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Arcanix_X
New Member
USA
39 Posts |
 Posted - 10/13/2003 : 13:55:09
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I've been doing some research on this subject and found it to be quite interesting.
On one hand are the religious zealots (i'm showing subjectivism) preaching about their religion. No bad in that except that they use the desperate needs of otheres to impose their will on them. What's worse is that by imposing their religion on such people they destroy a great deal of their culture. This is trully horrible. What gives a man the right to destroy thousands of years of evolution?  
On the other hand are the religious voluntaries who do good things (quite an abstract definition) without preaching their religion unless they are asked about it.
I would like to know your position on this matter.
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walt fristoe
SFN Regular
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2003 : 14:28:15 [Permalink]
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| Most missionaries probably feel they are doing the right thing (God's work), but I think the world would have been better off without them. They were/are notorious for spreading disease, due to the fact that many of the indiginous peoples with whom they came/come into contact hadn't the proper immune response to the germs they brought/bring with them. And the religion they preached had the result of disrupting the cultural patterns that were evolved over millenia to stabilize native societies. |
"If God chose George Bus of all the people in the world, how good could God be?"
Bill Maher |
| Edited by - walt fristoe on 10/16/2003 10:29:38 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2003 : 15:02:01 [Permalink]
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Mmmmm. Fresh missionary.
You get the fire going and I'll make the scauce.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
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Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Renae
SFN Regular
543 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2003 : 15:20:16 [Permalink]
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I'm afraid I'm not objective on this one. My family has experienced firsthand the damage missionaries have done.
It seems fundamentally (if you'll pardon the term) arrogant to assume that other cultures need to be 'saved' from their non-Christian beliefs.
I suppose we all evangelize to an extent about *something*. I get excited about a new movie, or a new type of food, and I want others to share it. However, I don't tell people they're going to roast in eternal hell if they don't like Thai food and that I'm morally superior because I like it. Big difference.
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gezzam
SFN Regular
Australia
751 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2003 : 16:40:05 [Permalink]
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I don't know if anyone has read the James A. Mitchener book “Hawaii”. It is about the missionaries the came to the Pacific Islands to convert the heathens. It was an interesting book. As Walt said, they thought they were doing a good thing, but they completely fucked up the islands and partially destroyed it's culture.
Even more ironic was the fact that their children became wealthy plantation owners and shipping merchants taking advantage of the fact that it was a new world just waiting to be plundered.
Anyway, if you want to read an interesting novel that is based on factual history (Mitchener is a meticulous researcher) I highly recommend it.
That's my two cents worth.
Gezza
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Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.
Al Franken |
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Paladin
Skeptic Friend
USA
100 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2003 : 17:38:57 [Permalink]
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I think Walt pretty much summed it up for me, too.
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Paladin |
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2003 : 06:28:55 [Permalink]
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Missionaries: Not a good idea.
Benefits: Help starving people. Build homes. Provide charity.
Damages: Impose their religion on a population. Provides the charity with religion as a requirement. Damages cultures. Spreads disease. Will ignore country of origin directives to vacate an area which may cause deaths in the rescue attempt by that country. (see US - Somalia conflict) Tend to be stringy and don't make a good sauce.
"Those attitudes might taste like shit, but go real nice with wine" -- Aerosmith
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Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2003 : 17:30:04 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Valiant Dancer
Missionaries: Not a good idea.
Benefits: Help starving people. Build homes. Provide charity.
Another benefit: create the base for a cultural uniformity, which lower the risk of hostilities between tribes for their respective totem, and help integration into modern western society.
Though the disruption of the already existing culture might be damaging in most cases, there are cultural traits that we do not consider beneficial. Like cannibalism (for obvious reasons) and promiscuity (the main reason for the HIV explosion in Africa).
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"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
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Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular
Norway
1273 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2003 : 15:36:00 [Permalink]
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| And of course the obvious benefit of going to heaveen. I'd rather die young and have my soul saved, than die of old age as a heathen. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2003 : 16:24:18 [Permalink]
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| What does it matter what you would rather do? Shouldn't the preferences of the people the missionaries visit override your desires? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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