Concerns About Christian Missionaries

[richard10365]

Christians...................hmmmmm..................I don't trust Christians like the ones mentioned in the original post. It reminds me of an organization I did some Volunteer work for in Sa Kaeo called "Project Thailand".

Project Thailand was financed in the USA as well but had a hidden agenda. For every dollar the kids got in Thailand, the family (here in Thailand) of the USA director got $2.

Organizations like that need to be transparent and post their activities (including financial resources) somewhere to be reviewed by the public (such as a website).

With that said, an organization which takes kids out of an environment where the parents are smoking and drinking whiskey and beer can't be all bad. For the kids sake, they don't have to pay anything (except their souls). They do get taught some values.

They also get things for free. This is the number one reason for attendance. Don't be fooled to think the kids are going to find Jesus. They are going for George......George Washington that is.

The all mighty dollar (not lately) is guiding their little souls towards the light. Take away the greenback and you take away the light. The kids won't come without it. Their parents would prefer them to work the farm than to go play all day with the Christians.

In my opinion, let the kids have their fun. Life is hard, especially small village farm life. As long as this organization is not taking money directly from the families, then it is probably harmless. When they start talking 10% to Jesus, then it's time to step in nix that in the butt.

[younghusband]

Tom Fox's sad death should not obscure the irresponsibility of the Christian Peacemakers Team.One of Fox's colleagues was the British Norman Kember who was rescued with other hostages in a daring joint operation of US/British special services.Not a word of gratitude was expressed by Kember for his recue by the military until his return to the UK when the hostile reaction compelled him to make a rather grudging statement of thanks.This Christian group had been warned by their governments not to go to Iraq, because not only was it dangerous but they would put others lives in danger.They ignored this advice, and Tom Fox was tragically killed.The British and US armed forces risked their own lives to stage the rescue, too late sadly for Fox.I don't admire or respect these people, although they were probably sincere in their beliefs.

Dear Sir, I regret that you have been misinformed, perhaps by a high ranking officer of the fine UK troops who liberated the captives. At this URL you will find, at the bottom, the first two communiques issued by the surprised team in Baghdad when the captives were rescued by the UK troops, as well as testimonies thanking the soldiers who cut off their handcuffs. In the confusion of the first few hours, they neglected to mention specifically the troops, and they amended their error by 9 pm. http://www.cpt.org/iraq/response/freed.htm

Bringing the topic back on point: there are many Christian workers around the world, sincere and well-intentioned, who non-violently risk their lives to help foreigners who request their assistance, whether it be in development aid, disaster relief, conflict resolution, peace-making in conflict zones, etc. Even among missionary societies, many of the staff show proper respect for the groups where they work. Nothing is one-sided about it.

The problem with Norman Kember and his type is not so easily brushed aside, sincere and well-intentioned no doubt, but a risk to themselves and all around them.In fact it is incontrovertible that Kember's initial reaction was churlish and ungrateful.Later the public relations disaster was anticipated by the Christian Peacemakers Team, and a grudging statement of gratitude was made although the emphasis was on soldiers' families at home with the actual rescuers only mentioned at the tail end.Now I don't imagine US special forces or the British SAS worry too much about not being thanked for their work:they are made of stern stuff and have more on their minds.Nevertheless it's significant that Kember and the Canadian hostages also rescued refused to give the US/British authorities information on their captors, the murderers of their friend Tom Fox.Some may see in this the apotheosis of Christian virtue:certainly Kember does as he works his way sanctimoniously round the lecture circuit.Others like myself see merely a foolish,obstinate and misguided old man who ignored the best advice and nearly got himself killed, in the process endangering the lives of allied soldiers to whom notwithstanding post facto spin, he was churlish and arrogant.But I don't doubt he is a good man but one who in my view deserves little respect.

[fruittbatt]

Historically, however, the churches have been in the service of imperialism and (neo American)colonialism, and it is this arrogant presumption of the superiority of the Judeo Christian tradition that I find utterly distasteful.

Your Judeo-Christian bias is showing through quite glaringly. Are you unaware of the heavy service Buddhism paid to the Thai/Burmese/Lao conflicts over the last three centuries here in Asia? Religion was used just as much as a club in these instances, as any Christian crusade in the Holy Land ever was.

I'm just asking you to be a little more objective in your historical perspectives.

