adopt a terrorist for prayer

[Prometheus]

Could you pray for people who planned bombings, carried out shootings and terrorized civilians? A movement in the U.S. is asking Christians to do just that.

At atfp.org, Christians are asked to “adopt a terrorist for prayer.” A quote from the Bible on the site urges visitors to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

"Where is the Christian response to terrorism?" the site says. "If the struggle against violence done in the name of Islam is primarily spiritual, then defeating it requires a spiritual response."

Adopt a Terrorist For Prayer (ATFP) spokesman Thomas Bruce tells CNN the site's main goals are to teach people how to pray for their enemies and to spiritually reform the terrorists.

The site was launched in 2008, with the interactive adoption feature being added in 2009. Bruce says 603 people have registered to prayerfully adopt a terrorist.

While the idea of praying for your foes isn’t new, Bruce says his team created the site in hopes of transforming the war against terrorists.

“We’ve been fighting this for about 10 years with material means, and it hasn’t really changed the nature of it,” Bruce says. “By bringing spiritual perspective to it, and as the Lord answers some of those prayers, it could and should hopefully have a profound change on the viciousness of the conflict we’re in.”

The ATFP site lists 165 people available for “adoption,” most of whom are designated by the FBI and State Department as terrorists or sponsors of terrorism. Just sign up, scroll through the list and choose which individual you’d like to pledge to transform through prayer. CNN could not verify the authenticity of all the names listed on the ATFP site.

Some terrorists have more sponsors than others. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been adopted by 13 people, while Detroit underwear bombing suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab has just eight. All of the people listed have ties to Islam.

We ask Bruce why that’s the case. He says while he’s considered adding Christian or even eco terrorists to the list, they “aren’t a big threat to national security, our way of life, or our freedom. We should pray for them too, but the movement doesn’t threaten existentially our existence the same way the Islamic terrorists do.”

Bruce has been intimately involved in the conflicts of the past decade. While he was toying with the idea of the site a few years ago, he was called up as a U.S. military reservist. His passions collided when he was sent to northern Iraq to work for one year as a chaplain.

“It’s really important to service personnel to do their service for their country without dehumanizing the people who are trying to hurt their country,” Bruce says. The perspective Jesus brings, he says, can help soldiers deal with the enemy with dignity and treat them as fellow human beings.

And that’s the thought that carries over to his work with ATFP. “Even once someone is captured, they might not be a threat nationally any longer but they still have value to God, and we’d still like to see them changed,” he says.

But ATFP has its critics. Some people say terrorists don’t deserve their prayers, and others just mock the idea.

“I think the ridicule comes from people who don’t believe that spiritual things are valid, and prayer is a valid way to address problems,” Bruce says of critics.

The former military chaplain says he would like to see groups in other nations start similar initiatives, but that for now he just hopes this movement spreads throughout the United States.

“It’s not just the terrorists who are in bondage to an evil system. Christians can be in bondage to an evil system, too," he says. "Part of the struggle is to be liberated from that evil system, and that’s what we believe Jesus Christ helps us to do.'Adopt a terrorist for prayer,' site urges – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

 

[ephone]

Well, only idiots will do that.

We Chinese way is to find them and butcher them. If they hurt one of us, we will make sure we kill 10 or more of them.

We will make sure that they will never think of those terrorism again. Or we will simply wipe them out.

Bin Laden will never have a chance in China though he indeed has its chance everywhere else.

Could you pray for people who planned bombings, carried out shootings and terrorized civilians? A movement in the U.S. is asking Christians to do just that.

At atfp.org, Christians are asked to “adopt a terrorist for prayer.” A quote from the Bible on the site urges visitors to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

"Where is the Christian response to terrorism?" the site says. "If the struggle against violence done in the name of Islam is primarily spiritual, then defeating it requires a spiritual response."

Adopt a Terrorist For Prayer (ATFP) spokesman Thomas Bruce tells CNN the site's main goals are to teach people how to pray for their enemies and to spiritually reform the terrorists.

The site was launched in 2008, with the interactive adoption feature being added in 2009. Bruce says 603 people have registered to prayerfully adopt a terrorist.

While the idea of praying for your foes isn’t new, Bruce says his team created the site in hopes of transforming the war against terrorists.

“We’ve been fighting this for about 10 years with material means, and it hasn’t really changed the nature of it,” Bruce says. “By bringing spiritual perspective to it, and as the Lord answers some of those prayers, it could and should hopefully have a profound change on the viciousness of the conflict we’re in.”

The ATFP site lists 165 people available for “adoption,” most of whom are designated by the FBI and State Department as terrorists or sponsors of terrorism. Just sign up, scroll through the list and choose which individual you’d like to pledge to transform through prayer. CNN could not verify the authenticity of all the names listed on the ATFP site.

Some terrorists have more sponsors than others. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been adopted by 13 people, while Detroit underwear bombing suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab has just eight. All of the people listed have ties to Islam.

We ask Bruce why that’s the case. He says while he’s considered adding Christian or even eco terrorists to the list, they “aren’t a big threat to national security, our way of life, or our freedom. We should pray for them too, but the movement doesn’t threaten existentially our existence the same way the Islamic terrorists do.”

