Nigeria Eats its Children
November 9th, 2008In God’s Name, no Less
Before I went to bed last night, I read something that horrified me. Drudge linked to a story about Nigeria’s “child witches.” These are kids who have been abandoned because they have been accused of witchcraft.
In Nigeria, Christianity has been combined with sick local idolatry, and the result is a religion in which people calling themselves pastors bring themselves prestige by exposing people they claim are witches. Many of the accused are small children. When they are accused, they are subjected to torture in hopes of correcting them. Many are abandoned. Some are killed. It is beyond belief.
I know the world is full of suffering. I am not ignorant. But when I read this story and saw these lonely kids sitting in a group, one of them holding a sign reading, “We are not witches or wizard [sic],” I suddenly regretted being single, because it meant there was no way I could apply to adopt any of them. I realize how crazy that sounds. Truthfully, I don’t like being around kids. A lot of single men pretend they adore kids, in order to impress women; I am too lazy to put up a front. I don’t know what to do with kids, and they get on my nerves. It’s pretty unusual for me to perceive a kid as cute, or to want to interact with it. I do not understand the urge people feel to hold other people’s babies. But I know how it feels to be a child who suddenly fears he can’t rely on his parents to take care of him, and to worry about being alone in the world, and I can’t even imagine how much worse it is when those fears pan out. And to have your parents participate zealously in your ostracism and persecution? I can’t think of a way to express my amazement and distress. I think that photo will be in my head for the rest of my life.
I sent an email to World Vision, to see if they would put a link on their site so people could send money to help these kids. I don’t know if they’ll answer.
Another item of interest: I keep thinking about Against All Odds, and the many stories of Jews defeating powerful enemies in the face of overwhelming military superiority. When you read stories like that, it’s easy to be encouraged. You think, “Look what God does for people he favors. This can happen to me.” But last night, I thought about the other side of the sword. What if you’re the Arabs, and you don’t even know it?
Think about those military battles. The Jews had fewer weapons. They had fewer troops. They had every reason to lose. I grant you, modern Muslims are generally sorry soldiers. Nonetheless, they should have beaten Israel by now. They did a lot of things right. They came in superior strength. They used surprise. And so on and so on. And they failed, utterly.
A lot of people, including Christians, are like the Arabs. They live under curses, for one reason or another. They do things right, yet they fail. Over and over. If God can help a few Israelis rout a huge number of angry Syrians, he can prevent you from getting a job. He can keep you from marrying or having kids. He can make your enemies win. The Psalms are full of this stuff. If you want peace and abundance–the lasting kind, not the fleeting or illusory kind some people get in spite of their bad behavior–you have to clean up your life.
I’m going to keep that in mind. I already knew wrong living would bring me problems, but somehow, looking at it like this makes the principle more real to me. Maybe it will be of use to you, too.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:28 AM
I read this story last night, and looking at the picture of those forlorn tiny waifs, and their signs …and damn, I just don’t get the world. I wanted to …I’m a lousy Christian: I just wanted to kick some ass. And bring ’em all home with me. They’re just fricking *babies* …this was heart-rending, and evil manifest. In the name of Christianity. Damn them.
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And Wife and I both watched the trailer you linked, and I’m relieved to hear that Biblical-level intervention is occurring. My expectation is that Israel going to need much, much more of that, and sooner than later.
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Oh …and along those lines. You really should be reading Caroline Glick regularly. You *all* should be reading her …she’s a brilliant political analyst, and has been since the first article I read in the Jerusalem Post 10 years back (when Bret Stephens was editor). Here, check her out:
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http://www.carolineglick.com/e/
November 9th, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Since becoming a father I have become very sensitive to stories like the one you are talking about. I always, always feel sorry for kids when they are put in difficult, or impossible spots. The hardest things for me to read are about the world wars or communism, where kids were totally and completely victimized. No parents, no food, no hope.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:46 AM
God chastens whom he loves and sends us trials to strengthen our faith and build our trust–we are to rejoice when these things happen, not tremble that we’re accursed or haven’t made our lives clean enough. The disaster we see around us socially and spiritually is simply the cause and effect of what you might call spiritual physics; sin and evil is bound to happen in this world and in our lives, whether brought on by others or ourselves, but our hope as Christians is that we have an intermediary in the Son and a sanctifier in the Holy Spirit, who with great forbearance brings us to holiness and peace, though the journey be hard.