Red herring, toptuan!

We are not discussing which religion/philosophy is "better" but rather the morality of exporting institutional religion with a view to imposing it on a disadvantaged population which has its own philosophical/religious tradition.

[dog412]

gummy, you may be entitled to your view of the universe,depending on whether your country permits or not, however i doubt many from this part of the world would agree with your sympathy for the japanese during that war. also, if i remember correctly, the traditional japanese folklore was shinto, not buddhism. just keep in mind that their are many "brainwashed" buddhists, vietnamese, chinese, japanese,moslem, etc., etc., living and voting in the u.s.

[slackula]

Lighten up everybody - Christians are funny; any bunch which believes that a giant invisible sky-pixie created the world in 7 days before impregnating a virgin and all the other superstitious nonsense in The Good Book deserve our pity.

[garro]

Slackula while I feel that your post is a bit intolerant I also must admit that it is incredibly funny.

[gummy]

gummy, you may be entitled to your view of the universe,depending on whether your country permits or not, however i doubt many from this part of the world would agree with your sympathy for the japanese during that war. also, if i remember correctly, the traditional japanese folklore was shinto, not buddhism. just keep in mind that their are many "brainwashed" buddhists, vietnamese, chinese, japanese,moslem, etc., etc., living and voting in the u.s.

Did I say I symphathised with the Japanese Imperial Army ? I said innocent civilians. US seem to be a state of permanant self-denial of its crimes against civilians. Thousands killed at a stroke hardly qualifies as collateral damage to the rest of the world. The point was, that given the US's record on crimes against other innocent civilians of other religions is it any wonder that people are concerned about the integrity and purpose of those missionaries about which this thread is about.

[dog412]

gummy, you may be entitled to your view of the universe,depending on whether your country permits or not, however i doubt many from this part of the world would agree with your sympathy for the japanese during that war. also, if i remember correctly, the traditional japanese folklore was shinto, not buddhism. just keep in mind that their are many "brainwashed" buddhists, vietnamese, chinese, japanese,moslem, etc., etc., living and voting in the u.s.

Did I say I symphathised with the Japanese Imperial Army ? I said innocent civilians. US seem to be a state of permanant self-denial of its crimes against civilians. Thousands killed at a stroke hardly qualifies as collateral damage to the rest of the world. The point was, that given the US's record on crimes against other innocent civilians of other religions is it any wonder that people are concerned about the integrity and purpose of those missionaries about which this thread is about.

i sincerely hope you find your "utopia" somewhere, because it's going to be ###### near impossible in this world. best of luck.

[Goshawk]

Lighten up everybody - Christians are funny; any bunch which believes that a giant invisible sky-pixie created the world in 7 days before impregnating a virgin and all the other superstitious nonsense in The Good Book deserve our pity.

he has eyes yet he cannot see...

mai pen rai.. simplistic interpretation reveals his current state of spirituality & or enlightenment...

Persevere my friend..! your on the right road with these views... someday your destination will most certainly come to you

[Ulysses G.]

Lighten up everybody - Christians are funny; any bunch which believes that a giant invisible sky-pixie created the world in 7 days before impregnating a virgin and all the other superstitious nonsense in The Good Book deserve our pity.

he has eyes yet he cannot see...

mai pen rai.. simplistic interpretation reveals his current state of spirituality & or enlightenment...

Persevere my friend..! your on the right road with these views... someday your destination will most certainly come to you

Is that a nice way of saying, "Roast in he11, unbeliever?

[Goshawk]

Lighten up everybody - Christians are funny; any bunch which believes that a giant invisible sky-pixie created the world in 7 days before impregnating a virgin and all the other superstitious nonsense in The Good Book deserve our pity.

he has eyes yet he cannot see...

mai pen rai.. simplistic interpretation reveals his current state of spirituality & or enlightenment...

Persevere my friend..! your on the right road with these views... someday your destination will most certainly come to you

Is that a nice way of saying, "Roast in he11, unbeliever?

No.. just a free tip from one with prior, similar youthfull misguided ideas. khap

[corkscrew]

Keep Christ out of Thailand...we have enough ghosts already.

[liberty9133]

It hurts me to hear of all the Christian bashing on this post. We Christians, for the most part, are a loving and caring people. While there are misfits, cheats and emotionally disturbed individuals in any group, for the vast majority of Christians, it is our love that compels us to tell you about Jesus.

