Mike, I completely agree with your statements about missionaries but do want to point out that, though the definitely have alterior motives, missionaries do tend to bring with them the tools to help people better their standard of living (schools, hospitals, food, etc.). Like I said, it's a shame they don't bring this help to people selflessly (not very christian of them really, is it?) but it is still help and the people who receive this help appreciate it. I'm always amused to see how the missionaries have influenced India when I am there. Basivcally, the majority of the population is Muslim or Hindu, but in many of the poor rural villages (mostly in the South) missionaries have converted the villagers. What I find amusing is that most of these villagers still aren't very well educated at all (they cannot read or write any language) and don't even know anything about Christianity. They wear crosses if they have them, and they go to church every Sunday. Church for them in large part is really just an excuse to get together and socialize... and if you ask them een the most basic trivia about Jesus, they don't have a clue. Either the missionaries are doing a piss-poor job educating these people, or they're intentionally just taking advantage of the missionaries that visit in order to get what they want from them. I like the idea of missionaries walking around claiming to have converted so man people, and so many people walking around caring none about their supposed religion but with a full belly and some innoculations. Of course this doesn't apply to every scenario, but it is a very common scene there.
~Simon Simon Horwith Macromedia Certified Instructor Certified Advanced ColdFusion MX Developer Certified Flash MX Developer CFDJList - List Administrator Fig Leaf Software 1400 16th St NW, # 220 Washington DC 20036 202.797.6570 (direct line) http://www.figleaf.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, 28 March, 2003 11:59 AM To: CF-Community Subject: Re: Christian vs. Muslim On one hand I hate missionary scum. I think they should all be hung by their gentiles until they decide to leave other peoples religions alone. On the other hand, sending missionaries to Iraq will simply lend more credence to the Arabs propaganda that this is another crusade. On the third hand, I say let them go. When the local populace kills them for trying to convert them then maybe they'll get a clue. Please note that the above is due to my extreme dislike of missionaries, many of whom have it as their personal mission to convert my people to another religion. I'm not going into whose religion is right or anything in that area. I just don't think that people should be going around saying "worship MY God, yours is wrong" or "worship the one God MY way as yours is wrong" or any way they want to say it. As for the members of the community that are missionaries, they have never tried to convert me in any way, shape, or form and I have not tried to remove their faith through debate. It's a nice balance. :) > I heard something interesting on NPR today. Samaritan's Purse, a > christian charity run by Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, will be > sending missionaries to Iraq. Unfortunately Franlkin has been very > outspoken against the muslim religion. So how will the affect the > perception that this work is about christians vs muslims, a viewpoint > held by a some muslim leaders. Should we restrict who can go in there > during this time? > > Marlon > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
