Deaf Baptists embrace unreached Deaf peoples

[Reba]

It's not truly a Deaf person's decision because the Deaf know that they have to accept the religious teachings in order to get any services.

None of the missions we support operate that way. They provide services of all kinds to all people whether they are believers or not.

 

[Daredevel7]

And believe me, the last thing they were doing was driving around in new cars and such, as someone mentioned upstream. None of the missionary families were living in much luxury, at all.

Just wanted to clarify... when I say new/rich cars, they may not seem new/rich to US, but to THEM? Any car is still a luxury to them.

Also want to clarify that I did not mean to imply that missionaries are not hard working, generous, kind, caring, and so on. I am sure most, if not all, of them are.

However, there is also a reason why the term "well meaning" exists.

 

[jillio]

U.S. missionaries have a symbiotic relationship with the Deaf. Missions are scrambling for money (like everyone right now in this bad economy), and they count on hearing people providing resources to support the missionaries gainful employment working with the Deaf. Not like anyone is getting rich doing missionary work but it does require money.

It's not truly a Deaf person's decision because the Deaf know that they have to accept the religious teachings in order to get any services.

Exactly. As it is anytime that offers assistance where it has not been requested.

 

[jillio]

Just wanted to clarify... when I say new/rich cars, they may not seem new/rich to US, but to THEM? Any car is still a luxury to them.

Also want to clarify that I did not mean to imply that missionaries are not hard working, generous, kind, caring, and so on. I am sure most, if not all, of them are.

However, there is also a reason why the term "well meaning" exists.

Agreed. They are perhaps none of the things you listed. However, they are, more often than not, misguided.

 

[jillio]

And they know what they're going to get if they go to a Baptist food pantry. If they weren't at least a little receptive to the idea, they would go elsewhere.

When I lived in Africa, I got to know some of the Baptist missionaries there. (I'm not Baptist myself.) They were incredibly hard-working, very dedicated to their work, and were all-around good people. The people in the church groups they supported absolutely adored them. Some had been living in Africa for close to 30 years; it was more "home" to them than the U.S. was, at that point.

And believe me, the last thing they were doing was driving around in new cars and such, as someone mentioned upstream. None of the missionary families were living in much luxury, at all.

Oh, yeah. There is a lot of choice in which food pantry one goes to in Africa.:roll:

 

[jillio]

Under the SBC - no one is forced to accept 'the teaching' in order to receive services, but it is given each time people come. We have a food pantry in our church and we give to those in emergency situations (IE they have young children at home and one or both of the parents lost their job and there is no income and no food in the house) They give enough food to last about a week so they can use that until they are able to get WIC or FoodStamps from the DHS. Each time someone comes in asking for help, they are presented with the gospel and they can choose to accept the message or not. Either way, we still send them home with food. We don't let them leave empty handed.

This is not the same as dealing cross culturally with other populations.

 

[Dixie]

This is not the same as dealing cross culturally with other populations.

We have a lot of Hispanics come in asking for help, especially when PJP closed. It was hard seeing my friends from work having to go into our church feeling ashamed because they landed on hard times and was having to accept handouts despite being able to steadily support themselves for the last 10-15 years.

To me, Christianity is cross-cultural. One thing that has opened my eyes on the subject of mission work eradicating certain cultures was reading the book 'The Things Fall Apart.' That's a good example of what missionaries should and should not do.

IMO, you shouldn't force a person to change their cultural traditions. I don't want to lose traditions and cultures any more than you do, but on the same hand missionaries also brought education and healthcare to these people that otherwise might not have ever had it. The longevity of these tribes and villages has increased, thus their traditions and culture continue to live on. JMHO.

 

[Beach girl]

Oh, yeah. There is a lot of choice in which food pantry one goes to in Africa.:roll:

We were talking about the food pantry Dixie's church runs in the United States.

 

[jillio]

We have a lot of Hispanics come in asking for help, especially when PJP closed. It was hard seeing my friends from work having to go into our church feeling ashamed because they landed on hard times and was having to accept handouts despite being able to steadily support themselves for the last 10-15 years.

To me, Christianity is cross-cultural. One thing that has opened my eyes on the subject of mission work eradicating certain cultures was reading the book 'The Things Fall Apart.' That's a good example of what missionaries should and should not do.

IMO, you shouldn't force a person to change their cultural traditions. I don't want to lose traditions and cultures any more than you do, but on the same hand missionaries also brought education and healthcare to these people that otherwise might not have ever had it. The longevity of these tribes and villages has increased, thus their traditions and culture continue to live on. JMHO.

