Clpo, did you just use the term "womanfolk" in a real world situation??? *laughing*

I guess I could say that I agree to an extent. I have my views and beliefs but that doesn't mean I should go pushing them on to others. That's not the wat to get things done. Try a little compassion.

I'll agree if you change "steak knife" to "shotgun"

I talked with a couple of Mormons once. They scared me. They had that gleam in your eye that makes you want to lock up your womenfolk and reach for the steak knife.

The way I see it, nearly every religion claims to be the right one, so I can't be blamed for not knowing which really is. That keeps me sane. And missionary-free.

Hey, question for you...how many missionaries have you met?
How can you possibly think that you can judge every single missionary based on broad information about a select few from history? Do you even have any specific instances of missionaries destroying beautiful cultures? Do you have any specific stories about missionaries at all? My church denomination is the Christian and Missionary Alliance, which sends out more missionaries around the world than any other denomination. I've heard stories about missionaries, heard talks about missions and their purpose and means, and nothing that you've said about missionaries applies to them, even generally. Watch the movie End of the Spear, the true story of a missionary to Ecuador, Nate Saint. He and five others were killed by a tribe as soon as they met them. The six missionaries had a gun to shoot off and scare the men away if they became violent. They refused to use it to kill the men, and were killed instead. After that their wives and children went to live with the tribe so that they would hear about God, and saved their lives with medical knowledge when an outbreak spread through the village. They fully knew what had happened to their husbands and fathers, and still chose to live with them, risking their own lives, and to nurse them back to health. That's what missions is all about - loving the people you go to live among and serving them.

The problem is your assumption that it is "the truth" By presenting this as "the absolute truth" And by backing this up with the implied power of your god with things like food and medicine you are ruining a beautiful culture.

Sure, you don't say, do this or you will starve. It's not what you do, so much as what you imply. It's not your group of missionaries but the idea of missionaries as a whole. They go to "spread the truth" to the poor unknowing africans.

That imperialist, colonialist mentality is what is wrong with missionaries. They go somewhere to put in place what they think is what should be right and spread the "truth."

I will attempt an analogy, A child is the best artist in his class, he is brilliant for a kindergardener, but you know, this means that he is sort of crappy by the rest of the world standards. Now, the kids parents are brilliant scientists, they want this child to grow up to be a scientist. So they take away all of his paints and crayons and tells him to go play with a chemistry set...

Now, who's right in this situation??? the parent who wants their kid to grow up and study this highly successful, or the kid that just wants to paint and is good at it???

I don't know all the answers, and clearly, there will always be a debate, but I side with the kid.

So what we preach the word, people find the throuth in said word and convert again it's their choice some of the storngest christian commmunitys on earth are in africa

ok the problem... is that they are working in the name of god to save soles. Thus inevitably changing the cultures and the religions. IF the christians had been charitable b/c they think that charity is important in and of itself that would be different. But when it becomes about conversion it pisses me off.

It's easy to be cynical and dislike missionaries, but the truth is, Christian charities have done a ton for the world. They represent one of the largest charitable organizations on earth. They don't intend to colonialize, which is why you don't see any sort of Christian migration into Africa. This isn't the Crusades, either. It is simply a bunch of people devoting their lives to spreading the Word of God. Good for them.

No we don't want to destroy culture (that was the spanish) just save their souls

NOO!!! you are saying, look at this piece of food or meds or whatevs you have, look it's from the west, look we are good. Listen about our god. Ok, abandon your culture and join ares.

ONE OF US!!! ONE OF US!!!

seriously, I despise missionaries. I think they are scum who ruin everything in an attempt to do good. If you want to do something good, don't do it thru your church!!!

Hey now we are helping those people spiritually as well as physically. and no one is being forced to convert. all we can do is preach the word and if some one chooses to convert that is their decision not some one else's

yup yup yogore, that's exactly where I am coming from... the people who clothe themselves in this self righteousness and are like... blah blah blah... I'm so great I'm going to Africa on a mission trip and blah blah blah... I want to punch them in the face

I agree to an extent. i am all for people traveling to third world contries to help out, but I don't think they should try and convert the civilians. Any form where religious people push their beliefs is wrong, in my opinion. Religion should be a very private thing, and in America it is so apparent what everyone's religion is. For example, Ash Wednesday makes me mad, because the Chrisitans walk around with ashes on their face. It's fine that it's a ritual, but there's no need to show it off everywhere you go.