Bruce has been intimately involved in the conflicts of the past decade. While he was toying with the idea of the site a few years ago, he was called up as a U.S. military reservist. His passions collided when he was sent to northern Iraq to work for one year as a chaplain.

“It’s really important to service personnel to do their service for their country without dehumanizing the people who are trying to hurt their country,” Bruce says. The perspective Jesus brings, he says, can help soldiers deal with the enemy with dignity and treat them as fellow human beings.

And that’s the thought that carries over to his work with ATFP. “Even once someone is captured, they might not be a threat nationally any longer but they still have value to God, and we’d still like to see them changed,” he says.

But ATFP has its critics. Some people say terrorists don’t deserve their prayers, and others just mock the idea.

“I think the ridicule comes from people who don’t believe that spiritual things are valid, and prayer is a valid way to address problems,” Bruce says of critics.

The former military chaplain says he would like to see groups in other nations start similar initiatives, but that for now he just hopes this movement spreads throughout the United States.

“It’s not just the terrorists who are in bondage to an evil system. Christians can be in bondage to an evil system, too," he says. "Part of the struggle is to be liberated from that evil system, and that’s what we believe Jesus Christ helps us to do.'Adopt a terrorist for prayer,' site urges – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

 

[CardSharp]

Well, only idiots will do that.

We Chinese way is to find them and butcher them. If they hurt one of us, we will make sure we kill 10 or more of them.

We will make sure that they will never think of those terrorism again. Or we will simply wipe them out.

Bin Laden will never have a chance in China though he indeed has its chance everywhere else.

Don't be an idiot. Blind brutality is how you lose an insurgency war. You kill one person and their whole family turns on you, this means their 5 brothers, their 20 cousins, etc etc.

If this what you think you are no better than the ultra-nationalists like you claim to hate.

 

[Hussein]

Don't be an idiot. Blind brutality is how you lose an insurgency war. You kill one person and their whole family turns on you, this means their 5 brothers, their 20 cousins, etc etc.

If this what you think you are no better than the ultra-nationalists like you claim to hate.

exactly
it is meaning of vendetta: in Italy many villages disappeared because everybody killed each other

 

[marshall]

Well, only idiots will do that.

We Chinese way is to find them and butcher them. If they hurt one of us, we will make sure we kill 10 or more of them.

We will make sure that they will never think of those terrorism again. Or we will simply wipe them out.

Bin Laden will never have a chance in China though he indeed has its chance everywhere else.

Don't be an idiot. Blind brutality is how you lose an insurgency war. You kill one person and their whole family turns on you, this means their 5 brothers, their 20 cousins, etc etc.

If this what you think you are no better than the ultra-nationalists like you claim to hate.

Totally agreed. Understanding of the underlying reasons why terrorism begins and the community that breeds it is at the root of how to solve true or perceived injustices. I'm not sure where ephone gets his information but China's government obviously practices what I just said in regards to all its disaffected groups and only clamps down on incorrigible characters.

 

[Hasbara Buster]

The biggest terrorism is done in the name of democracy by western and NATO troops.

 

[fallstuff]

Before you go out and seek revenge, you must dig two graves.

 

[ephone]

You should call yourself an idiot!

How did we achieve peace in Tibet, Xinjiang? By education?

If the whole family turn against us and become terrorists, we kill the whole family. As simple as that. They want to put terror on us, we will give them more terror in return.

If they want peace, we will be gladly to co-exist with them. If they do not want that, we will be sure to comply.

It is not only for this CCP ruling period, historically, look at the different dynasties, does it have any difference at all???

When CCP army marched through Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and then into Xinjiang, how did they get rid of those Hui hooligans from KMT and those Uighur separatists?

It is idiots like you who think we can pray to get peace. There are people who can never be educated to co-exist with you. If there is such possibility, there should have been peace long time ago between the Palestinians and the Israeli.

Of course you may say it is brutal and I do agree it is brutal. However, it indeed gives us peace for a long time in Xinjiang. During the end of 80s, after loosing control and giving them more freedom, those uighur separatists see hope, then put bombs in Beijing, attacked our military post, government offices and killed us. Two years ago, it has reached to such a horror scene that we won't forget that in our life time.

Do you think there is any possibility of such massive terrorist activities during the 50s, 60s and 70s??? Why is there no such possibility of such brutal massacre of our Han Chinese during those 30 years???

Don't be an idiot. Blind brutality is how you lose an insurgency war. You kill one person and their whole family turns on you, this means their 5 brothers, their 20 cousins, etc etc.

If this what you think you are no better than the ultra-nationalists like you claim to hate.

 

[CardSharp]

You should call yourself an idiot!

How did we achieve peace in Tibet, Xinjiang? By education?

If the whole family turn against us and become terrorists, we kill the whole family. As simple as that. They want to put terror on us, we will give them more terror in return.

If they want peace, we will be gladly to co-exist with them. If they do not want that, we will be sure to comply.

It is not only for this CCP ruling period, historically, look at the different dynasties, does it have any difference at all???

