One of the hardest lessons in the Bible that Jesus constantly emphasizes is that Christians have to forgive others, especially their enemies. This is especially hard with ISIS, since evil terrorists such as them are not only so hateful towards Christians, but their crimes merit a just punishment, often times which would mean their deaths as well. But this is where the Faith is so unique- since it balances mercy and justice perfectly, Christians must do both. They must execute justice but also extend mercy even if they do not want to personally.
This balance reflects in a story coming out of Iraq, where an American-funded mission hospital has not only been treating the wounds of people maimed by ISIS, but they are also treating wounded ISIS fighters themselves:
The President of Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham, has claimed that the humanitarian aid organisation is helping to save the lives of 'badly injured' Islamic State fighters outside Mosul in Iraq.
The leading evangelical wrote on Facebook over the weekend that medical staff at the Samaritan's Purse field hospital just miles outside of the war-torn city have extended compassionate care to not only residents and injured Iraq-led coalition soldiers but also ISIS jihadists.
Graham's post came in defence of President Donald Trump's controversial executive order issued on January 27 that suspends refugee resettlement for 120 days, refugee resettlement from Syria indefinitely and temporarily halts travel of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.
Earlier this month, amid widespread opposition to the order - including from a range of Christian campaigners - it was blocked by a federal judge.
'At Samaritan's Purse we work in over 100 countries and have worked in most of those on the banned list, so I feel I have something to say about this issue,' Graham wrote. 'For example, right now with our Emergency Field Trauma Hospital outside Mosul, Iraq, we are treating Muslims, wounded civilians — men, women, and children — many of whom were shot by ISIS snipers as they fled Mosul.
'At the same time, we are treating badly wounded ISIS fighters," he added. "Our medical teams take them in, perform surgery, bind up their wounds, and give everyone the same compassionate, Christian care — helping them in Jesus' Name.' (source)
This story reminds me of how in Israel, despite the conflict between the Israeli Jews and the Muslim Palestinians, the Jewish doctors have a well-known reputation for treating all people at their hospitals, including dangerous and evil terrorists, simply because it is the morally right thing to do. This is an open secret that many of the Muslims simply ignore even though they know it is true because they wish to persist in doing their evils and, like a roach exposed to light, immediately scatters for the darkness.
But take this beyond Muslims and Islam, because it applies to life in general. Do good to others not simply for "doing good," but because that is what God asks of men- to forgive each others offenses and help each other simply for the reason that it is the right thing to do. Especially when it comes to a man's enemies,
This does not mean that a man willingly allows himself to be abused, insulted, or taken advantage of. Neither does it mean a man cannot defend himself or fight for his interests. In fact, it is anti-Christian to suggest otherwise so long as one does what he can to give mercy to one's enemy first.
Americans throughout the world are laughed at, and many times for good reason- like any person or people, the problems in America are almost all self-made and they need to be called for what they are. Something that Americans are laughed at for by many other peoples is something that is not a joke at all is American charity because there is no other nation which gives more to help others in terms of quantity and quality as do Americans. Not all of the money is used well, and sometimes it actually creates more problems then it helps, but the fact is that nobody comes close to what the USA does for other people simply because people want to help.
Look at what is going on in Europe right now. All of these Muslim people are being given free everything while the government gives nothing- actually takes away through the exploitative and repressive taxation systems they have- to its own people. This is not being done for any sense of charity, but solely for the purpose of stirring up hatred between the two groups in order to create a rift in society that ambitious men might step into in order to get more power for themselves at the expense of their nations.
But go outside of Europe and see what I am speaking of. Tell me, where does the world's largest nation, China, show up in terms of charity? How about the economic powerhouse of Japan, or the up-and-coming south Asian giant of India? Or the very wealthy Arab states of Saudi Arabia and the UAE- they spend tens of thousands of dollars paying for prostitutes they can literally sodomize and then defecate on their bodies, so why not a few hundred dollars to help their neighbors? How about Turkey, where Erdogan is wasting his money chasing Osman's dream while his people struggle for the basics of life? Is there any nation in Africa or south America that gives anything either?
Charity is a part of being a Christian. As St. James writes in his epistle, a man's faith cannot be shown apart from his deeds and by one's deeds does a man profess his faith. While there are many problems in the USA, Americans give a LOT to help others, which is a reflection of the Christian people who live in this nation even in spite of our many serious and worsening flaws.
Many people in the world see people who give charity as "suckers," and will try to take advantage of them. However, perhaps they should look at themselves first, for while there are many people who are in poverty and miserable situations from circumstances that are beyond their control, these same people often times perpetuate their misery by persisting in the same impoverished, spiritually dead mindset that has kept enough of them in their miserable state in the first place.
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