9.What reflections and connections can you make from this novel?

What is peace? Is peace 'the state prevailing during the absence of war' or 'the state of praying to God during the presence of war'? When God has sent his peace child to scatter peace why is the world so rotten?

I think one possible explanation is plainly the fact that as humans we determine the existence of Peace. If God was in control of the situation, he would have done something by now.

Reflecting back upon the book, I feel a little strange. When an uncivilized tribe such as the Sawi can understand the love of God, what is wrong with me? But then I console myself by arguing back and clinging on to my views on faith. I struggle with faith everyday, I still can't force myself to lean on something I cannot perceive. God doesn't talk to me.

A quote states, “Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned. - Anonymous” What is significance of religion? Two planes flying into a building, terrorist attacks everywhere and sacrifices in a Hindu temple? If there were no religions the world would evidently have one less issue to worry about.

As far as God is concerned, I think if God would stop acting in his mysterious ways and provide some answers to the numerous riddles of the world, some people would understand him better. I am not saying the video below is perfect, or that I agree with everything, but it certainly made me question about the mysterious God. The questions we can't answer is explained by the five letter word: F-A-I-T-H.



I don't quite agree that God comes out as murderous and such in the bible, however the other parts of this video were thought provoking. For example: Innocent children who have done no wrong have cancer. 209 dead people from the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India did not deserve to die in the first place. And young girls don't deserve to get raped.

Every time I try to assure myself that God exists, I fail to understand why God would do this if he is all loving. If God was a bit more clear, a little more obvious, more conspicuous I would attempt faith. But if that was the case, the purpose of faith would be long washed away.

8. Choose a representative passage from the novel that hold significant to you. Type in and comment on its significance.

This was the part where Don was telling the Sawi about Jesus:

"At first I sat there confused. Then the realization broke through. They were acclaiming Judas as the hero of the story! Yes, Judas, the one whom I had portrayed as the satanically motivated enemy of truth and goodness." pg-151

Is Jesus the hero, or Judas? Satan or God? It is a game of perspectives! From the Sawi perspective Satan would be the hero. However from a Christian perspective God would be the savior. It astonishes me how cultural upbringing can meddle with one's point of view. It is as if two people were looking at exactly the same object and seeing different objects. But who is right or wrong? I would say that depends on the observer's perspective!

Also, this particular passage stands out to me the most because it reflects of the Sawi's point of view before they were Christian. Before they were Christians betrayal was a part of their culture. They practiced 'fattening with friendship' which is the ultimate betrayal possible. Basically they would invite a friend, make him comfortable and provide him with food. Meanwhile they would conspire ways to murder him. Personally I consider betrayal unforgivable. I think it is wrong to betray anyone who has trust in you. Honestly, what is the importance of trust if we were to betray everyone?

This part of the novel kept ringing back in my head. Gradually I realized why. This passage enhances the Sawi before they were transformed. As I reflect upon the end of the novel it shocks me because the Sawis' development exceeded my realm of imagination. It never occurred to me that God's love would take a monstrous tribe and mold them into individuals with purpose.

7. How is your modern culture different from Sawi tenants?

In India, it is perfectly legal for a Muslim man to have four wives. This is the 'modern culture' that I have been brought up in. Being a part of upper-middle class Indians, I have not visually experienced polygamy, however I am certain it is practiced in the lower illiterate classes.

“Swami” is a Hindi word which is a synonym for God. Surprisingly it also means husband. It is quite evident that even today men remain the dominant sex in society in India. Sawi culture can be described as an exaggerated version of certain Indian traditions. Even though society is changing there are still numerous countries where men are considered superior.Arranged marriages contribute massively to Indian culture. It intimidates me how a woman can marry a man chosen by her parents. How can she make the decision of spending every night with him when she does not love him? (or KNOW him as a matter of fact). It is depressing that something so intolerable happens everyday in my country. Similarly, in Sawi tradition daughters were 'gifted' (to men) by their fathers. Daughters were used as objects of trade between families, in Sawi culture. Hence it can be observed that Sawi culture mirrors aspects of Indian society.

Maybe we don't cannibalize or fatten our friends. Maybe we are blessed with technology and education. Maybe we have the 'idea' of right and wrong yet we choose wrong, which makes us no less of a 'sinner'.
How is my modern culture different from Sawi tenants?