When CCP army marched through Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and then into Xinjiang, how did they get rid of those Hui hooligans from KMT and those Uighur separatists?

It is idiots like you who think we can pray to get peace. There are people who can never be educated to co-exist with you. If there is such possibility, there should have been peace long time ago between the Palestinians and the Israeli.

Of course you may say it is brutal and I do agree it is brutal. However, it indeed gives us peace for a long time in Xinjiang. During the end of 80s, after loosing control and giving them more freedom, those uighur separatists see hope, then put bombs in Beijing, attacked our military post, government offices and killed us. Two years ago, it has reached to such a horror scene that we won't forget that in our life time.

Do you think there is any possibility during the 50s, 60s and 70s??? Why is there no such possibility such brutal massacre of our Han Chinese during those 30 years???

A one dimensional solution from a one dimensional mind.

 

[ephone]

I prefer this one dimension of brutality to your one dimension for pray.

There are people who can never be educated and never want to co-exist with you.

We do not use those brutality against most of our other minorities since they do accept to co-exist with Han majority.

For those who do not want peace, brutality is a must since it initiates from them in the first place.

A one dimensional solution from a one dimensional mind.

 

[CardSharp]

I prefer this one dimension of brutality to your one dimension for pray.

There are people who can never be educated and never want to co-exist with you.

We do not use those brutality against most of our other minorities since they do accept to co-exist with Han majority.

For those who do not want peace, brutality is a must since it initiates from them in the first place.

So in your world there is no other motivation than fear?

You are very odd, I remember you chewing Hongwu for saying China needs to be more aggressive about something or other, and calling him a chauvinist and here you are calling for the suppression of minority by the dominant population in all situations.

 

[ephone]

Did I say we should use such brutality against those minorities who want to co-exist with us peacefully or those moderate Muslims who also dislike those terrorists???

I have Muslim friends both in high school and college. Do you know why? Because they are quite moderate and do not pose any threat to us or chant those garbage jihad day in and day out.

For those, we wish them well, do business with them and welcome them into our lives.

However, there are those who never want you to be there and whose only goal is to exterminate you. Their message is clear and loud. Well, you have two options: leave or fight back.

"leave" seems impossible and there is only one option left. We should make our message clearer and louder.

So in your world there is no other motivation than fear?

 

[ephone]

This is internal affair and I do not chant like him to show our aggression externally towards others. Our aggression should only be directed to internal affairs, maintain our territory integrity (e.g. Taiwan) and protect our trade lines. Nowadays, territory each country maintains is pretty much settled.

There is no need to chant like him that how good our weapons are and how inferior others are.

China should never become a interventionist country like U.S. At least, it is never our interest to do so for current era.

BTW, I do not call for suppression of minorities. Brutality against terrorists is way different from suppression of minorities. Remember, for those who want to co-exist with us and have peaceful relation with us, I said:

"For those, we wish them well, do business with them and welcome them into our lives."

So in your world there is no other motivation than fear?

You are very odd, I remember you chewing Hongwu for saying China needs to be more aggressive about something or other, and calling him a chauvinist and here you are calling for the suppression of minority by the dominant population in all situations.

 

[Joe Shearer]

You should call yourself an idiot!

How did we achieve peace in Tibet, Xinjiang? By education?

If the whole family turn against us and become terrorists, we kill the whole family. As simple as that. They want to put terror on us, we will give them more terror in return.

If they want peace, we will be gladly to co-exist with them. If they do not want that, we will be sure to comply.

It is not only for this CCP ruling period, historically, look at the different dynasties, does it have any difference at all???

When CCP army marched through Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and then into Xinjiang, how did they get rid of those Hui hooligans from KMT and those Uighur separatists?

It is idiots like you who think we can pray to get peace. There are people who can never be educated to co-exist with you. If there is such possibility, there should have been peace long time ago between the Palestinians and the Israeli.

Of course you may say it is brutal and I do agree it is brutal. However, it indeed gives us peace for a long time in Xinjiang. During the end of 80s, after loosing control and giving them more freedom, those uighur separatists see hope, then put bombs in Beijing, attacked our military post, government offices and killed us. Two years ago, it has reached to such a horror scene that we won't forget that in our life time.

Do you think there is any possibility of such massive terrorist activities during the 50s, 60s and 70s??? Why is there no such possibility of such brutal massacre of our Han Chinese during those 30 years???

A one dimensional solution from a one dimensional mind.

@CardSharp

After reading this passage and the portions which follow, which are all deeply disquieting, I believe that this quotation from a classical author will speak to you:

"...for in them is an arrogance which no submission or good behaviour can escape....A rich enemy excited their cupidity; a poor one, their lust for power. East and West alike have failed to satisfy them. They are the only people on earth to whose covetousness both riches and poverty are equally tempting. To robbery, butchery and rapine, they give the lying name of "government"; they create a desolation and call it peace."

You will be very amused to learn who said this, about whom, and the name of the author reporting this speech. A hint: none of the three is Chinese, and this is from a great classic of early times.

 

[Roybot]

Well I don't advocate culling of terrorists, but they have no place in my prayers. I sincerely hope these terrorists, suicide bombers and their ideology rot in hell if there is one.