The difference is they are coming to you asking for help.
And they are asking for a specific type of help.

Education and health care can be brought to these countries without feeling one also has to show them "The Way" to everlasting salvation. That is the point.

 

[jillio]

We were talking about the food pantry Dixie's church runs in the United States.

Then you need to take another look at the thread. It is much more globally focused than that.

But you might want to check around. There is not a great deal of choice regarding food pantries in most areas of the U.S., either.

 

[sallylou]

Wirelessly posted (droid)

I did not write about any specific religion. My comment was a general comment about the power structure inherent in these relationships. It is not my intent to criticize any one's particular religion or beliefs.
Whenever there is a disparity of power, the potential of overreach and abuse exists. And in our society, some disparity of power exists more often than not.

 

[Reba]

...Education and health care can be brought to these countries without feeling one also has to show them "The Way" to everlasting salvation. That is the point.

So, your only real problem with missionary work is that they "show them 'The Way' to everlasting salvation." You don't have any problem with secular groups who deliver education and health care to other cultures, even if it changes their culture?

 

[jillio]

So, your only real problem with missionary work is that they "show them 'The Way' to everlasting salvation." You don't have any problem with secular groups who deliver education and health care to other cultures, even if it changes their culture?

If they are providing services in such a way as demonstrates a lack of respect for the indigenous group's culture, belief system, and social structure, then yes, I have a problem with them, too. However, rarely is a secular group's motive to change the belief system of an indigineous group.

 

[Reba]

If they are providing services in such a way as demonstrates a lack of respect for the indigenous group's culture, belief system, and social structure, then yes, I have a problem with them, too. However, rarely is a secular group's motive to change the belief system of an indigineous group.

I think you'd better check your facts about what actually happens with both groups. Especially with UN aid.

 

[Beach girl]

Exactly. The whole point of quite a bit of aid is to change the belief systems of indigenous groups. To support girls getting an education, for instance. To stop female genital mutilation. To support birth-control efforts. To counteract sex trafficking of girls and young women.

A lot of health and human service aid goes directly in the face of long-held beliefs of many indigenous groups.

 

[Daredevel7]

I think you'd better check your facts about what actually happens with both groups. Especially with UN aid.

Just so I am clear on your stance...

Do you believe that:

Missionary work (that you like/approve) do NOT influence culture?

OR

Everything that comes into contact with those types of people somehow influences their culture ANYWAY, so might as well offer them the teaching of the Gospel?

 

[jillio]

I think you'd better check your facts about what actually happens with both groups. Especially with UN aid.

UN does not go in with the intent of promoting specific religous belief systems.

 

[jillio]

Exactly. The whole point of quite a bit of aid is to change the belief systems of indigenous groups. To support girls getting an education, for instance. To stop female genital mutilation. To support birth-control efforts. To counteract sex trafficking of girls and young women.

A lot of health and human service aid goes directly in the face of long-held beliefs of many indigenous groups.

I completely disagree with that. This aid is not being provided from an ethnocentric perpsective. This aid is not being provided with the specific intent of "saving souls through the preaching of the Gospel". This aid does not promote one specific religious doctrine over all others.

Assisting a culture in advancing based on their specific cultural perspective is quite different than lacking consideration for the culture's religious beliefs. Everyone can see the advantage of improved health care or food provided to areas where people are starving. That is humanitarian aid. However, preaching to them about your own religious belief system as being superior to their own does fall into the category of humanitarian aid.

 

[Reba]

Just so I am clear on your stance...

Do you believe that:

Missionary work (that you like/approve) do NOT influence culture?

If it influences the people, it most likely will influence their culture. Sometimes missionary work has no influence on the people, sometimes it has much influence, over time.

Cultures include not just remote tribes but also American and European "Western" cultures and subcultures.

Everything that comes into contact with those types of people somehow influences their culture ANYWAY, so might as well offer them the teaching of the Gospel?

That is true that contacts with other "outsiders" can also influence the indigenous cultures, and not always for the better.

But it's not a "teach them the Gospel anyway" viewpoint. Those who are missionaries go with the purpose of spreading the Gospel. It's the main purpose, and not something tacked on to some other goal.

For my posts about missionary work in this thread, I'm referring only to the ones that I would support. I can't speak for the missionaries of other religions. I don't know what they do.

 

[Reba]

UN does not go in with the intent of promoting specific religous belief systems.

Are you aware of the destruction that is often wreaked by UN workers? If you are concerned about cultures being wiped out, you should be concerned about the things that the UN does in Third World countries.

And they do try to influence belief systems and cultures.