If you truly believed in the core of your mind AND heart that there is an everlasting destiny for you and everyone else on the planet and that the choices one makes here while alive affect what happens after you die, wouldn't you, out of love, warn those of the dangers of the wrong choice? Even the most callous and disreputable person would warn a pedestrian of an impending meet with death at the hands of a large truck barreling straight for him.

I challenge anyone who gives the story of Christ a good and honest read with even a skeptical mind will be shaken to his core. The proofs of Christ's ressurection are many. Of course you need some help with understanding and thus the missionary.

We believe that Christ created the universe and was God. We believe that because God loves everyone ever born, He was not willing to see anyone suffer through eternity in hel_l, he sent His only Son to save us from a horrible fate. We believe that he was born of a virgin having been supernaturally impregnated. That he was fully man and fully God. That he was crucified for no reason, totally innocent, never having sinned. That he was bodily resurrected. That he will reign both here on earth, soon, and in heaven forever. That his last command, while on earth, to believers was to go unto all the earth telling all who would believe and baptizing him in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is our personal and corporate responsibility to tell everyone, not just because of the command, but also because of the love we have for everyone.

Let no one tell you that they are sinless. Every Christian is as much a sinner as the non believer. The difference is that we have discovered the truth. I consider myself to be unbelievably lucky and blessed to find out this truth. When talking to others who believe as I, many of us have shed real tears when we consider those who have rejected Christ. We know for a fact what fate awaits them.

I cannot say whether the missionaries in this village are bribing or not. I would like to hear their side of the story before I condemn their actions. I think that only fair. I am certain that each of us share the belief that we are innoncent until proved guilty. Without hearing from the accused, no one should pass judgment. Therefore, I suggest to the poster, Garro, to show this forum to them and ask them to respond. I believe they will and we will all be surprised by the answer.

[gummy]

It hurts me to hear of all the Christian bashing on this post. We Christians, for the most part, are a loving and caring people. While there are misfits, cheats and emotionally disturbed individuals in any group, for the vast majority of Christians, it is our love that compels us to tell you about Jesus.

If you truly believed in the core of your mind AND heart that there is an everlasting destiny for you and everyone else on the planet and that the choices one makes here while alive affect what happens after you die, wouldn't you, out of love, warn those of the dangers of the wrong choice? Even the most callous and disreputable person would warn a pedestrian of an impending meet with death at the hands of a large truck barreling straight for him.

I challenge anyone who gives the story of Christ a good and honest read with even a skeptical mind will be shaken to his core. The proofs of Christ's ressurection are many. Of course you need some help with understanding and thus the missionary.

We believe that Christ created the universe and was God. We believe that because God loves everyone ever born, He was not willing to see anyone suffer through eternity in hel_l, he sent His only Son to save us from a horrible fate. We believe that he was born of a virgin having been supernaturally impregnated. That he was fully man and fully God. That he was crucified for no reason, totally innocent, never having sinned. That he was bodily resurrected. That he will reign both here on earth, soon, and in heaven forever. That his last command, while on earth, to believers was to go unto all the earth telling all who would believe and baptizing him in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is our personal and corporate responsibility to tell everyone, not just because of the command, but also because of the love we have for everyone.

Let no one tell you that they are sinless. Every Christian is as much a sinner as the non believer. The difference is that we have discovered the truth. I consider myself to be unbelievably lucky and blessed to find out this truth. When talking to others who believe as I, many of us have shed real tears when we consider those who have rejected Christ. We know for a fact what fate awaits them.

I cannot say whether the missionaries in this village are bribing or not. I would like to hear their side of the story before I condemn their actions. I think that only fair. I am certain that each of us share the belief that we are innoncent until proved guilty. Without hearing from the accused, no one should pass judgment. Therefore, I suggest to the poster, Garro, to show this forum to them and ask them to respond. I believe they will and we will all be surprised by the answer.

Yeah right but as God is a Woman your hypothesis needs a bit of fine tuning. Anyway isn't the " we want 10% religions" a little too much to pay, shouldn't the truth be free? Anyway you can take a horse to water but you can't force it to drink comes into play. And shouldn't by now the Americans have carpet bombed Rome for ordering the crucification of Jesus in the first place? especially as they are now the upholders of the worlds morals ?

