Doesn't evangelism go too far when it dominates the native belief systems and seeks to replace them where it conflicts with tenets of Christianity?
124579
untill Christian missionaries destroy local culture they can not make non christian accept christian concepts. why some one living in india or america will call the bible people as his ancesters . they can be sympathetic with jesus but how are they going to accept the idea of original sin and his sacrifice. this is alien thought for others born in nonsemetic cultures.\n\nit is great if they want to go and build hospitals and feed the poor and so on, but they do not do this out of pure motives. It is like a bribe. They will feed you in turn for your soul. And of course, it is never open-minded Christians that go on these missions. It is always the closed-minded ones that believe the native religions are Satanic and hellbound.\n\n\nchurches in north east india has destroyed local culture totaly within last 200 years and still activelly engaged in it.\n\nJesus was presented as “Christus Victor” or Jesus Christ the Conqueror (of all evil spirits).The belief of the Ao Naga people in life after death was linked to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. To this day, missionaries use theological deceit for conversion. They have been guilty of substituting the names of Ram and Krishna in the popular baar-geets of legendary Assamese Saint Sanardeva with the name of Jesus. When the local Vaishnava Sabha reacted angrily, they had to withdraw the offending stanzas. \n\nImposition of Roman script: The first thing that missionaries did when beginning work among a new tribe was to reduce its language to writing. This the missionaries did to enable people to read the Bible.The imposition of the Roman script has on occasion been at gunpoint. On august 21, 2000, terrorists of the Church backed National Democratic Front of Bodoland gunned down Shri Bineshwar Brahma, president of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha. His only crime was that he favored the use of Devanagari script for the Bodo language. \nMany reports have come of how Church congregations use harassment, ostracism and other forms of force to increase their flock. Non-converted portions of a family land into disputes with neo-Christian portions over funeral customs, ownership of land and other matters and this result in clashes between groups which newspapers promptly label as anti–Christian acts, whereas these are often clashes between converted and non-converted tribals.\n\nchristians mssionaries in India have often been a divisive force, which used the tribals for advocating a breaking-up of the country. Today, Christian terrorists feel emboldened to use the gun to force Jesus down the throats of unwilling tribals.\n\nmissionaries actively involve in bad mouthing local relegions. last year a mr cooper came on tourist visa. he not only violated visa rules he went on to call krishna a satan and that krishna is the cause of AIDS.that is how they act in tolerant societies. they keep on behaving outragiously for conversion and when locals react even a bit they call it christian persecution. \n\nChristianity is a money making buissness. and the bonus is ego satisfaction that because others have accepted our belief it proves we were better to start with.\n\nin some areas incidents came up where school was distributing booklets criticising hinduism and in the end children of primary schools were asked to sign the last page and accept that they are sinners. when parents protested christians called it attack on their freedom of exercising their faith and freedom of spreading it. \n\nmany converts do not even know what they are getting into.\nchurch is called girijaghar(girija = lord shiva's wife, ghar=home). in some tribal areas they replaced mary as godess of camels! \n\nwhat the missionries contributed to american native culture?\n\nthe foremost thing christian missionaries declare in a new country that the locals had no culture or religion. that is if the native religion is unknown to christian world. else it is a satan cult.\n\n JUST READ SOME POSTS HERE. MOST OF THEM REALLY THINK THAT
177906
i think some people use it that way. but that's why true Christianity is so great. it's not really a religion. it's more of a way of life. but i do agree that people manipulate religion and use it as a crutch. it can create rules that make the feel secure, but they can twist the rules to fit what they want to do.
54490
Never forget that many a nation was colonised with the Bible in one hand and the "slave's whip in the other"!!\nThis slavish mentality is splashed across our Tv, Press and other media and influence or lives so much that we just can't live without them!\nTelevangelist do more harm than good  and that is a fact.\nIt is a "rat race" to use the Bible and the church to enrich themselves financially and otherwise and at the same time to wield power by waying the opinion of the masses.\nIt is a sad fact but one that would ahve to be studied carefully and with the passage of time " televengalists" have gone morally from bad to worse and we are yet to see the worst!
88824
The center of Christianity has changed once again.  It started out that the Middle East, especially around Jerusalem, was where Christianity thrived.  That moved to Europe very quickly.  It slowly moved more and more west, from Rome to England and Spain, which brought it to America.  However, now we see more Christians in Africa than in Europe or America.  Is it making a comeback in the U.S.?  I don't know.  In some ways, I suppose.  I don't think Christianity will ever defeat humanism in the West again, though.
228644
No, those are fanatics of christianity.  Christianity is supposed to teach tolerance and acceptance.  A true christian is not supposed to such a thing.  Those people are also close minded morons.  Ignoring them is the best way to handle them.
