A Worldwide Election?

My husband received the following message on his Facebook from his sister. His sister and brother-in-law have been missionaries to Bangladesh for the last 20 years, so Facebook is one of the easiest ways to stay in touch.

We keep reading up on presidential election stuff. One good article (from Singapore) pointed out that the US president so thoroughly affects the whole world that the world should get to vote. It's not fair that only Americans vote (since that's thoroughly UN-democratic!) Interesting thought- and hey, it's accurate. The world is naturally concerned.

We are glad that they have a love for the people they are trying to reach, but we are very concerned about this statement. Remembering that Bangladesh is Islamic, would we as Americans really want them to have a vote when they clearly don't want us involved in the running of their government. Even when we looked into adopting a Bengali child we were not allowed because you must be Muslim in order for their government to allow it.

The bigger issue I am concerned with is whether or not the missionaries we as Christians support are willing to allow non-Christian people to decided our future. Many of these nations and peoples feel that we Christians deserve to die for not converting to their religion. Maybe since my sister-in-law and her husband were not here on 9/11 they don't understand what we went through following those harrowing events.

I remember clearly working at a preschool less than 5 miles from Quantico Marine Corp base, with children whose parents had to head to the Pentagon after the plane plowed into it. I remember clearly having to answer the phones as the parents called in to check on their children, not knowing when they would be able to make it home because portions of the highway had been closed to allow official government vehicles quick access to the capitol city. I remember clearly looking for information on the internet on what was happening while trying to contact my mother to find out if she had heard from my father, who worked at the Pentagon (we were not able to get a message from him until well after 3pm) I remember clearly taking my son past the burned out and still smoking side of the Pentagon the following Saturday and showing him the evidence of the hatred of others in the name of their god.

I for one don't care if it's fair that others don't vote in our elections, I don't vote in their elections, so as far as I'm concerned, it is fair. The people she wants to vote don't pay taxes and don't have to deal with the laws that would be enacted if they participated in our elections.

I think that if missionaries feel this strongly about the nation they are serving in perhaps they should renounce their American citizenships and stop taking American money. In fact, I'd be glad to vote for that.