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.