[DragonQuest]

i saw them today on kao sarn road about 5 of them a few men and 1 or 2 girls, screaming about the lord jesus christ to all the peolpe , It makes me wonder what their getting paid, and how they work their visa lol

[gummy]

i saw them today on kao sarn road about 5 of them a few men and 1 or 2 girls, screaming about the lord jesus christ to all the peolpe , It makes me wonder what their getting paid, and how they work their visa lol

Its commision only and visa is no problem because after 15/30 days of holering and screaming it's back to re-hab for another month before they are let out again

[qwertz]

Christians...................hmmmmm..................I don't trust Christians like the ones mentioned in the original post. It reminds me of an organization I did some Volunteer work for in Sa Kaeo called "Project Thailand".

Project Thailand was financed in the USA as well but had a hidden agenda. For every dollar the kids got in Thailand, the family (here in Thailand) of the USA director got $2.

Organizations like that need to be transparent and post their activities (including financial resources) somewhere to be reviewed by the public (such as a website).

With that said, an organization which takes kids out of an environment where the parents are smoking and drinking whiskey and beer can't be all bad. For the kids sake, they don't have to pay anything (except their souls). They do get taught some values.

They also get things for free. This is the number one reason for attendance. Don't be fooled to think the kids are going to find Jesus. They are going for George......George Washington that is.

The all mighty dollar (not lately) is guiding their little souls towards the light. Take away the greenback and you take away the light. The kids won't come without it. Their parents would prefer them to work the farm than to go play all day with the Christians.

In my opinion, let the kids have their fun. Life is hard, especially small village farm life. As long as this organization is not taking money directly from the families, then it is probably harmless. When they start talking 10% to Jesus, then it's time to step in nix that in the butt.

This update is in a similar vein, breadbasket politics without the Christian slant. The Chinese are offering free boarding school education and upbringing for little girls from their impoverished local Lahu tribes. It's a punishing, doctrinaire, militaristic regime and these children will never again be comfortable in their tribal life. It's a kind of stealthy genocide. I'm no bible thumper but as I see it, the missionaries haven't gone to these extremes yet. At least not since the inquisition.

[sceadugenga]

Christians...................hmmmmm..................I don't trust Christians like the ones mentioned in the original post. It reminds me of an organization I did some Volunteer work for in Sa Kaeo called "Project Thailand".

Project Thailand was financed in the USA as well but had a hidden agenda. For every dollar the kids got in Thailand, the family (here in Thailand) of the USA director got $2.

Organizations like that need to be transparent and post their activities (including financial resources) somewhere to be reviewed by the public (such as a website).

With that said, an organization which takes kids out of an environment where the parents are smoking and drinking whiskey and beer can't be all bad. For the kids sake, they don't have to pay anything (except their souls). They do get taught some values.

They also get things for free. This is the number one reason for attendance. Don't be fooled to think the kids are going to find Jesus. They are going for George......George Washington that is.

The all mighty dollar (not lately) is guiding their little souls towards the light. Take away the greenback and you take away the light. The kids won't come without it. Their parents would prefer them to work the farm than to go play all day with the Christians.

In my opinion, let the kids have their fun. Life is hard, especially small village farm life. As long as this organization is not taking money directly from the families, then it is probably harmless. When they start talking 10% to Jesus, then it's time to step in nix that in the butt.

This update is in a similar vein, breadbasket politics without the Christian slant. The Chinese are offering free boarding school education and upbringing for little girls from their impoverished local Lahu tribes. It's a punishing, doctrinaire, militaristic regime and these children will never again be comfortable in their tribal life. It's a kind of stealthy genocide. I'm no bible thumper but as I see it, the missionaries haven't gone to these extremes yet. At least not since the inquisition.

Give them time, history has shown time and again that violence to dissenters and unbelievers is one of their weapons and the present crop don't seem much different.

[gburns57au]

Just like to make one point here that came up earlier in the thread.

The Thai Constitution allows for freedom of religion.....This means that people are allowed to choose and practice the religion of their choice...

It doesnt cover trying to force that religion on others by means subtle or otherwise.

[garro]

It hurts me to hear of all the Christian bashing on this post. We Christians, for the most part, are a loving and caring people. While there are misfits, cheats and emotionally disturbed individuals in any group, for the vast majority of Christians, it is our love that compels us to tell you about Jesus.

