church. Only the teachers know.

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10 hours ago, Alisamer said:

My church has a giving tree each year - usually with a person's name and size and what they would like on it. Last year, however, they just asked for monetary donations and had a shopping trip to get all the gifts in one shot. We currently only have access to 1/3 of our building so there's just no space to store gifts as they trickle in, and that way no one forgets to bring in their gift. We do ours through the local Community Relief Organization, which is supported by most if not all the local churches, but is a secular organization as far as I know - they have a food bank and help with emergency rent and utilities and such. I didn't get to go on the shopping trip last time, but if I can go this year I will, it sounds like fun!

My mother's church has a giving tree, too.  Mom, my sisters, and I each picked a couple of  names every year.  I would search for, say, a man's name and go to Kohl's.  Really scrutinizing the clearance racks would land at least 2 nice pairs of pants, two shirts, a jacket, underwear and socks for what would normally buy just a pair of pants and a shirt.  

It really fries me to see people giving stuff that they wouldn't give to their own families.

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Our church supports a women's shelter and puts tags on a tree for women and children in the shelter, with ages and suggestions. Mine said she liked books and board games, I got the woman books, a card game (Exploding Kittens), and a gift set of bath stuff -- she didn't ask for it, but why not? She deserves nice stuff.

I agree, the quality of charitable gifts should be the same as that for your own family (additional praise for a smart shopper like Granwych.) Charity recipients are in more need, not less: they should be supported.

I would never presume to know what an impoverished family outside my culture needs. I really hope the OCC recipients can use what they are given, but I am happy giving stuff at home where there is also need, and giving my money to support projects overseas where hopefully the receiving institution has a grasp on the actual long-term needs of the recipients.

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