Is it ethical to send Christian missionaries to convert starving Muslims?

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.inminds.co.uk/tsunami.html

Remember Afghanistan?

Two members of the Antioch Community Church, Dayna Curry & Heather Mercer, have already been arrested in the past for using aid work as a cover for missionary work in Afghanistan in August 2001.




Missionaries Dayna Curry & Heather Mercer
welcomed home by President Bush for a job well done


They were part of a larger group of missionaries who were caught in Afghanistan by the Taliban. The group were distributing Persian language Bibles and Pashtu-language children's books about the life of Jesus Christ. There were several slides depicting the life of Christ. They showed flash cards for learning the Bible in local languages and the Jesus Film on dvd. One of the groups were caught using Bibles to teach English. They ran extensive English-language classes for Afghans throughout the country. After their release Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer admitted to proselytizing and said if given the chance they would do it again. They where warmly received by President Bush who referred to them as "courageous souls".

The Jesus Film website describes how their co-ordinators for the middle east, John and Ashli, organized a small delegation of western women to go to Afghanistan to convert Afghans by showing the “JESUS” film, which is available in 887 languages, to people who have never seen a television:

"a woman who hides a small, portable DVD player and tiny speakers strung around her neck, under her burka. She knows that Muslim men will never search (touch) a woman. She goes from home to home, sets up the equipment and shows “JESUS!” Another couple has shown “JESUS” to 27 families who all came to Christ!"

Convert Or Starve

The India News reported on 16 Jan 2005, that Christian missionaries refused aid to a Hindu village devastated by the tsunami because they did not agree to convert to Christianity:

[greyl]

1. Hell no. nt

[H2O Man]

2. Good question.

I would think that it is okay for people of any religious belief system, or no religious belief system, to be involved in relief work with people who do not share in their religion/non-religion, so long as they do not attempt to advertise or push their own beliefs. The obvious difficulty is when some groups feel that by engaging in relief work, they are entitled or obligated to peddle their belief system. What is worse is when people in government use tax dollars to promote this type of peddling of any belief system.

Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and providing shelter to the homeless are acts that need not be marginalized by attempts to "convert" others.

[libhill]

3. Typical Repuke hypocrites -

"Come to Jaysus or you won't eat" - I'm sure Jesus would be so proud of them.... assholes. Wonder how the Fundies would like it if Muslims came over here to convert Christians. I mean, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. (I'm sure there are probably some well meaning missionaries out there, but these fucktards give all of them a bad name) -

[Warpy]

4. These fresh faced young zealots are going to get their martyrdom

because the people they're trying to bring to Jesus and televangelism already have a religion, one that allows them to maintain connection with the past and make sense out of the present and they will resent the attempt to get them to abandon it before they are given food.

I know if I were in that situation, I'd probably figure out a way to rip 'em off and distribute the food to whoever needed it.

These young cretins also need to see the context of the country they're in. If they do manage to convert any Afghans, those poor people will be subject to death if their conversion is ever discovered. That is NOT a nice thing to do to anyone, I don't care if your god can beat up their god.

True conversion can only happen when people ASK for it. You can't use force and you can't use extortion. The best you can hope for when you use brutality (and withholding food in the name of conversion is brutal) to convert is lip service and lifelong resentment.

These arrogant children are not doing anyone any favors.

[iamahaingttta]

5. Jesus people have been trying to "convert"...

...starving locals forever. This is nothing new. Is it ethical? By whose standards?

The Carib indians were known to be cannibals, and the last known chief of the cannibals before they were all finally "Christianized" at the beginning of the 20th century famously said:

"I do not like to eat Christians. They give me a bellyache!"

Me too, Chief! Me too...

[papau]

6. Christian's were converted to be Muslims by Mohamed in lieu of Death

You can read the written original offer by Mohamed to the Egyptian Christians, in his own hand, at the Museum in Istanbul, Turkey.

Not that that was a correct thing to do - but today's 1 billion muslims believe it was a good way to convert the then Christian North Africa and Middle East area that he was Conquering and converting.

By the way - Mohamed does not say he will kill anyone in the letter sent to Christian leaders demanding they surrender their cities and countries - he says, if I remember correctly, that he can not be responsible for the destruction and death that God may make him cause to fall upon the Christians if they did not surrender and give up trying to convert others to being Christians (In the Koran only Muslims can convert folks to being Muslim - any conversions from being muslim has everyone involved being killed).

[libhill]

10. Well,

one superstition is no better than another...

[knitter4democracy]

15. Not everyone converted, though

I'm just saying--many stayed Christian. You're right, though, that it was a long and difficult war.

[papau]

18. True - less than half converted - it took 500 years of a special tax

that was only levied on non-muslims to get the populations near 90% muslim.

The initial responce was surrender the city/country and become second class citizens - or even slaves - but still alive.

Then came the conversions.

[knitter4democracy]

24. There are still many Christians in those areas.

They're Coptic Christians and Eastern Orthodox Christians.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. no its not

it should never be a choice between "food and medicing" or "change your faith"... it is a morally bankrupt choice to present to a poor person.

