this post was submitted on 25 May 2024
127 points (95.0% liked)

World News

38237 readers
2663 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 41 points 2 months ago (6 children)

This is terrible but I don't understand why these missionaries go to violent war zones or areas in a state of anarchy.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Same reason missionaries went to dangerous places in past centuries, I imagine. There are people in need to convert, and the risks aren't all that meaningful if you honestly believe in your message. What's the worst someone can do, kill you? You're in heaven then. It's life that's the difficult and painful period to get through, not what comes afterwards.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 2 months ago

They go to those places because the poor and downtrodden tend to have a higher propensity to want to believe in something that will improve their life. It’s the best place to get converts

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

There is something extremely depressing about that. Knowing that their beliefs aren't real, it is incredibly sad to see two people in their early 20's die for what they believe in. Their one and only life is over because they couldn't mind their own business. There is no heaven, there is no reward. They spread a fairy tale and got murdered, that's the summary of their existence.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Check out the story of John Chau. He spent a year planning and preparing to be the first missionary to visit the North Sentinelese, a virtually uncontacted people. During his first couple (illegal) attempts, they shot arrows at him. He visited again and they killed him.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago (4 children)

The real question here is why American missionaries did it in a country, Haiti, that's over 93% Christian. The U.S. is only 63% Christian.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

Because Haiti is mostly Black and therefore can't be Christian. It must be full of heathens.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I guess maybe they were there more for the humanitarian rather than the religious?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

I seriously doubt it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Because people in the US aren't as desperate and likely to believe in some whacky religious stories.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Haiti is about 70% Catholic, 30% protestant (mostly Pentecoastal), and 100% Voodoo. Which, to US missionaries, means 70% heathens and 30% heretics.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Sure, but the U.S. is 23% Catholic and 37% non-Christian, which makes 60% heathens. It still seems like starting at home first would be the right move.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 months ago

To shove the bible down people's throats, which they insist resolves all earthly issues.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

They were already there. “They made the decision to remain even when it got worse because they felt like if they left, then those kids would have no where to go" Source

They were ambushed by gang members, after helping orphans at a church, in an attempted robbery. They were leaving the church and got attacked on their way home.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Damn, so genuinely good people caught in the crossfire. I don't like how so many commenters are shitting all over them here.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

Because even if they are doing charity work, the real reason they're there is to spread the colonizer's religion and ideas.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago

Vulnerable people are easy to recruit.