Pay To Pray Mexican Style
I was raised as a Christian, baptized and confirmed in the Anglican Church (also know as the Episcopal Church). Over the last 60+ years I have traveled all over the world and have attended church services in Palestine, England, and Germany. I got a fairly good academic education in my youth, then by reading, and staying curious and open minded gradually received an even better practical education.
I now am convinced that all organized religions are horribly evil. Most are nothing more than glorified con-man side shows, where your eternal soul gets “saved” if you contribute enough money. Organized religions like Christianity, Judaism, Mormon (LDS), and Muslim are probably responsible for more suffering and killing than Adolph Hitler and his Nazi buddies. Organized religions are inherently evil.
Even though I detest and scorn these organized religions, I still support the rights of individual religious fanatics to establish religions. They should be allowed to worship and perform their weird and sometimes sick rituals as long as doing so does not infringe on anyone's liberty or rights. So obviously your religion cannot go around running airliners into tall buildings, suicide bombings, cutting off young girl's clitorises, or enslaving women.
So I support the concept of freedom of religion, foremost the freedom to not believe. Thus it is with some dismay that I read in today's news that the churches in Mexico have now become subject to the same intimidation as other businesses in Mexico. Organized crime is forcing the churches in Juarez and other locations to pay weekly protection fees based upon their attendance; otherwise there will be kidnappings and killings of church employees and their families.
It seems very important to some people to show that Mexico is not a “failed state” and is not even headed in that direction. I say to these people, "You are blind." Whatever words one uses to describe it, the Mexican government is dysfunctional and is totally outclassed by organized crime syndicates and the general breakdown of respect for the idea of rule-of-law. The country does not have a functional judiciary or clean and competent law enforcement.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER BORDER PATROL OFFICERS
website: http://www.nafbpo.org/ Foreign News Report
Churches (must) pay cartels to operate Cambio de Michoacán (Morelia, Michoacán) 7-13-10
Morelia – The President of the National Fraternity of Evangelical and Christian Churches, Arturo Farela, revealed that various community churches in the State of Michoacán have been threatened by criminal organizations and must pay for the right to operate.
He said says that this is a delicate situation they must get through, not only in Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and Michoacán but in other states as well. There have been threats from different people claiming to be members of organized crime. The churches are told they must pay weekly fees according to the number of members, or the number of seats available or else there will be kidnappings or assassinations of the member or of the member’s family.
The most recent incidents occurred in Michoacán, Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua City and some in the northern regions of Tamaulipas. On several occasions, Pastors have told these unidentified persons Evangelical Churches don’t have the money the persons believe the churches to have but they (the unidentified people) may come and take the tithes and offerings that they do get. The ones threatening the churches must understand that the churches don’t charge for baptisms nor for any church functions or celebrations, and that these denominations administer to the members free of charge.
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