Shall we only accept bright, shiny things from his hand, when he sees the deeper purposes of the dark and fearful things he may offer? Should we Christians count ourselves accursed, in denial of His breaking of the curse of sin and death by his resurrection? Should we not rather claim victory, until the day we see it unfold?
The Son of Man came to redeem those who lived in darkness, including all who don’t know the Father, whether Jew, gentile, or Arab. The best hope for Israel, and us, is the Gospel of reconciliation with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Ancient hatreds melt away as all kindreds join the Body of Christ.
One thing I’m confident of, that God loves Steve H. Graham with an unspeakable tenderness, and the frustrations of your life are not a sign that he needs you to be better before he deigns to bless you.
November 9th, 2008 at 12:54 PM
Well, Margaret, that’s twice I heard that message today.
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Once from the pulpit, and once from here.
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Trials will come our way. It occurred to me that I am no better than the saint being tortured for his faith in an Islamic country. God may just choose to continue to bless me because I can be a financial conduit for his gospel (and I hope He does), not as a reward for my faith in Him.
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That’s no guarantee that I will not experience poverty or pain.
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I’d like to think that if I continue in self-examination and cleansing (the washing of the Word), that He will not have to put me through the wringer so I find out what needs changing.
November 9th, 2008 at 2:33 PM
Outside of the US, Canada, a few European countries, NZ and Australia, life is terribly cheap. Esp. in Africa and most Arab countries, unless people are family, they are “others” and therefore both a potential enemy and worthless.
November 9th, 2008 at 4:16 PM
Just tell the adoption agencies you’re a gay American celebrity, They’ll send you a busload.
November 9th, 2008 at 4:29 PM
I felt (and still do feel) largely like you describe about kids – having your own (whether natural or adopted) is different. I did a decent job raising my two, and the next generation has already begun to arrive. It is odd – but ones given to your charge are not like all those others running around out there.
I won’t pretend to have been a Hall of Fame dad, but I did OK.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:15 PM
Having kids is great, you get to re-live childhood, this time with money… I really enjoyed having kids, but once is enough. Hopefully, grandkids won’t start to hit the ground for another 10 years or so.
The Jews… They’ve been kicking ass for what? 60+ years. Holding ground, outnumbered 80:1, but fighting against a bronze age enemy that lacks cohesion. Sometimes I wish I were a Jew. You have to admire the Jews, they are the most ass-kicking under-dogs of history. One of my friends at work, kind of a gun aficionado had a picture in his cube of three really hot teenage girls buying ice-cream in an ice-cream parlor in Israel. All three were packing M-16s… (hot chicks packing, not posing with guns) priceless. If I’d seen that when I was 18, I’d have changed my religion, and bought a one way ticket.
About Africa… It’s a replay of what we did in the seventeenth century.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:39 AM
It always galls me a bit to read or hear all the rhetoric against Christians in many circles, but to see what happens in reality when God is absent.
The heart of man is desperately wicked, and all that. So much of the world is still in such need of the Truth.
November 10th, 2008 at 9:52 AM
Steve,
Since, these little ones can’t come to you….. you know the rest.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Dawn Eden, a Jewish Christian, has a fascinating post up on the curse of Adam.
http://haloscan.com/tb/dawneden/4781284975692812120
November 10th, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Maybe they need another Mary Slessor.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:49 PM
Steve, please keep us posted on what you learn from World Vision.
I believe Mike overstates the scale of “what we did in the seventeenth century” (who is we, and what exactly did “we” do?) but it certainly reminds us to be on guard against charismatic charletans posing as Christian ministers. Or anything else, for that matter.