Just one of multitudes of child casualties of air raids in Syria |
Less than a century ago the world largely turned away when millions of Jews and other minorities were similarly exterminated and forced to flee as refugees. Through seeking the military solution of World War II, over 50 million lives were sacrificed worldwide.
Today's increased military response to the Syrian crisis has added immeasurably to the suffering. Resorting to bombs still remains the primary problem, not the solution, and the least we can do is to promote humanitarian efforts toward peacemaking and toward a radical increase in material aid to the millions of refugees affected.
So what if each of us at least matched the amount of our tax money currently going for military purposes with contributions for emergency relief aid? What if we temporarily diverted our giving through our local congregations until they agreed to invest at least 10% of their budgets toward this emergency?
Here are just a few of the reputable agencies working in the region that are in desperate need of increased funding, according to Myriam Azis, former UNHCR Senior Resettlement Assistant for Syrian Refugees and currently a student at EMU's Center For Justice and Peacebuilding:
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Oxfam America
Mercy Corps
Mennonite Central Committee
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
1 comment:
Too many people of faith are pickers and choosers. They pick and choose passages from the Bible or parts of the Constitution that suit their agenda while their pro-life position depends on those life is at issue. Perhaps they could learn a thing or two from those evil atheists.
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