All In The Name Of Religion

I was 19 and in Haiti on a mission trip. I was getting ready to move there for two years with the mission org. Lifeline, which would never happen. I came back completely broken, but not in the ways one would think. The compound we were staying at required that the parents of the children who attended school convert to Christianity. If they were not Christian, the kids could not receive an education in that remote village. One father of two beautiful children happened to be the son of a very well-known warlock. The father converted to Christianity just so that his kids had a chance to better themselves one day. When his warlock father found out about his conversion, he took his two grandchildren and threw them into a large fire. Other natives went in and ripped the kids from the flames and brought them to the compound, where me and two team members were in charge of the children. I know they were in so much pain, but the shock was so intense, they just looked forward with no expression. I felt so hopeless. Their once very jet black skin was now pink, and on the boy, muscles were visible. Was that worth it? Forcing religion? Chances are, the father only “converted” to get his kids an education with no real personal relationship kindled. Chances are, those children were terrified of our God instead of feeling comforted by Him. They had become a pawn. Children. A pawn. We had very little comfort to offer this father and his children, if any at all. This is why it is very important that we not push religion on anybody. It is not our job. As Christian’s our only job is to lead by example. Now, as someone who is already a “Christian,” I expect much, much more; otherwise, it is blasphemy. Not only is that entire village probably too afraid to convert to Christianity because of what the grandfather did, but it also just showed the villagers the God we are there portraying didn’t save the life of a child and allowed that to happen in the name of our religion…