Katie Glaeser’s recent post on the CNN Belief Blog about this topic captured my attention. Until I read it, I had never pondered the possibility of adopting a terrorist for prayer. It is simply one of those things that I suspect many people would never consider unless they were prompted to do so.
In the article, Glaeser tells the story of Adopt a Terrorist For Prayer (ATFP), which was founded in 2008. According to Bruce Thomas, ATFP’s founder and a former military chaplain, 603 people have registered to adopt a terrorist to date. She reports that the ATFP website now:
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.
Interestingly all of the terrorists 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.”
So What?
Glaeser’s article was posted on Friday, February 25. On Monday, February 28 ATFP used its blog to provide a summary of reactions to date:
Reactions over the weekend (25-27 Feb) ran one-third positive and two-thirds negative.
Negative reactions divided evenly into two categories: 1) Ridicule, and 2) Criticism.
Criticism came for three main reasons: 1) This kind of prayer is wrong, 2) This kind of prayer is misguided, or 3) This prayer movement is incomplete.
Positive reactions came mostly from religious people, but some non-religious people reacted favorably.
Which category best represents your initial reaction? Why?
Would you be more or less inclined to get involved with ATFP if their list of terrorists was not limited to those with ties to Islam? Why?
What do you believe is the appropriate holistic Christian approach to dealing with terrorists? Why?