If you truly believed in the core of your mind AND heart that there is an everlasting destiny for you and everyone else on the planet and that the choices one makes here while alive affect what happens after you die, wouldn't you, out of love, warn those of the dangers of the wrong choice? Even the most callous and disreputable person would warn a pedestrian of an impending meet with death at the hands of a large truck barreling straight for him.

I challenge anyone who gives the story of Christ a good and honest read with even a skeptical mind will be shaken to his core. The proofs of Christ's ressurection are many. Of course you need some help with understanding and thus the missionary.

We believe that Christ created the universe and was God. We believe that because God loves everyone ever born, He was not willing to see anyone suffer through eternity in hel_l, he sent His only Son to save us from a horrible fate. We believe that he was born of a virgin having been supernaturally impregnated. That he was fully man and fully God. That he was crucified for no reason, totally innocent, never having sinned. That he was bodily resurrected. That he will reign both here on earth, soon, and in heaven forever. That his last command, while on earth, to believers was to go unto all the earth telling all who would believe and baptizing him in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is our personal and corporate responsibility to tell everyone, not just because of the command, but also because of the love we have for everyone.

Let no one tell you that they are sinless. Every Christian is as much a sinner as the non believer. The difference is that we have discovered the truth. I consider myself to be unbelievably lucky and blessed to find out this truth. When talking to others who believe as I, many of us have shed real tears when we consider those who have rejected Christ. We know for a fact what fate awaits them.

I cannot say whether the missionaries in this village are bribing or not. I would like to hear their side of the story before I condemn their actions. I think that only fair. I am certain that each of us share the belief that we are innoncent until proved guilty. Without hearing from the accused, no one should pass judgment. Therefore, I suggest to the poster, Garro, to show this forum to them and ask them to respond. I believe they will and we will all be surprised by the answer.

Liberty: it is precisely because of the arguement that you raise in your post that I would not confront this group; as I fear that a similar view as yours is likely to held by them. This view is completely closed minded and intolerant and does not allow for the possibility that other people could be right. Your post states as fact, things for which there is no evidence for but are merely matters of faith. Christianity is one of many belief systems, all of which deserve equal respect. Please remember the other peolpe of different faiths have just as stong convictions as you do.

I agree that many posters have expressed very negative attitudes towards Christianity but believe that this is due to negative experiences that they have experienced in their dealings with this religion. Many are likely to have come from Christian backgrounds but now feel let down by their childhood faith.

I do believe that religion is important but feel that it should be a personal issue. I am 100% committed to my Buddhist beliefs but would never try and push these beliefs on to anybody else and the same could be said for most Buddhists. I always allow for the possibility that I could be wrong and so respect other peoples views.

My concern is that the Christian group im my village could be taken advantage of the tolerant attitude of the local Buddhist population.

Liberty, I repect your right to believe what you want I only ask that you respect other peoples right to do the same.

Metta

[garro]

Lighten up everybody - Christians are funny; any bunch which believes that a giant invisible sky-pixie created the world in 7 days before impregnating a virgin and all the other superstitious nonsense in The Good Book deserve our pity.

he has eyes yet he cannot see...

mai pen rai.. simplistic interpretation reveals his current state of spirituality & or enlightenment...

Persevere my friend..! your on the right road with these views... someday your destination will most certainly come to you

Goshawk, I think that your post shows a very high degree of ill-will towards your fellow man. You seem to be expressing glee in your view that this other poster will be punished if he doesn't believe as you do.

[gburns57au]

I challenge anyone who gives the story of Christ a good and honest read with even a skeptical mind will be shaken to his core. The proofs of Christ's ressurection are many. Of course you need some help with understanding and thus the missionary.

We believe that Christ created the universe and was God. We believe that because God loves everyone ever born, He was not willing to see anyone suffer through eternity in hel_l, he sent His only Son to save us from a horrible fate. We believe that he was born of a virgin having been supernaturally impregnated. That he was fully man and fully God. That he was crucified for no reason, totally innocent, never having sinned. That he was bodily resurrected. That he will reign both here on earth, soon, and in heaven forever. That his last command, while on earth, to believers was to go unto all the earth telling all who would believe and baptizing him in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is our personal and corporate responsibility to tell everyone, not just because of the command, but also because of the love we have for everyone.

