[Thor]

Interesting comment from a doctor about missionaries, and then the girls sister responds to it.

A friend who is a doctor in the US 1/2 the time to earn enough money so he can go volunteer in Fiji the other 1/2 of the year, was having a great conversation on his FB page about missionaries. Many of you are involved in churches with an very active missionary program. Just wanted to post his comments on the view from the folks that are being served, and get some comments.

"Universally... key parts of being a decent human being... by most measures... revolves around fairness, being courteous, and nonviolence. When a foreigner enters a country... he should enter as a humble witness... as he is unaware of the customs and traditions that have often blossomed through 1000s of years of delicate evolution. Superimposing a religion, church/temple/mosque, value system, etc. on a an economically starved community we don't know enough about is...in a sense... a callous act of violence. One's culture/religion of origin is as deeply rooted in a person as one's connection to his or her Mother.

Who am I to say my Mother is better than your Mother? Who am I to say your Mother is bad? Who am I to even attempt to demonstrate (in even the most subtle form) my Mother is more loving than your Mother when I have the bounty of resources at my disposal to enchant? I have seen it too many times. I have seen generations of beautiful ancestral cultures/indigenous practices lost to well-funded "do-gooders" looking for post-card moments to take back and flaunt to their religious communities. I agree... one should serve but don't build churches or temples... build clinics, schools, etc. Let your faith motivate you but don't preach your religion. Instead... take part in the (few) profound native practices (that are still left standing) that are often as deeply embedded as the soil itself.

All in all... it's critical not to lose sight of basic common sense morality when one becomes a devout practitioner of a faith. To put it even more simply... one should never blatantly (or even subtly) impose (or even suggest) the idea that vanilla tastes bad when one has only known chocolate. That of course would be unfair. uncourteous and... when generations of precious ancestral heritage/practices are at stake... violent."

The reply in defense (sort of..) of missionary work.

The first thing that comes to mind is that Jesus was about RELATIONSHIP not RELIGION . . . however, that doesn't mean He wasn't bold about sharing the thoughts of His Father, often times to the frustration of the Pharisees (religious people) in His day. He didn't bow to world views and adjust what His Father wants and commands from us. He shared His Father's views with Love.

I think there is a difference between only having tasted chocolate and not having tried vanilla verses a lifestyle that leads to destruction (i.e. idol worshiping, believing in gods). There is a story in the Bible talking about how the religious people brought an adulterous woman to Christ and wanted her stoned (note they didn't bring the adulterous man with her).

Christ told them whoever was without sin could through the first stone. Of course He was the only one qualified to do it. All the religious people ended up leaving the area as He exposed their sins to them. What happened next?? He let the woman know what she had done wasn't okay but He didn't condemn her and to go and sin no more! So, he built that relationship with her but was bold in letting her know what she did wasn't okay and to stop it And He did it all in love

love this interaction between you two. It shows me how strong you are in your faith. I'm not sure what this doctor's actual perspective was, but since I have missionaries in my family who have served in various ways in foreign countries (teaching, building, helping others) it seems to me that ANYTIME you go to a foreign country to "do" things, whether it is share the gospel or build a hospital, school etc., you are changing that person's life.

The thing about ministering to others through actions that help the people continue to thrive, while sharing the Word of God that will help them to LIVE FOREVER is that you are not just looking after the people's physical needs but their spiritual needs. While we would wish it so, many people will never understand how it changes a person when they accept Christ unless they have been there and been used as that tool!