6. How do I relate to faith? How does Don Richardson relate to faith? How do the Sawi relate to faith?

It was faith that drove Don Richardson to seek out for the Sawi. It astounds me how he could risk his family and his life to improve the Sawi. It was faith that gave him strength and power. He completely gave his soul to God and trusted God to protect and guide him. If I had to give an example of a faithful man of God, Don Richardson would definitely come to mind.

The Sawi related to faith through the peace child. At one point Don Richardson told the Sawi that he would leave if peace wasn't made. The Sawi followed their traditions and 'exchanged children' amongst the two enemy tribes. They believed that if a father can give his son to his enemy, peace will reign. Similarly it can be applied that God gave his son Jesus as a peace child. He died for our sins, so that we could live in peace. (But can we?) This analogy applied to the Sawi and they realized that they don't have to take young babies away from their fathers to make peace, when God has already provided us with his child.

While writing this post it occurred to me, “Where is the peace in the world today?” If God has given us his son to make peace, why is the world so corrupted? Perhaps human race isn't civilized yet, or maybe God was never there.

Faith is an alluring topic that questions me several times. How I relate to it, is how I don't.

5.How does Faith relate to the world in which we live?

Faith is a drug. People cling on to it because they want to feel secure. That is the importance of faith. Faith is closing your eyes and knowing that there is something greater than you that will guide you and protect you. Faith is believing in something that you might not see but you can sense and breathe. I don't have faith.

I wake up. I brush. I eat. I go to school. I talk. I listen. I learn. I close my eyes and fall asleep. Here are the parts that I didn't write: I pray to God. I have faith him, I know he loves me, I know that I will live a good life and after I die I will join Him in heaven. I didn't write this because I am not sure.

Another reason why faith is important is because people want to be secure not only when they are alive but also after they die. To some people it works just like an 'insurance.' Ask yourself this, “Do you KNOW for sure that there IS a heaven and hell? Have you ever visited heaven or hell? Do you KNOW for sure that they are THERE?” Some people might say 'yes' as the Bible says so. Christians would disagree with me here (which is totally fine) but I find it a little difficult to believe that a sea was parted, miracles were cast, dead people were brought to life and God actually spoke to people. It sounds like a fictional tale to me.

(I distinctly remember that when I was new to TCIS, someone told me that “You will go to hell if you don't become Christian.” I laughed my head off because I thought it was a joke. It was beyond my wildest imagination that people believed in the concept of hell. Now, I have a better understanding of Christianity, therefore I don't find it funny.)
Imagine that there is no heaven or hell. You die and you find out that there was never a God, but you believed in him, because you had blind faith of his existence. Would you be satisfied with yourself if everything you believed in had been a fabrication of truth? I wouldn't.

4.What concepts in the Sawi culture intrigued / reviled / saddened / angered / surprised you?

When I read about the practice of cannibalism my eyes widened(literally) and I visualized very disturbing events in my head. I had always limited my thoughts to the fact that stealing a person's life was unethical. However through the contents of 'Peace Child' cannibalism successfully provided a new 'panorama' in my mind's eye. Previously I thought "What can be worse that killing a person?" was a rhetorical question. ("Killing a person and EATING them?!#$??"). Personally I think that it is crucial to inquire and analyze cannibalism, instead of underestimating its practice due to our prejudices. I hope I accomplish that through this post.

The concept of cannibalism intrigued, reviled, saddened, angered and surprised me the most. It was interest that drove me to move my lazy fingers and research the topic. Basically cannibalism is used as a weapon to show that one has completely devastated another to their flesh and bone.

A certain group of Hindus called Aghoris practice cannibalistic traditions in India. They fish for corpses in the Ganges (the 'holy river of India where dead bodies are dumped) and feed on the raw dead flesh. They define themselves as followers of 'Shiva'. They claim to be scientists trying to discover how matter converts from one form to another. It astonishes me that cannibalistic tribes exist in MY COUNTRY, (I was completely oblivious to this until I researched) and here I was critiquing the Sawi.

[this is an image of an Aghoris drinking from a skull]

Another circumstance where cannibalism takes place is when humans discover themselves in crisis of food. During World War two, the Japanese troops ate dead bodies because their food ran out. Today, in North Korea people cannibalize due to lack of food.

Now comes part where I question my wits, and ask myself, if cannibalism is vice. As Samuel Butler said, "Cannibalism is moral in a cannibal country." Since I am not a citizen of a cannibal country, I am going to cling to my prejudices and conclude that Cannibalism is immoral. However I think that when a person is famished, cannibalism can be expected. When a person realizes that they will die, (due to lack of food) they make their ultimate attempt to survive. For example: If two friends are living without food over a long period of time, and one dies, the other KNOWS that he will too. So, he decides to feed himself the only source of food that lies before him. If it was me I would just die instead of 'living off' the other person. But maybe I am saying that now because I have never been in that situation. (OK, I am scaring myself)

How can I judge a situation when it is a question of cannibalism for survival?

