Missionaries & Problems They Cause.

[ChiangMaiThai]

Ok, off pretty much off topic but I thought the following is very funny. Note that this is for real, it's NOT a joke site:

http://www.catholicshopper.com/products/in...rt_statues.html

You can actually buy these things.. I think every mission ary family would want some?

Cheers,

Chanchao

i don't know whether to laugh or cry. I didn't know that religion and consumerism went hand in hand. I'm sure Jesus would have loved American football. Someone should tell him to put on a helmet.

[p1p]

Someone should tell him to put on a helmet.

or maybe not....

Can't help but think a good knock on the head early on would have saved a lot of trouble over the next two thousand+ years...

[Bluecat]

Someone should tell him to put on a helmet.

or maybe not....

Can't help but think a good knock on the head early on would have saved a lot of trouble over the next two thousand+ years...

"I am edicting a fatwah on you. You do not deserve to live after attacking in such a blatant way what makes christianity."

Fortunately, we are not in a muslim contry and you are not commenting about Mahommed. Otherwise, watch out,...

At least, Christians evolved a little bit,...

(I am not sure this thread will last long, ... )

[Guest Lazarus]

One can certainly hope not

[lamphun]

Someone should tell him to put on a helmet.

or maybe not....

Can't help but think a good knock on the head early on would have saved a lot of trouble over the next two thousand+ years...

Blasthemer. Stone him !!

Not you mother !

[Guest Lazarus]

BlasPHemer, Lamphun.

[p1p]

Blast-hemer.

's Good. Reminiscent of thunderbolts & Thor & all that. Awaiting with baited....

[Guest Lazarus]

LOL @ P1P. BTW thanks for lunch. Miss my old mate a bit but..

[elephantspike]

Jeez, I forgot the jews, sorry,...

Actually Jews will never try to convert anyone, but some may believe that those not born Jewish are inferior.

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the maker of all things

Well, modern meteorology and biology seem to have subsequently rendered this point moot!

Um..... Isn't this exactly the sort of behavior that has been causing so much controversy lately in the Catholic Church?

[Snark]

deleted

[Shazza]

I'm a follower of Jesus... don't like the term Christian... very obviously way too many bad vibes attached to that... those Jesus playing sport things... kinda make me gag a little... don't like the commercialisation of Christianity... Jesus tended not to either... he made a really cool whip one time and freaked all the people out who were selling stuff at the temple... said they had made His house a den of thieves.. don't think he likes a lot of stuff that his family do either.... well darn.... people just carry on being - well - people though... don't they?

[PeaceBlondie]

A thread that has been dormant for almost five years.

[IanForbes]

No matter how well intentioned many missionaries are, I've never seen ONE that ever did any long lasting good for the indigenous people. In most cases it's been an unmitigated disaster. All I need to look at is South America or the Philippines and I rest my case. The countries in Africa where missionaries tried to change things are no better... and most often worse.

[realthaideal]

I was up in the hills of the Mae Sa Valley for Hmong New Year in Dec this year. IN the small village where my friends live they have a tiny little 'ancient ways' living museum house where they show the traditional Hmong life of pounding rice, making thread from hemp fibres, and growing a garden. That sort of thing. And then there's a strip of 5 stalls hawking the same Hmong goods you find all over town in the Night Bazaar n Walking Street. My gf n I had a friendly little visit just going to see what was up and poke around in the early evening before dinner.

The girl whose Old Auntie runs the exhibit house runs up and starts taking us around and showing us stuff. She won't let us look. She wants to show us. It's mostly pride and maybe that Thai style 'taking-care' that we are never alone n confused. She calls in Ancient Auntie n has her show how quickly she can spin fibre threads into twine in her ancient weathered hands. Clearly they are nice and mean well. I'm thinking whatever, I'm gonna leave 20B in the box outside when we're done, though not gonna buy any of the same old stuff they sell.

Things are wrapping up. The girl's been showing us around all in Thai. She's impressed with mine and asks if I can read Thai. When I answer yes she runs back in to the house to the back room. I stop her. I get a bad feeling. Somehow I get the feeling I'm about to be handed a relig pamphlet rather than a prideful brochure about Hmong life. She tells me yes, it's about religion. I explain I have my own. And that I also study Buddhism.

She tells me it's ok, maybe I just want to read it anyway. I tell her I'm not that into it. She starts her spiel about 'Do you know the world is filled with sin ? Do you know that now there are tsunamis and earthquakes and global warming taking place ? And that this is because God is not happy with us?'

I'm thinking "Seriously?! For Fnck's sake! or better for Xt's sake! and Jeezus F'ing Xt!" Seriously this was all to lead up to the pitch about God and damnation ?! That I and all tender little babies are born into sin ?! You have to be kidding me! Anyway, fortunately that was all in my head.

So I ask what people in the village believe. Are they all Jehova's Witnesses like her. No, they have Catholic, Mormon, Buddhist, a couple other kinds of Christians that got their feet in the door. I said I'm not sure her way is the right one. How will I know ? And at that gave a polite Thai smile and a big bye bye, literature in hand. Big, fake, eat $hit and die smile.

I ripped up the cheap white xeroxed info back in our room, but today keep the hilarious! color pamphlet where the designer went photoshop hogwild with images of disaster and death (like on Thai cigarette packs) and then the hallowed savior restoring peace, green grass and blue water..... right beside my toilet for bathroom reading. Where it belongs.

Whatever your religion, lead by example and shut the hel_l up. When in Thailand, look and learn from the natives from thousands of years of history and maybe try to understand where, how, and why all of this came about. But for God's sake, shut the hel_l up about your own little beliefs. How dare you corrupt these innocent faithful people with your sophisticated scare and sales techniques to feather your own cap and feel so great about yourself. ('Oh we do it out of love!' Gimme a break. Try loving them so much you only ask questions and learn from them. That wold be an act of love.) Better you realize you only know one little thing that helps you in your world, and here in their world there is a chance for you to learn and love and accept and grow.

Sorry for harsh lang up above. I'm all for the brilliance of Jesus' teachings though I am not Christian. It is good stuff. But I speak above to the perverse, self-serving manipulation of ideas and words that others do in his name.

[Shazza]

I think it was St Augustine who said...

Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, speak... so I guess I agress with you

Oh and I'm not used to these forums yet, didn't realise that this thread had been sleeping so long...

[Loaded]

I take a copy of the Gideon Travellers Bible (the one you can nick from hotel rooms) with me everywere. The pages have a rizla-type texture. Holy smoke! That bible has taken me to heaven more than a few times.

Edited February 7, 2009 by Loaded

[Rasseru]

A thread that has been dormant for almost five years.

Trouble-maker!

Not so incidentally, what's your missionary position?

[Rasseru]

A thread that has been dormant for almost five years.

Trouble-maker!

My bad. I thought you had revived it! I realise now you did not.

[adjan jb]

A thread that has been dormant for almost five years.

Resurrection???????????

IT'S A MIRACLE!!!!!

[brennanstimpy]

I would love to have a beer with any missionaries here. I am being serious too. Hit me up if you are interested and are willing to talk about what you do.