Sorry liberty.....there is far more proof to the theory of evolution then there is for your views on how the world began.

I would also like to hear the proof of the resurrection....and please tell me the proven facts

"telling all who would believe"....doesnt quite translate to "telling all that do not believe"

This love that Christians have....is this the same love that was shown during the crusades and various other wars that have been fought in the name of Christianity.

People have beliefs and values based on their experiences in life, Nobody has the right to try and force or coerce their own values and beliefs on others.

[dumspero]

I also don't like missionaries using their relative wealth to push their religion on the impoverished.

Missionaries tend to be fundamental Christians. My problem with religious fundamentals is that they tend to cause a lot of harm in the name of good.

I also think that many of us are negative about Christianity (at least in its literal belief form) because it's such nonsense. I remember my mother asking my Thai wife if Bhuddists have animal sacrifices, after which she told my horrified wife about how God impregnated a virgin and then she gave birth to his son who let the Romans nail him to a cross to make it all better for our sins. And we will all rot in hel_l forever if we don't accept Jesus as our savior for this, never mind how good a life we lead. Really, what a load of rot, in my opinion (and according to everything humankind has learned about the universe to date).

But it is interesting how some are quick to criticize Christianity in its extreme form but many of those same people give other major religions a free pass.

[November Rain]

many of us have shed real tears when we consider those who have rejected Christ. We know for a fact what fate awaits them.

I'm one of the unbelievers who has rejected Christ (and any other religion, to be honest). I think that anyone has the right to believe anything they choose & am actually a little envious of those with a strong belief system, as I'm sure it must be very comforting. It just doesn't do anything for me. However, quotes like the one above really rile me. So, trying to help others, living your life peacefully & not hurting others, doing good things, are all meaningless. You're going to the hot, fiery place if you don't believe in God & Christ, no matter if you've spent your life doing good or evil. The belief is the only thing that'll save you?

Well, if heaven & hel_l exist, hel_l must be many, many times bigger. Because, according to this quote anyone who doesn't believe in the Christian ideals is going there. So, that's everyone who has a different religion, those, like me that don't believe, and all the evil doers... Or is it? What about evildoers that believe in God & Christ? If they believe, but don't repent, where do they go?

Jean Paul Sartre in "Huis Clos" created an existential hel_l for 3 mutually incompatible characters. Basically, their eternal punishment was to be stuck together in a hot, uncomfortable room, driving each other crazy. My hel_l would be to be stuck in heaven with everyone having views like the one quoted.

On topic, I agree with many other posters that the methods this missionary group use are underhanded. Charity is one thing, bribery another.

[Ulysses G.]

It hurts me to hear of all the Christian bashing on this post. We Christians, for the most part, are a loving and caring people. While there are misfits, cheats and emotionally disturbed individuals in any group, for the vast majority of Christians, it is our love that compels us to tell you about Jesus.

If you truly believed in the core of your mind AND heart that there is an everlasting destiny for you and everyone else on the planet and that the choices one makes here while alive affect what happens after you die, wouldn't you, out of love, warn those of the dangers of the wrong choice? Even the most callous and disreputable person would warn a pedestrian of an impending meet with death at the hands of a large truck barreling straight for him.

I challenge anyone who gives the story of Christ a good and honest read with even a skeptical mind will be shaken to his core. The proofs of Christ's ressurection are many. Of course you need some help with understanding and thus the missionary.

We believe that Christ created the universe and was God. We believe that because God loves everyone ever born, He was not willing to see anyone suffer through eternity in hel_l, he sent His only Son to save us from a horrible fate. We believe that he was born of a virgin having been supernaturally impregnated. That he was fully man and fully God. That he was crucified for no reason, totally innocent, never having sinned. That he was bodily resurrected. That he will reign both here on earth, soon, and in heaven forever. That his last command, while on earth, to believers was to go unto all the earth telling all who would believe and baptizing him in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is our personal and corporate responsibility to tell everyone, not just because of the command, but also because of the love we have for everyone.

Let no one tell you that they are sinless. Every Christian is as much a sinner as the non believer. The difference is that we have discovered the truth. I consider myself to be unbelievably lucky and blessed to find out this truth. When talking to others who believe as I, many of us have shed real tears when we consider those who have rejected Christ. We know for a fact what fate awaits them.

