The Church Would Never Pay Ransom Money...

[JAHS]

Kidnapped LDS Missionaries Release Movie of Experience

 

http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_7065.shtml

 

"The missionaries were held in bondage for five long excruciating days."We kept telling them that they were going to pay a ransom because we didn't want to die, but knew ultimately that there was not going to be any ransom paid." said Propst.
Tuttle and Propst say they learned earlier in their mission that if they were ever kidnapped the church or the U.S. would not pay ransom money. Otherwise they were told missionaries would be kidnapped across the world."

 

Don't think I have ever heard of this policy, but I guess it makes sense.
 

[Duncan]

every skunk under the sun would be nicking missionaries if they knew the Church would pay out a ransom, I als heard that the US gov't doesn't pay for ransoms either

[3DOP]

Catholics recently celebrated on September 24th a commemoration for Our Lady of Ransom. It is so-called in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary who separately appeared to three different individuals informing them of her wish that a religious order would be dedicated to the ransom of the Christian captives taken by Moorish pirates that were being sold in African slave markets. These three were a wealthy and pious layman, Peter Nolasco, a holy and reknowned Dominican priest, Raymond of Penyafort, and King James of Aragon. The full name of the order is long: "The royal, military, and religious Order of our Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives". Known as the Order of Mercy, it was founded on August 10, 1218 and grew rapidly around the world with generous souls who besides the three evangelical counsels of obedience, chastity, and poverty, took a fourth vow. This vow bound them when necessary, to offer themselves up in exchange for those held for the object of slavery in mines and harems. Besides those who joined the order and took vows, many alms were collected from the faithful to be spent in redeeming their brethren and thus the order gained great success and everlasting gratefulness from those ransomed.

 

Eventually the political landscape was reversed and the Moors no longer troubled Spanish Christians. Innocent XII extended a feast for our Lady of Ransom to the entire Church in 1696, affording the world an opportunity of expressing its gratitude for heroic acts and sacrifices that even then, were becoming distant memories.

 

I am not suggesting that any sad situations where LDS missionaries are being held captives today should take their cues from a 13th Century response to slavery. Did it result in more captivities, the pirates seeing that the Christians were willing to negotiate? I don't know. Besides clerics, many knights dedicated themselves to this cause and besides trying to redeem those held captive, were also active in creating what we might think of as a "Coast Guard" for the specific purpose of preventing pirate raids on coastal communities. 

 

3DOP

[rpn]

So what is the actual name of the movie?

[JAHS]

It's called "The Saratov Approach"

 

Heres' a link to more info and a trailer:

 

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865582136/Movie-trailer-released-for-film-about-Mormon-missionaries-kidnapped-in-Russia.html?pg=all

[sdc999]

Hinkley paid a ransom for the Hoffman forgeries.

[Stargazer]

Hinkley paid a ransom for the Hoffman forgeries.

 

Haha, and that is not a ransom, that is a metaphor.  "A King's Ransom" means "a lot of money".  Don't stumble over your metaphors, sdc999, you might skin your metaphorical knees.

[Stargazer]

Kidnapped LDS Missionaries Release Movie of Experience

 

http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_7065.shtml

 

"The missionaries were held in bondage for five long excruciating days."We kept telling them that they were going to pay a ransom because we didn't want to die, but knew ultimately that there was not going to be any ransom paid." said Propst.

Tuttle and Propst say they learned earlier in their mission that if they were ever kidnapped the church or the U.S. would not pay ransom money. Otherwise they were told missionaries would be kidnapped across the world."

 

Don't think I have ever heard of this policy, but I guess it makes sense.

 

 

I hadn't heard of it, either, but of course it is the best way to handle it.

 

Israel has the identical policy.  I think that they extend the policy a bit, though.  Does anyone not know about Entebbe?

 

Now, if the Danites actually did exist, then this would be the perfect mission for that particular crew.  Fortunately for everyone, the Danites might have existed at one time, but they do not exist any longer. 

[The Nehor]

Now, if the Danites actually did exist, then this would be the perfect mission for that particular crew.  Fortunately for everyone, the Danites might have existed at one time, but they do not exist any longer. 

 

Excellent. Our veil of secrecy remains intact.

[Calm]

Catholics recently celebrated on September 24th a commemoration for Our Lady of Ransom. It is so-called in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary who separately appeared to three different individuals informing them of her wish that a religious order would be dedicated to the ransom of the Christian captives taken by Moorish pirates that were being sold in African slave markets. These three were a wealthy and pious layman, Peter Nolasco, a holy and reknowned Dominican priest, Raymond of Penyafort, and King James of Aragon. The full name of the order is long: "The royal, military, and religious Order of our Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives". Known as the Order of Mercy, it was founded on August 10, 1218 and grew rapidly around the world with generous souls who besides the three evangelical counsels of obedience, chastity, and poverty, took a fourth vow. This vow bound them when necessary, to offer themselves up in exchange for those held for the object of slavery in mines and harems. Besides those who joined the order and took vows, many alms were collected from the faithful to be spent in redeeming their brethren and thus the order gained great success and everlasting gratefulness from those ransomed.

 

Eventually the political landscape was reversed and the Moors no longer troubled Spanish Christians. Innocent XII extended a feast for our Lady of Ransom to the entire Church in 1696, affording the world an opportunity of expressing its gratitude for heroic acts and sacrifices that even then, were becoming distant memories.

 

I am not suggesting that any sad situations where LDS missionaries are being held captives today should take their cues from a 13th Century response to slavery. Did it result in more captivities, the pirates seeing that the Christians were willing to negotiate? I don't know. Besides clerics, many knights dedicated themselves to this cause and besides trying to redeem those held captive, were also active in creating what we might think of as a "Coast Guard" for the specific purpose of preventing pirate raids on coastal communities. 

 

3DOP

I am too tired tonight to do research to confirm if this story is correct or not, but iirc Brigham Young and members of the Church followed the policy of buying slaves from the local Native Americans though these were not usually LDS or other Christians, though they did not want to promote the practice and had refused to purchase them originally...at which response the leader simply killed the slave....so in order to prevent murder they agreed to what was essentially a horrendous form of extortion. I have no clue how widespread it was or if it was a shortlived arrangement that gratefully ended quickly, but your account reminds me somewhat of this. I believe some were adopted, some taken on as servants...not all a happy result but still probably significantly better than what could be expected otherwise.

[volgadon]

This was not the only kidnapping of missionaries in Russia. There was, for example, another incident in Ufa where the missionaries were actually murdered.

[Scott Lloyd]

Kidnapped LDS Missionaries Release Movie of Experience

http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_7065.shtml

"The missionaries were held in bondage for five long excruciating days."We kept telling them that they were going to pay a ransom because we didn't want to die, but knew ultimately that there was not going to be any ransom paid." said Propst.

Tuttle and Propst say they learned earlier in their mission that if they were ever kidnapped the church or the U.S. would not pay ransom money. Otherwise they were told missionaries would be kidnapped across the world."

Don't think I have ever heard of this policy, but I guess it makes sense.

If I were ever in that position, I would not want the Church paying ransom for me. I wouldn't want the villains being enabled or encouraged to victimize others. If it meant my death, well, it would be an honorable way to lay down my life for the gospel's sake.