Veneta girl sends Christmas gifts overseas

We do indeed agree that no one, I repeat no one should use any child to gain an advantage for anything except that child. Truth and Honor are missing in this society so it is at times hard to determine who is or is not telling the truth. Children need to know what truth and honor are, not just words, but by example. Children are being misused in almost every segment of society that seeks to gain an advantage for their position. It is sick, ill mannered and totally lacking in truth and honor.

"what I care about is any adult using a child to gain an advantage" ----- so in spite of your repeated attempts to change the subject, you actually agree with me? You don't make a whole lot of sense when you argue.

I don't care about your apples and oranges what I care about is any adult using a child to gain an advantage. You and I both know that schools do just that (public schools). As for religion our decaying society is getting farther and farther away from religion everyday. I know that there are naturalists and supernaturalists. My hope is that all these children turn into supernaturalists.

Again, apples and oranges, where oranges are a thing you just made up. Establishment Clause jurisprudence regarding what is or is not acceptable in taxpayer-funded public schools is a non sequitur, and I suspect you're aware of that. This has nothing to do with public schools. This is about Operation Christmas Child using well-intentioned and good-hearted children to further their unethical activity of attaching strings to these "gifts" in order to put intense pressure upon poverty-stricken children and their families to convert to their preferred flavor of Christianity, and KMTR's either journalistic laziness or outright dishonesty in neglecting to mention that these are not merely "gifts to send to underprivileged children all over the world". If you think teaching children that they are so inherently evil that they deserve to BURN FOR ETERNITY for the 'sin' of being born after some people ate a piece of fruit at a talking serpent's suggestion, your moral compass and grip on reality needs some serious re-adjusting.

I see, and schools and teachers never use little kids to push there secular, progressive agenda. It's all about the kids, right? I don't care what religion is pushed or not pushed as long is the playing field is level across the board. Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion nor prevent the free exercise thereof. The prevent part is the one I am concerned about.

dtomdick, you're comparing apples to oranges except in this case the oranges are a thing you just made up. That's dishonest. As far as the Golden Rule, totally agreed. You can't pretend that those who support OCC and Samaratin's Purse wouldn't be infuriated if an Islamic group sent "gifts" to poor American children that included requiring them to first attend a Muslim rally including Quran readings and preaching, receive a pamphlet proselytizing Islam and telling them they will be tortured FOREVER if they don't accept it, and immense follow-up pressure by missionaries for them and their families to convert to Islam. In fact, I'm pretty certain there'd be a huge outcry about how slimy it is to attempt to proselytize children using 'gifts', taking advantage of their poverty and vulnerability. My problem is that OCC is using a kind-hearted little girl as a means to an end, and that KMTR went out of its way to omit quite a lot of facts that make it clear that Autumn is being used.

Maybe you should practice what you preach,Buttestomper, "tolerance". Is what these folks are doing any different than schools indoctrinating children to progressiveism and secularism? Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. If everyone used the Golden rule, there would be no problem, right?

If you're interested in what evidence I have to present that what I'm claiming is true, google "Operation Christmas Child Alert UK" and see for yourself. It's shameful how good people like Autumn Prieto are being used by an bigoted and intolerant organization as a tool to convert children to a specific religion.

What Autumn did was noble and good and she deserves a big pat on the back. I think her heart and actions are in the right place and I hope other children and adults learn from her example. But she's being used. What Samaritan's Purse, the organization that runs Operation Christmas Child, will do with those gifts is under-handed and reprehensible. Those shoeboxes filled with gifts will be used as leverage in an attempt to convert poverty-stricken children to evangelical Christianity. It's certainly not a true "gift" because it comes with strings attached - a shoebox full of goodies in one hand and a threat to convert or be BURNED FOREVER in the other. There's a good reason KMTR didn't mention Samaritan's Purse or the real goals of OCC in the article. Here's what the OCC President, Franklin Graham, has to say: “I believe God has blessed this program because it is about more than Christmas presents. It is about introducing children and their families to God’s greatest gift—His Son, Jesus Christ. As long as evangelism is the focus, God will continue to bless it.” Mr Graham makes his anti-Semitic, anti-Islam, anti-Hindu, and anti-tolerance message very clear in other statements that he has made at Samaritan’s Purse speeches, interviews, and in their newsletters. Mr. Graham's words and actions toward other world religions reveal a remarkable lack of respect for the dignity of people whose world views differ from his own: On Islam, Graham says, “…it is a very evil and wicked religion.” On Hinduism Graham says, “…we traveled to the subcontinent of India, with its hundreds of millions of people locked in the darkness of Hinduism… These people were bound by Satan’s power.” On a local religion in Indonesia Graham says, “A witch doctor ruled that particular village, and I could sense an evil presence.” I hope little Autumn finds another group to work with: one that does good for the sake of doing good, not as a way to get what they want.