[goddess40]

8. Absolutely not!!!

Missionaries that go with the main purpose of converting people are disgusting - the only reason they should be going to a poor country is to help the people get out of poverty.

[ashling]

9. Is it ethical to send Christian missionaries

to convert starving lions?

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Not the way of most Christian relief...

organizations. Care is to be given regardless of belief.

But, these are openly "missionaries" not relief workers, and have set themselves another standard. Not one most would agree with, but I see no reason for them to be so honored. To barter food for salvation is beyond the bounds of even most missionaries.

[libhill]

12. There are some who would do the right thing in a crunch -

I know of one, a Presbyterian Missionary I believe, I won't mention names, who risked his own life in 1947 during the Partition of India and Pakistan, taking Hindus to India, and Muslims to Pakistan, to save their respective lives. No attempts at conversion. But that man towers above these dirt bags -

[TreasonousBastard]

16. And the Christians who hid Jews from Nazis...

at their great peril, and those who work now at the refugee camps in Africa...

How much preaching did Mother Theresa do? Albert Schweitzer?

Many, if not most, relief missionaries and religious relief workers are universalist by nature, and see no point in saving the soul while the body remains in peril. After all is said and done, God sorts it all out and the lack of baptisms and pronouncements of a particular faith probably mean little under the circumstances.

There's plenty of time to preach after the belly is full and the wounds healed.

[seriousstan]

13. Only if the atheist are not stepping up to feed them.

If the free thought humanists are willing to let them starve then the Christians might as well step in and feed them. As for the converting issue, as stated above, Islam Mohamed used the exact same ploy and he is the leader of a religion of peace. So there must not be anything wrong with it. I think turn around is fair play.

[knitter4democracy]

14. Can't they just feed them?

I've known good missionaries and bad missionaries--more bad than good, actually. *sigh*

Why can't they just focus on being Christ-like and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and build houses for the homeless? That's what Christ told us to do. Spreading the faith will take care of itself.

[Beware the Beast Man]

17. No. It's disingenuous.

Giving aid and food to those who need it is always welcome. After feeding and providing for refugees, if they decide to do mission work, so be it. But to refuse aid to those who decide not to convert is garbage. The problem with these "missionaries" is that there is nothing sincere or genuine about them. They couldn't care less about the plight of these people- they want more churchgoers.

[Lars39]

19. "Spreading the Gospel", the Great Commission...

usually results in missionaries that have zero respect for those they are trying to convert.
Saying that you have the only way to 'life everlasting' is an arrogant position, with evangelism holding the 'morally superior' position.

I've got in my possession an email that very clearly shows what some missionaries in India think of a fertility goddess that the local women have been worshiping. They compared the statue to a "squatty potty". :puke:

The people they are trying to convert are nothing but notches on a belt to them.

[deutsey]

26. Jesus also said that his true followers feed the hungry, clothe the naked,

befriend the stranger, and set captives free. "What you do to these, the least of my brethren, you do unto me." He doesn't mention that, oh, yeah, but first make sure they convert to following me.

Those who claim to follow Jesus but take care of the "least of these" will be condemned to hell, according to Matthew's Gospel. Check out Matthew 25.

[ComerPerro]

20. No. Anything But. I have always hated "Christian relief"

"Sure, we are such good Christians that we will help these people eat and be clothed and even send them to school. As long as they give up their current beliefs and embrace our version of Christianity"

Thats not charity, and it should not be applauded.

[Horse with no Name]

25. You are right.

It isn't charity. It's bribery at best, extortion at worst.

[bryant69]

21. Depends on your belief system

First of all let me say that in my opinion anybody who refuses aid because the recipients refuse to convert is no Christian. Rather they are very bad people. But i question whether this is the norm or the exception in these sort of programs.

But beyond that, whether or not it is moral to preach the gospel depends largely on what you think of the gospel. If you see religion as largely a bad thing, than of course this is a negative thing. On the other hand if you see Christ as the only way to salvation, than you may feel a duty to share that belief with anybody who will listen.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[papau]

22. Well said - and I agree with your blog's "when characters die" posting

My wife may be moved to write some fan-fiction is we do get some new novels out of a few authors!

[Cleita]

23. Moslems it seems don't convert that easily.

My late husband spent four years in Morocco working for the US government. He of course like most English speaking ex-pats hooked up socially with other English speaking ex-pats. One of them was an Anglican priest, who ran a mission there. He ran a clinic, a school and other missionary type things.

He said in forty years, although the locals used the facilities of the mission and he became good friends with many of them, not a single Moslem converted to Christianity. He maintained the mission for the needs it solved in the area, but he resigned himself a long time ago about ever making any converts.

[triguy46]

27. A variant of the historically popular...

Repent or Die!!! Some kill you with a sword, some with starvation. I was a great bumper sticker today, "Who would Jesus bomb?" The sad thing is most christians would have a long list of those to whom the son of God would send vengence and death to. Strange world.