Missionaries should be banned

[Anonymous]

Our church mission trips provide women's health care and a medical team. We have long lines of women seeking reproductive care (generally surgery to get their tubes tied) after giving birth to many children.

Our church has a medical team and we do a lot of medical mission trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our church mission trips provide women's health care and a medical team. We have long lines of women seeking reproductive care (generally surgery to get their tubes tied) after giving birth to many children.

Our church has a medical team and we do a lot of medical mission trips.

That's very interesting to me. Mother Theresa campaigned against contraceptive use in India, a country with severe over-population and she strongly opposed abortion rights. She thought the poor should "accept their lot and share it with the passion of Christ.” She also said “I think the world is being much helped by the suffering of the poor people.” So, I guess there are several different kinds of missionaries.

[Anonymous]

Love it. This thread's responses are just reflective of the theme explored in the Spirituality v. Religion thread. Like, no, we're not out to convert anyone, and we don't give any sermons. We're just there to spread the love basically ... yeah, we belong to a church but we don't, you know, actually try to spread the word or anything. More evidence of the decline of overt religiosity even among the believers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love it. This thread's responses are just reflective of the theme explored in the Spirituality v. Religion thread. Like, no, we're not out to convert anyone, and we don't give any sermons. We're just there to spread the love basically ... yeah, we belong to a church but we don't, you know, actually try to spread the word or anything. More evidence of the decline of overt religiosity even among the believers.

Omg you’re STILL trying to push your bogus definitional dichotomy, spiritual vs religious, on the handful of people who read the DCUM religion forum. Newsflash: no matter how desperate you are to “win” your phony battle of the dictionaries, the rest of the world is still going to call themselves what they want.

You’re also sloppy and wrong. None of these pp’s said they don’t follow other tenets of their faith. Missionary work is NOT a central tenet for many Christians. Charity—what you stupidly write off as showing the love—IS important.

It’s like you’re proselytizing for your pet word choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love it. This thread's responses are just reflective of the theme explored in the Spirituality v. Religion thread. Like, no, we're not out to convert anyone, and we don't give any sermons. We're just there to spread the love basically ... yeah, we belong to a church but we don't, you know, actually try to spread the word or anything. More evidence of the decline of overt religiosity even among the believers.

Omg you’re STILL trying to push your bogus definitional dichotomy, spiritual vs religious, on the handful of people who read the DCUM religion forum. Newsflash: no matter how desperate you are to “win” your phony battle of the dictionaries, the rest of the world is still going to call themselves what they want.

You’re also sloppy and wrong. None of these pp’s said they don’t follow other tenets of their faith. Missionary work is NOT a central tenet for many Christians. Charity—what you stupidly write off as showing the love—IS important.

It’s like you’re proselytizing for your pet word choices.

What?? Multiple posts saying we're just spreading the love, we don't give a sermon, we don't try to convert anyone. Sounds secular to me. Like they're trying to avoid saying they have any religious motives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I am from South East Asia and was born into one of the eastern religions. It absolutely enrages me to see western Christians come to third-world countries to convert us, trying to destroy our local practices, languages because they think they know better than us. The absolute disdain they have towards us brown people is disgusting. I think they should just be banned by all governments. Want to do humanitarian work - enroll with non-religious AID organizations. Keep your bible and your prejudice to yourself.

But “Southeast Asia” has historically had many different religions: Islam, Buddhism (of different types!), Hinduism (at least way back when in the Khmer Empire) etc. At various times those religions have proselytized (fine, IMO) or converted by force. Nothing stays the same and cultures always influence each other. Heck, Buddhist art was heavily influenced by Greek art (look up Gandhara!). Cultura exchange, Including religious exchange, is a fact of history.

If people are not being converted by force, as happened all over Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa with the replacement of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christianity, then let people have freedom of speech if they’re passionate about discussing religious issues. I’m glad you at least later mentioned that you opposed the Hindutva efforts to ban Christian soup kitchens, etc., and inter religious marriage. Those laws are a good example of what these policies end up looking like.

[Anonymous]

Ok, then anti-christians need to stop disrespecting the Christian culture of America, and of Virginia in particular, and trying to force their beliefs on us.

Mayflower Compact (written by my direct ancestor):

"IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, . . . by the Grace of God. . . Having undertaken FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, AND ADVANCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage TO PLANT THE FIRST COLONY IN THE NORTHERN PARTS OF VIRGINIA."

Virginia Constitution - Article 1, Section 16:

"[I]t is the mutual DUTY OF ALL TO PRACTICE CHRISTIAN FORBEARANCE, LOVE, AND CHARITY towards each other."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I am from South East Asia and was born into one of the eastern religions. It absolutely enrages me to see western Christians come to third-world countries to convert us, trying to destroy our local practices, languages because they think they know better than us. The absolute disdain they have towards us brown people is disgusting. I think they should just be banned by all governments. Want to do humanitarian work - enroll with non-religious AID organizations. Keep your bible and your prejudice to yourself.

But “Southeast Asia” has historically had many different religions: Islam, Buddhism (of different types!), Hinduism (at least way back when in the Khmer Empire) etc. At various times those religions have proselytized (fine, IMO) or converted by force. Nothing stays the same and cultures always influence each other. Heck, Buddhist art was heavily influenced by Greek art (look up Gandhara!). Cultura exchange, Including religious exchange, is a fact of history.

If people are not being converted by force, as happened all over Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa with the replacement of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christianity, then let people have freedom of speech if they’re passionate about discussing religious issues. I’m glad you at least later mentioned that you opposed the Hindutva efforts to ban Christian soup kitchens, etc., and inter religious marriage. Those laws are a good example of what these policies end up looking like.