I cannot say whether the missionaries in this village are bribing or not. I would like to hear their side of the story before I condemn their actions. I think that only fair. I am certain that each of us share the belief that we are innoncent until proved guilty. Without hearing from the accused, no one should pass judgment. Therefore, I suggest to the poster, Garro, to show this forum to them and ask them to respond. I believe they will and we will all be surprised by the answer.

You seem like a good and sincere person to me, however, so much of what you call "fact" is simply brainwashing.

There is pretty much no proof that Jesus was anything other than a man like the rest of us - if he existed at all - and if God loves us so much, how could he condemn so many good, sincere practicing Buddhists or Hindus or Muslims to burn in he11 forever, simply for being born in the wrong place? If they were born in Alabama, they would all be born-again Christians.

If you hadn't been told these things over and over again, all of your life, they would seem equally silly as Hindu tales which seem so backward and bizzare to me.

You can believe in what you want, and believe me that I was indoctrinated too, but I'm happy to say that your angry, hateful God doesn't seem real to me.

[dominique355]

The bribery type of missionary almost always come from the US, it is the "Give us 10%" type of religion driven by materialistic ambitions and supported by materialistic people, Tom Cruise being an excellant example. In my mind they have far less love for people than money.

Tom Cruise and Co. cannot be called Christians. They belong to the Scientology Sect of L. Ron Hubbard, a very bad, brain-washing, money-hungry sect.

I don't know if they (Scientology) are also present in Thailand.

[jumnien]

One hears, "I hate Christian missionaries because they do this... (blah, blah, blah)". Another says, "I hate Jews because they do this ... (blah, blah, blah)". Another says, "I hate black people because they do this... (blah, blah, blah)" Another says, "I hate gays because they do this" A southern muslim friend says, "We behead Buddhist monks because they are trying to convert our children to Buddhism and make them speak Thai."

Hatred leads to more hatred. Love and tolerance leads to peace. Kindness leads to happiness.

If we look deeply, we can find reasons why we really like people who are different than us. If we look for reasons to hate we will find them.

[garro]

One hears, "I hate Christian missionaries because they do this... (blah, blah, blah)". Another says, "I hate Jews because they do this ... (blah, blah, blah)". Another says, "I hate black people because they do this... (blah, blah, blah)" Another says, "I hate gays because they do this" A southern muslim friend says, "We behead Buddhist monks because they are trying to convert our children to Buddhism and make them speak Thai."

Hatred leads to more hatred. Love and tolerance leads to peace. Kindness leads to happiness.

If we look deeply, we can find reasons why we really like people who are different than us. If we look for reasons to hate we will find them.

mdeland: are you suggesting that anyone who questions the methods used by Christian missionaries is a racist Nazi?

[jumnien]

One hears, "I hate Christian missionaries because they do this... (blah, blah, blah)". Another says, "I hate Jews because they do this ... (blah, blah, blah)". Another says, "I hate black people because they do this... (blah, blah, blah)" Another says, "I hate gays because they do this" A southern muslim friend says, "We behead Buddhist monks because they are trying to convert our children to Buddhism and make them speak Thai."

Hatred leads to more hatred. Love and tolerance leads to peace. Kindness leads to happiness.

If we look deeply, we can find reasons why we really like people who are different than us. If we look for reasons to hate we will find them.

mdeland: are you suggesting that anyone who questions the methods used by Christian missionaries is a racist Nazi?

No.

[Goshawk]

Lighten up everybody - Christians are funny; any bunch which believes that a giant invisible sky-pixie created the world in 7 days before impregnating a virgin and all the other superstitious nonsense in The Good Book deserve our pity.

he has eyes yet he cannot see...

mai pen rai.. simplistic interpretation reveals his current state of spirituality & or enlightenment...

Persevere my friend..! your on the right road with these views... someday your destination will most certainly come to you

Goshawk, I think that your post shows a very high degree of ill-will towards your fellow man. You seem to be expressing glee in your view that this other poster will be punished if he doesn't believe as you do.

Sorry you see it that way, it was purely an objective criticism based on observation.. Where in my post did you extract an impending punishment act?

and how do you know what i believe or don't believe?

Read my post again and imagine an not just a priest, but an immam, a sufi, a buddhist monk etc.. using very similar phrasing. I hope you see that my post actually applies to all belief systems both religious and non-religious..