Evangelical Crusaders: NO CRUSADERS ALLOWED
Valentine’s Day consistently signifies the commencement of a New Crusade in Pattaya, Thailand. Evangelical Christians arrive for what they term as a rescue mission. It’s mainly a vacation in the sunny seaside town of Pattaya for Volunteering Crusaders. Pattaya Praise, a four day christian religious festival serves as the backdrop for an indoctrination rally which encourages evangelicals to contribute financially to profit-driven non-profits around the world. This mirrors the same American Evangelical charade employed in the United States. They evoke people’s emotions through music, propagate a misleading narrative, and solicit donations.
The same template that is prevalent in America has become widespread throughout Southeast Asia. A quick question for these Crusaders; why not simply deliver their message without insulting and harassing the hardworking individuals of Pattaya? It is becoming tiresome to hear the same criticism year after year. Evangelical leaders criticize bar owners with a misleading narrative. They call them pimps, child traffickers, and inherently evil individuals. This assertion is the exact opposite of the truth. It is regrettable that churches, evangelical Christians, and profit-driven non-profits employ this strategy to advance their agenda; make money and live like celebrities.
When we examine the business proprietors in Pattaya, as well as those across Thailand and Southeast Asia, we find individuals who contribute financially to the economy. They provide employment opportunities to individuals who require these jobs to support their families. If these Crusaders would invest time to genuinely understand the women they claim to be rescuing, they would learn about the families to whom these workers are sending financial support. When these Crusaders enter establishments where women are working and earning a living, and they occupy their time with trivialities such as drinking water, they are causing harm to these women, their families, and communities throughout Thailand.
Some of these Evangelical Crusaders arrive with a sincere intention to assist; however, they have been misled and deceived by evangelical NGOs operating in Pattaya solely for profit. It is important to recognize that this is a well-organized and deliberately misleading scheme devised by evangelical leaders and cunning NGO executives. Regrettably, this situation is not about providing genuine assistance or offering young women a legitimate employment opportunity; it is merely a means to generate profit. Their narratives are illusory and exaggerated. The performance stage is populated with musicians adept at evoking individual emotions, skillfully playing on the heartstrings of evangelicals. They manipulate the true narrative by utilizing bakeries and fictitious homes for girls.
What many of these Evangelical Crusaders fail to comprehend is that the majority of the girls who pass through the fraudulent bakeries and the training programs for nail salons often return to the bars, as they can earn significantly more money there. The leaders of the NGOs and the Evangelical impostors are the ones who reap the lion’s share of the profits. Most of the so-called ‘Freedom Homes’ operated by these NGOs are occupied by temporary residents only when volunteer Crusaders are present; otherwise, these homes remain largely vacant, primarily housing NGO personnel. This is a profit-driven narrative that NGOs exploit to accommodate their staff. Most of the staff members are required to pay a fee to reside there, despite the fact that these houses are ostensibly meant to be filled with ‘rescued’ girls.
The grand event has arrived in town. Lights, camera, and action are all set. Their strategy is to draw in as many Crusading Volunteers as they can. Evangelicals from across the globe will converge on Pattaya. They will dedicate one to two weeks to spreading misleading narratives, as well as touring and sightseeing. Many of these Volunteering Crusaders are men! And these men will partake in alcohol and time with local women. These churches and NGOs will orchestrate an elaborate spectacle. They will stroll through the Sois, pausing at bars, attempting to persuade hardworking women to abandon their jobs. They will seek to shame, intimidate, and accuse patrons of engaging in child trafficking. One so-called teacher among the Crusaders was expelled from a local venue for alleging that a paying customer in the bar was attempting to form inappropriate relationships with minors. Such fabrications and unfounded allegations are both alarming and untrue.
Leaders of NGOs will guide tours of the Volunteering Crusaders through the streets. I hope these Crusaders realize that their actions do not improve the lives of these women; in fact, they are causing harm. With the funds that NGO evangelicals accumulate annually and the salaries their leaders receive each year, this money could be utilized to assist these women and their families. Nevertheless, if Evangelical Crusaders continue to follow their leaders blindly, the significant disparity will persist, and women working in Pattaya will continue to face hardships. There is no justification for these women to work for NGOs and generate profits for the evangelical community. So, this Valentine’s Day, let the Crusaders know they are not welcome. Let them know the harm they are doing, and most of all, make sure they know the hypocrisy evangelicals live by. Everyday an Evangelical pastor is arrested and jailed for deviant actions towards children. NO CRUSADERS ALLOWED.