The missionaries are not about "discussing religious issues." That's naive. They tell the local people their customs and traditions are not to be followed anymore and our god is better and follow our cultural choices and reject your backward ones. Here is some food and medical care to help as an inducement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, then anti-christians need to stop disrespecting the Christian culture of America, and of Virginia in particular, and trying to force their beliefs on us.

Mayflower Compact (written by my direct ancestor):

"IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, . . . by the Grace of God. . . Having undertaken FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, AND ADVANCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage TO PLANT THE FIRST COLONY IN THE NORTHERN PARTS OF VIRGINIA."

Virginia Constitution - Article 1, Section 16:

"[I]t is the mutual DUTY OF ALL TO PRACTICE CHRISTIAN FORBEARANCE, LOVE, AND CHARITY towards each other."

No one is forcing you change your beliefs. Just your actions.

Stop proselytizing to vulnerable people and exploiting their hardships for your gain.

- mayflower descendant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, then anti-christians need to stop disrespecting the Christian culture of America, and of Virginia in particular, and trying to force their beliefs on us.

Mayflower Compact (written by my direct ancestor):

"IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, . . . by the Grace of God. . . Having undertaken FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, AND ADVANCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage TO PLANT THE FIRST COLONY IN THE NORTHERN PARTS OF VIRGINIA."

Virginia Constitution - Article 1, Section 16:

"[I]t is the mutual DUTY OF ALL TO PRACTICE CHRISTIAN FORBEARANCE, LOVE, AND CHARITY towards each other."

Absolutely! You can believe in the sanctity of American Christian culture all you want. Just leave everyone else alone. Unlike what the colonists did to the American Indians already in Virginia and practicing their own faiths.

[Anonymous]

Can't believe the number of responses saying some version of - don't like missionaries, why did you come to US, go back to where you came from!! Nice job.

I didn't know that US = missionaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our church mission trips provide women's health care and a medical team. We have long lines of women seeking reproductive care (generally surgery to get their tubes tied) after giving birth to many children.

Our church has a medical team and we do a lot of medical mission trips.

So your Christian church counterracts another Christian (Catholic) church. P

ersonally, I support birth control and would like to see religion stay out of it entirely. That means no Catholics going in to convert people and no non-catholic Christians following them to convert them to a new, gentler form of Christianity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I am from South East Asia and was born into one of the eastern religions. It absolutely enrages me to see western Christians come to third-world countries to convert us, trying to destroy our local practices, languages because they think they know better than us. The absolute disdain they have towards us brown people is disgusting. I think they should just be banned by all governments. Want to do humanitarian work - enroll with non-religious AID organizations. Keep your bible and your prejudice to yourself.

Agree 100000%. It is the worst form of conceit and narcissism. Missionary work rarely has anything to do with actually helping the local populations. On behalf of my fellow Americans, I apologize, as they likely never will apologize for the atrocities that they have committed.

Absolute nonsense. Missionaries from various denominations provide education, medical care, water, and numerous other things to people in mission counties. And as for just sending money, money is the easiest thing for corrupt regimes to steal and the least likely to form bonds between people. Hands-on missionary work helping people who have nothing and are treated as disposable by their own societies is life changing, both for the giver and the receiver.

Yup, indigenous people in Latin America were incredibly grateful for all that missionary work from the Spaniards. I mean, those that survived. Same with the indigenous of North America. And I'm sure the current LGBTQ communities in Africa - particularly Angola and Uganda - are incredibly grateful to the missionaries for their hardworking in pushing legislation to criminalize homosexuality. Missionary work is quite possibly one of the worst forms of white supremacy and colonialism in that the actors are blind to the damage that they cause, mainly because they believe that their god dictates them to do so. They do not understand how insane they are nor respect the autonomy and rights of the native communities. It is oppression and these people are 100% nuts. I wish that I could live to see the day when missionaries were banned by international agreements. What a day that would be!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I am from South East Asia and was born into one of the eastern religions. It absolutely enrages me to see western Christians come to third-world countries to convert us, trying to destroy our local practices, languages because they think they know better than us. The absolute disdain they have towards us brown people is disgusting. I think they should just be banned by all governments. Want to do humanitarian work - enroll with non-religious AID organizations. Keep your bible and your prejudice to yourself.

Agree 100000%. It is the worst form of conceit and narcissism. Missionary work rarely has anything to do with actually helping the local populations. On behalf of my fellow Americans, I apologize, as they likely never will apologize for the atrocities that they have committed.

Absolute nonsense. Missionaries from various denominations provide education, medical care, water, and numerous other things to people in mission counties. And as for just sending money, money is the easiest thing for corrupt regimes to steal and the least likely to form bonds between people. Hands-on missionary work helping people who have nothing and are treated as disposable by their own societies is life changing, both for the giver and the receiver.

Yup, indigenous people in Latin America were incredibly grateful for all that missionary work from the Spaniards. I mean, those that survived. Same with the indigenous of North America. And I'm sure the current LGBTQ communities in Africa - particularly Angola and Uganda - are incredibly grateful to the missionaries for their hardworking in pushing legislation to criminalize homosexuality. Missionary work is quite possibly one of the worst forms of white supremacy and colonialism in that the actors are blind to the damage that they cause, mainly because they believe that their god dictates them to do so. They do not understand how insane they are nor respect the autonomy and rights of the native communities. It is oppression and these people are 100% nuts. I wish that I could live to see the day when missionaries were banned by international agreements. What a day that would be!

Yeah, and I also resent they went out to Hawaii and Tahiti and convinced the women to cover up their toplessness because it was seen as bad in the Bible. Meddlers!

[Anonymous]

Did any missionary groups make political efforts to get kids in Flint clean water?