Can you measure the damage done by christian missionaries?

Question

How much history and ancient cultural wisdom and traditions have been lost, destroyed, and virtually wiped out since the Europians began traveling the world and conquring other lands?

I didn't say they didn't do any good. My Q's is about what has been lost and distroyed!

Answer 1

I think it's impossible to measure the damage, it's so extremely immense. but the age of aquarius is upon us, soon what was lost shall be regained. hopefully.

Answer 2

I would think, if I am understanding what you mean by damage, that most of the worst damage would have been done in Europe itself, well before 1492.

For example, it isn't clear to me what we lost when the Wendish tribes were converted to Christianity. Or the Balts.

I tend to be puzzled by how some American Indians and Australian Aboriginals react to Western soceity today. There are American Indians who feel that the adoption of Indian customs by New Agers and Neo-Pagans are acts of cultural genocide. While Australian Aboriginals are working as rapidly as possible to remove from the gaze of museum goers any magical objects.

On the flip side, Perhaps we gain something when we learn about the Nestorian Christian communities which existed in the city of Xian in Tang dynasty China.

And if Christianity had never existed at all, who and what would we be now? Mithraist? Buddhists? Something completely unknown?

Answer 3

To answer ya question; no neither I or anybody else can measure the damage they caused! I'm talking here of art, manuscripts and history lost because "it wasn't important," at the time! Just imagine if somebody found an ancient document, real not copied, between two tribes in the Nevada dessert, or anywhere else for that matter! Something like that, after being authenticated, would be worth big bucks, today, and bring lots of prestige to boot!

http://www.total-knowledge.com/~willyblues/

Answer 4

Christianity was at least partially responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire proper, throwing Europe into the Dark Ages. That's just a little sample of their work. The damage that religion has done to society, even when compared to the good it has done, is immeasurable.

Answer 5

Have you ever wondered how much good has been done by missionaries? Look at places where there is a belief in Karma, where kids sit in the ditch and starve to death because of that ancient belief, that child, in a previous life, or his parents have done something that makes him deserve to be where he is. Who feeds those kids? The christians do. Who gives them clothes and schools them and tells them they are worthy human beings? The christians do. Look at the real history of people around the world throughout history who engaged in human sacrifice, castration, and god knows what else in the name of their beliefs, and where christians came bringing mercy. Yes I know that people can use the name of their God to do evil, people have being doing that time out of mind, using one god or another to justify thier merciless slaughter. Here you are speaking against a religion that you obviously do not understand, using vague justifications, to put yourself above some thing, any thing, you have something in common with those you would climb above.

Answer 6

Tons and Tons and Tons. Look at how the Spanish treated those in south and middle America. They read them terms of surrender in Latin which basically said convert to Christianity or die. That is one of the problems I have with believing in Christianity is the enormous damage it has done to the world.

Answer 7

um, I think "European" is better than "Christian missionary." It was not Chrisitan missionaries that wiped out the Native American culture, even though some Europeans used God as a good excuse for their greed.

Answer 8

If you desire to mull over the a past that there is nothing you can do about, and live in the present with hate that is unjustified, and ignore the future that awaits you because of the aforementioned, then that is your business. Don't waste our time complaining to us because you are miserable inside your failed life. Get with the program of Jesus Christ, instead. Do something with your life instead of wasting it. Jesus loves you.

Answer 9

It's not just cultural damage, I heard that Mother Theresa, for one, spent more time converting her patients than curing them.

Answer 10

Building hospitals, vaccinating children, teaching renewable farming techniques, stressing the importance of clean water, teaching reading and writing?

Yep, them some evil bastards, all right.