As I was researching this quote struck out to me by Stanislaw Lec who inquires, "Is it a progress if a Cannibal uses a fork?" (Inside they will always know they were a cannibal).

I think that it is a progress in a way. Even though you have 'sinned' in the past, the future awaits for a change. This reminds me of one of my close friends who had a difficult past, made wrong choices but became Christian after coming to TCIS, and changed magnificently.

I think I bounced off to different tangents while writing this entry so l am going to try to sew up my final thoughts through the next few sentences. Cannibalism is unethical. (Unless it is a matter of starvation). Cannibalism takes place today (How can we socialize about the Sawi? LOOK AROUND). Change can be brought, and if every 'cannibal eats with a fork', the human race has made some progress.

Citation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism

http://www.flickr.com/

*here is something that made me laugh when I was writing my blog: Danika: "I am cannibalistic because I bite my lips"

3.What do mission organisations do for these people?

We live in a world of distortion therefore we should extract adequate knowledge before making the delicate choice of spirituality. However it is quite evident that missionaries, as Christians, provide biased knowledge of what they think is right or wrong. I sometimes feel that they are 'advertising' their religion, which is quite immoral.

Every Saturday night a knock on my door. A Korean girl, with a bible in her hand, standing outside. I am tired of listening to her tedious ongoing 'messages' from God, yet she keeps coming. I know that her intentions are good but her approach is irritating. It is like a scary hand trying to get hold of me. Have I ever preached from the 'Geetanjali' to Christians?

I believe that missionaries are good individuals with pure hearts. They seek out to serve God. However they need to realize that they cannot force religion on other cultures. In a modern society, someone does not need to be a Christian to know that cannibalism is wrong. So a person does not need to be a missionary to improve other cultures. Moreover missionaries enter a location with the mindset of converting people, which upsets me the most. I don't believe that a person needs to be a missionary to improve society. Personally, I think that if a tribe has to be exposed to twentieth century they have the right to know every other perspective, religion and belief. They do not deserve to be biased by a certain religious group.
Similarly other religions such as Islam imply 'holy war' on individuals to convert them. It is basically like 'become Muslim or die.' I read a book called 'She said yes' which is based on a true story of a young girl. When terrorists entered her high school, she hid under a table and started praying. After a while she realized that she was looking down the barrel of a gun. They asked her, “Do you believe in God?”. She said yes. They took her life. This book impacted me a lot because her mom wrote about her dead daughter's faith, which was the reason was killed. This reminded me of the part in the where it read, “When Fray Diego de Landa, a Catholic missionary accompany in Spanish forces in the New World, discovered extensive Maya libraries, he knew what to do. He burned them all, an event, he said, the Maya regretted to an amazing degree, and which caused them much affliction.” Clearly, some missionaries interpret the Bible inaccurately, just as the Muslims interpret the literal meaning of 'holy war' as stated in the Koran. Furthermore I think that Don Richardson uses an exaggerated analogy when he writes, “It’s true that we destroy certain things in cultures, just as doctors sometimes must destroy certain things in a human body if a patient is to live.” There are non-Christians in this world who don't necessarily require a spiritual 'doctor' to live.

Therefore I think that evangelizing is a flawed concept and missionaries' mindset should be to improve society instead of portray religion. If Christians want to improve a culture they should educate tribes with knowledge of everything distinguished. To decide on what to believe you need to know, because once you open your eyes to knowledge, you will find where to look.

2.What should we do when we are confronted with other cultures?

A room packed with identical robots. Every robot mimics thoughts, duplicates personalities and imitates features of every other one. Apparently, the world we live in is a paradox of the room of robots. We live in a realm of diffused cultures.

When two contrasting cultures confront, there is bound to be some form of bitterness. History has provided us with sufficient examples, hasn't it? The British Invasion of India, the Japanese imperialism in Korea and genocides in Darfur are all heartbreaking examples that history has manifested right across our face, yet we tend to discriminate other cultures.

The British invasion of India has infected Indian culture extensively. The British made Indians slaves, treated them with no respect and squeezed profits out of the country. To this day Indians have negative feelings towards the British.
Conversely, if the British had not grasped their claws on Indian soil, India would not have been as global. However I believe that British culture could have been implied without violence. [Here is something to ponder upon: If the British had not colonized India, I wouldn't be in English A1 HL, writing this blog.]

