What do you think of missionaries?

Question

I had this friend once who went to church camp and returned with 3 bracelets on her arm. She said they were for *insert 3 tiny, unheard of countries here* because they don't have any translation of the Bible in their language and the bracelets were a reminder to pray for them since they're all going to Hell. Needless to say, her church was heavily into mission work.

My stepdad is involved in some crazy church (they believe in "healing" and my mother now believes she's cured of asthma) and he's about to embark on a mission trip to Africa.
Although I'm biased because I'm a godless Atheist...to me this just seems like a huge waste of resources. Think of how much money the church had to raise to send how ever many people over there to Africa and for what? Personally, I think it would be so much better to try and help people in your own community - the money will go a lot further and there is a continued support system, not just a one time "bribe" of gifts. Your thoughts please.

To someone that asked, I think they're "crazy" because among other things - they believe in healing like I said above. My mom went to some place where they prayed over her body, said some abracadabras and now she is convinced she is cured from her asthma.

My stepdad goes for knee pain. Somehow, the church has yet to cure the fact that he is 400lbs and suffering from diabetes and pulmonary disease. I think it's a bit insulting to send someone who is morbidly obese to a country where people are dying of starvation.

And again, the waste of resources is the money spent on the plane ride, vaccinations, etc. Money that I believe would be put to better use in the U.S.

Answer 1

honestly?

i think they should be shot at or jailed for trespassing.

ill explain myself.

i see missionaries as people who spread their unnecessary religion on people who dont need to hear it.

theres an old story/joke about the indian and the preacher. the indian asks the preacher if he will go to hell if he has never heard of jesus. the preacher says no. the indian then says "well why did you tell me then"

its the same way.

lets look at fake little magical town. call it what you will, its imaginary. this town has 50 people in it. the town has its own religion, its own traditions, its own stories that have been passed down from person to persona verbally, its own everything. then roll in the missionaries. they sit down and talk with the people. they ask about the peoples religion. then they say "well, you know that everything you beleive is false, right? and everything i beleive is 100% fact. i am here to tell you that if you dont beleive what i beleive then my god will send you to hell. there you will be tortured and be in pain for all of eternity"

what is the person to do? does he risk not beleiving? he better not. so he accepts the missionaries religion. now he is a christian. the stories of his predecessors are now considered evil....since theyre not of the bible. his tribes religion is now dead, they are now converts. everything that made them unique has been overwritten. who they were before has been bulldozed and a big walmart sized church has been constructed in the rubble.

now of course this is simply a hypothetical story. but i suspect somehting like it has been done before. and will continue to be doen.

do christians care about the religions/beleifs/traditions of those they convert? no.

all they care about is spreading the word of their god so THEY feel better.

and because of that i think they shouldnt be allowed in 3rd world (or any country) to do missionary work.

take the food, take the medicine, take the education. but leave the beleifs at home.

Answer 2

Missionaries may do some Good, although I am never too sure what; If only to placate their own little mental territory, or in some cases there are people who devote their time to helping , even to the point of giving their lives in hard times.
Even if I can't believe the same as someone else, I respect the fact that they choose to go, and chose to stay, not just a 24 Month Hiatus so you can earn points back at the Church Temple ... I respect those who TRY and make a difference, and at the same time they choose to respect the beliefs of others; Preaching by example is a better point to be made than Traditional Preaching; Many so called Christians could learn from the People who live their beliefs, instead of just voicing their beliefs...

Answer 3

While I agree that missions work should start at home, I also feel that we do need to be in the other countries as well. The crazy church you mention is crazy because? They are trying to help others. To the comment about they are all going to hell, I don't believe that. They like everyone will be given a chance to accept or reject Christ as Savior just as you will or have. As far as money going farther, it really goes farther in the poor counties because of the cost of living being lower in most cases. Does the one time bribe gift mean you think missionaries are bribing people to accept Christ? If that be the case then some will turn away. Not everyone will be saved even in this country. The last time I check the U.S.A. was the third largest missionary field, meaning more missionaries were coming to us than we were sending to them. And yes we need them. Sad fact of life.

Answer 4

I'm hugely impressed by groups like the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders and the Peace Corps. Those who go in and take care of people in famine-stricken countries are living saints to me.

However, once you add religion into the equation, and try to make converts to your religion among the people you're aiding - that's when it becomes insidious to me. Famine relief should not be a bribe, for heaven's sake. Relief workers should not have an ulterior motive.

And don't get me started on the missionaries who come to my door or who bug me on college campuses. Those guys are just a nuisance at best and really creepy at worst.

Answer 5

"Real" missionaries are great. They are serious and very well trained, and usually devote their entire lives to teaching the lost world. Now, its much different with "play-like" missionaries. They solicit money for "special trips" that are usually short and more like a vacation that a mission effort. Real missionaries must be seminary trained. To get an understanding of what a real missionary is-check out the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention ( there are other good ones).

Yes, there are real phonys out there who solicit money just so they can take a vacation. They are lower than low. Yet Churches are full of them-especially the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.

Answer 6

Let them waste their time and money. I love it when they come up to me and try to "save me". Just ask them the following questions.

1. If adam and eve had two kids(kane and able), which kid was a hermaphrodite. Last time I checked two men couldn't have children.

2. If God is the alpha and omega, and he created everything, then what are you made out of? (The aswer would be God) If it is not then who/what made that other substance that god made you out of. And wouldn't you like to speak to him and get his story.

Then....

Tell them that you are God and that is says to in their own book. Psalms 82:6

Tell them that Jesus said the same thing to the people but they wouldn't listen to him and tried to stone him. John 10:34

Tell them Jesus told us we could do greater than him! 14:12

What kind of space ship was Jehovah Driving?

Why would God say "You shall have no other Gods before ME!!) Well how many other gods are there. If he were the only one then he wouldn't have said that.

Electrons pop in and out of existence and there is not any solid creations. Everything is energy creating frequency to appear as different atoms, elements, and molecules. Learn some quantum physics and throw that at them.

Have fun and don't worry. They won't have a logical answers that makes any sense what-so-ever. Thay will say he works in mysterious ways. Well Zues(the god of thunder and lightning) used to work in mysterious ways before we discovered that an opposite charge created the lightning and the thunder was the air molecules crashing back together. We fired Zues the same as we will Fire the God of all man manipulated gods of religion.

Answer 7

Frankly my expensive you're lots greater ideal off contacting church homes or missionary agencies to get that archives. no longer announcing real people won't take place yet yahoo! solutions are full of trolls and random losers who purely wanna have a chuckle on the cost of others.

Answer 8

I agree with you in part. Many people will want to go on a mission to Romania but you couldn't force them at gun point to tell their next door neighbor about Jesus. I am not exactly sure why this is. Then on the other hand your parents may be willing to be used by GOD and GOD may want to honor that. Who knows?

Answer 9

I agree with you, but I can't tell people not to do what they feel is right. I think the best "mission work" anybody can be doing in a place like Africa is bring food, water, and medicine and distributing it to people who really need it.

Answer 10

I think that missionaries should be stranded on a deserted island because they are killing cultures and they have way to strait-jacketed ideas. I mean, really, just because someone doesn't have any bible in their language doesn't mean that they are horrible horrible people planning to destroy the world....

edit: Oh yeah, stranded without supplies too. Or a bible.