470648
If they are both Biblical (not dogmatic and legalistic) Christians. I don't see why not.  Cultural differences can be a stumbling block no matter what.  Its up to them to decide whether its worth it.
93150
I'm not sure where you are coming from, particularly in referene to the "details" given, but it is true that Christianity as portreyed in some of these answers does not seem too relevant to the 21st century.  Makes me wonder how representative of Christians they really are, though; perhaps it is the unusually fanatical ones that spend their time answering every question with a Bible reference, and give us all a bad case of the heebee jeebees.  Frankly, I can't see anyone converting to Christianity because someone wrote "God is angry with you" in one of these answers.  I did actually get that line in an answer once.  Imagine the arrogance to speak for God to that extent!
84249
Hi..I'm Indian [Hindu]. I COMPLETELY agree with your irritation at missionaries who go to India and other such countries and do community projects with the agenda to convert the "savages" in mind. It drives me nuts when ignorant crazy people like Pat Robertson go to India, visit religious places and watch sacred ceremonies and then criticize everything, including the most obviously positive aspects of Hinduism, such as its tolerance and the belief that all life is sacred. It is sickening that rather than trying to do good in these underprivileged areas, they are trying to spread their religion like a commercialized gimmick. I think that you may be pleased to know that the VHP [Vishwa Hindu Parishad] has been off late arranging re-conversion drives where converts who are unhappy with Christianity may accept their native religions again. These events are peaceful and voluntary, and allow people to rejoin and become active in their religions again.\nBy the way, I like how the word convert sounds negative even to the people who are attempting to do it. \n\nWhile I have the greatest tolerance for Christianity and respect for some aspects, it sounds ridiculous to those of us who are supposedly on the wrong path to be told that all Christian missionaries are trying to do is spread Jesus' love to us, when we are already given the love and protection of what can be seen as hundreds of different Gods or one force of compassion, forgiveness, kindness, and wealth. \n\nHeron-by-the-sea, thanks for bringing up this issue.. there are other people who feel strongly on these topics as well.
61701
America wants to dominate the world with no limits!\nIt's correct about the wars in our lands that made us hate American policy, and I think no one like to have a war in his region Also you!  But we don't hate Christians or their beliefs.
235850
AN interesting point!\n\nWhich is probably why churches are barely holding their own in the 'self sufficient' countries whilst in the third world churches are growing in numbers like wildfire.
180005
ALL Religions must expel the radical factions in their communities who think it is okay to kill & impose their beliefs on others in the name of GOD. This includes the extreme nutcase evangelical Christians in the USA too.
314846
The more eccentric a religion is the more they need to "push" it onto others.  If you feel that you are constantly being "convinced" about religion, maybe it is time to revisit your faith.
466936
Or what about the tribes in South America who haven't had contact with any outsider. They've never even heard of Jesus. What about them? Are they going to hell? Probably not. That's not really fair is it? Plus, isn't God is all-forgiving and all-loving and all that jazz? Why would he punish the innocent?
367248
Have you never actually READ the Bible --Dude  ??\nDo you not see the consistant rage of war and pillage contained therein ??  A lot of it centering around the very thing you are asking here-- conflict over land ??\nWhat about a Christian ethic thing do you think saves a people from being sucked into conflict and resolution ??\nThe individual Christian is expected to show love and honor toward his or her neighbor and to be charitable  etc etc etc---but they are never expected to be sheep to the slaughter for the conflicts with nations and the well being of their families , friends and soveriegn rights !!!\nOn top of all of this---your description of the events here with Mexico is just simply off base 180 degrees from the facts (as explained by several of the respondants here)
145403
Their book tells them to spread "the word".No matter what they tell us non-Christians,we still have freedom of religion.When this continent was first established,people didn't have that freedom.Christianity was forced on them.Generations later,people of this land are still mostly Christians because the Europeans beliefs passed from generation to generation.It's a parasite.Every area where the Europeans settled,the citizens are  now mostly Christians.However,we still have a right to choose.What makes me upset is when the government base new laws on Christianity.That just pisses me all.If there is freedom of religion in this country,I do not appreciate the government basing new laws on Christianity.
62031
It isn't jsut christian churches, it's ALL of them and the impact hasn't been good at all.  None handled them in a manner that was appropriate and swept them under the carpet.  Tht gave a bad impression to those following the teachings, making it seem hypocritical.  Combined with alot of other things that have gone on this is part of the reason for declining memberships and those turning away from religion.  You can't preach one thing then turn around and do the opposite and expect people to follow.
477470
There's a lot of truth in that, pangel. There are conflicting views and beliefs regarding just about everything, but at some point, ideology and worship of some leader or another takes over and drowns out all reason. Most of the time, that ideology is religion.