Similarly the Japanese tried to eliminate Korean culture. They enforced Japanese in every Korean school. This iniquitous form of behavior is unacceptable in a civilized society. Ripping away a culture is like taking away the essence of one's life.

In Darfur Sudan, 35,000 are dead and are 100, 000 on their way. 'Janjaweed', a local army organized by the Government, are killing tribal groups of their own country, in today's 'civilized' society.

How is twenty first century really different from the Sawi generation? Here we are trying to erase minor cultures to be the most dominant.
What is it that makes us such beastly creatures, that we butcher other cultures? Why can't we adjust, learn and grow?

'No dogs allowed, no Indians allowed' was a popular quote in India (under British rule) when my grandparents were growing up. My grandmother told me how racist the British were. They would have a different 'class' on trains for Indians. They would treat Indians like animals. The depressing part is, modern society remains the same.

When I was in GIFS (a tiny school in Sacheon, Korea) I was excluded from 'social groups' because I was from a different culture. I think that was the first time in my life, I was confronted with other cultures that rejected me. Through this experience I have realized that I would never do that to anyone, because I know exactly how it feels.

Therefore, when we are confronted with other cultures, it is crucial to be tolerant. Sometimes two cultures might not form a homogeneous bond, but can still co-exist. The process of 'taking over' a culture is extremely abominable. It is like forcing a Christian to go to a mosque. People need to realize that we are not supposed to be identical robots. Hence people should restrict themselves from smothering other cultures. When cultures confront, none has to die out for the other to survive.

Citation:

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article28015
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict
http://www.darfurscores.org/darfur

1.What factors of your native culture have informed your religious world view? Explain the impact of these factors.

Religion follows me like a faithful shadow everywhere I dwell. Yet, today I am faithless, while different religions compete to transform me.

I grew up in a strange land where religions interbred and formed conglomerations of thoughts, ideas and philosophies. Yes, in India there are religions and then there are “sub-religions” . The different religions of India are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism , Sikhism and Buddhism. I grew up in a Hindu society as Hinduism is the most prominent religion. Within that I prayed to Godess 'Durga' and her four children 'Ganesh, Saraswati, Kartik and Laxmi.' I remember my grandmother spending hours praying to different idols. She made me pray to Saraswati (the Goddess of intellect) sometimes, so that my grades would improve.

When my family moved to Iran , I experienced Islamic culture and traditions. Every day I would see my mom cover herself with 'Barkha' (a black long cloak) because in Muslim countries women are expected to be conservative. Then I learnt about Allah and how Muslims pray five times a day. I was shocked the most when I found out about Ramazan (a season where Muslims can only eat between dusk and dawn).

Allah or Jesus, Krishna or Buddha mean the same thing to me, nothing. Don't we all explain the unplained by calling it 'God?' What we don't know, the supernatural and the metaphysical, we strive to express through religion, through faith.

My parents would tell me that, “Religion doesn't mean anything, humanism is more important.” They shared the importance of being a good person, with a kind heart. I truly value their opinion and that is exactly how I look at the world today.

When I came to TCIS, I was fully exposed to Christianity for the first time. It was very interesting to meet people who shared a different perspective, it still is. If I could accept Jesus, I think that my life would be much easier, but I don't believe in the miracles he did. Truth is something that you need to believe, and that is why it is 'truth' to you. Actually, Muslims argue that Muhammad was the true Messiah of Allah (their God). History and is twisted, and everything history reveals may or may not be true.

After coming to TCIS, I have realized that most Christians are good people though. They really love God and serve him unconditionally, and I respect them for their beliefs. I hope I am treated the same way, because sometimes it is challenging to live in a community where everyone else has strong faith. I think that one of Bright Eyes' songs, reveal my view towards religion. The lyrics read:

“The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Koran's mute,
If you burn them all together you'd be closer to the truth”

When people of every religion think that they are the truth, what is the point of having faith? What if today, I decide to accept God into my life and devote my life to him when there is no God. Sometimes I feel empty and scared inside, but I don't want to tell myself that everything is fine, and God will fill up my soul, when I am not sure of his existence. Besides, what if everything I start to believe in, is a lie?

I don't want to persuade people into what I believe in, or don't believe. It is just my perspective on life. I think that my faith is like a palette where different religions have left their imprints. But I wash away their marks and remain the blank palette I started with. If religious truth was black and white, I would know what to choose.