Missionaries:

the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Q: Is there a problem with proselytism overseas by U.S. religious groups? Isn't sharing one's faith part of religious freedom? When does it cross the line into manipulation and coercion? Missionary proselytization has been an integral part of the two main prophetic religions, Christianity and Islam, since early on in the formation of each. It is precisely the reason they are the two largest religions in the world. It is also one of the darkest and most sinister aspects of religion and one of the main reasons so many people have a negative view of anything to do with religion. The basis and justification for proselytization is an e tremely narrow minded and arrogant assumption! "My religion is the only right one, I have the only truth, all other religions are wrong, and it is my duty to get others to think and believe like me." This belief has been used by Christians and Muslims for more than a millennium to justify the seduction, coercion, torture, and even murder of countless individuals in trying to get them to convert. This does not mean that missionaries as a group have not done many good things for people over the millennia, and some continue to have positive impacts in the lives of the poor and needy. # amples of this can be seen currently in both $aiti and Chile. $owever, the negative actions of those who focus is proselytization far outweigh the positive. %eligion is simultaneously one of the best as well as one of the most destructive of human creations. %eligions have inspired people like Mother Teresa, Mahatma &andhi, and Martin 'uther (ing to selflessly serve others and work to make the world a better place. %eligions have also given rise to an ideology of hatred and have provided justification for the kinds of evils perpetuated by the likes of )urangzeb, $itler, and bin 'aden. *roselytizers are fundamentalists whose ideology divides the world into "believers" and "non+believers." The latter comprise all those who are different, those perceived as the "other." ,ne of the biggest difficulties that we face in this world is our distrust of others, a feeling that leads to fear, hate, and violence. In his -..documentary entitled "/eyond $ate," /ill Moyers addresses concepts such as "insider and outsider," "us and other," etc. and the pivotal role this bifurcated view plays in justifying hatred and violence. *roselytizers thrive on these distinctions, these divisions, drawing sharp lines between their own beliefs and those of everyone else. 0on+believers are seen as lesser, sometimes even as evil, and clearly in need to either being changed or, in the e treme, annihilated. More wars have been fought because of narrow religious doctrine and beliefs than for any other reason, and Christians and Muslims have been at the forefront. /oth their histories are punctuated with wars against people of other religions, and the paths they have followed are riddled with the bodies of millions of innocent victims. 1orced conversions continue, as is evident by events in countries like *akistan, /angladesh, Indonesia, and #gypt. 1undamentalists, irrespective of their chosen ideology, find disagreement difficult to allow, and violence has increasingly become a common reaction. In addition to the violence in the name of Christianity that was perpetuated during the Crusades and the In2uisitions, a look at the early proselytization efforts in India, the )mericas, and the *acific makes it clear that many missionaries found relatively easy justification for the torture and e ecution of those who refused to become Christian or who challenged their beliefs. )lthough nowadays most Christian proselytizers have renounced such violence, groups like the Manmasi 0ational Christian )rmy in )ssam, India, continue to use threats to force conversion.

Most #uropean and )merican Christian missionaries during the last two centuries in )sia have found offers of food, work, education, and health care to be better methods for gaining converts. In the late -344s, missionaries followed on the heels of the /ritish #ast India Company and began a concerted effort to take over the Indian soul. ,nce the /ritish government took control the country, proselytizers had a relatively free reign to pursue their objectives. )gain, some missionaries did good works, but those focused on proselytization showed little actual concern for the well being of those they sought to convert. Many $indus had hoped that Indian Independence would help curtail the more underhanded activities of the missionaries, but this did not happen. 'ess than a decade after Independence, a government study conducted in central India known as the 0iyogi %eport brought to light many of the underhanded and cynical methods that Christian missionaries were continuing to use. The Indian government did little about it, and as a conse2uence, many of the same tactics remain prevalent. Currently, )mericans donate millions of dollars annually to Christian organizations that advertise charity work they do around the world. 5hile it is true that some organizations do help many people, the assistance of many such groups comes with a price for the people being helped. That is because the real focus of most missionaries is on their proselytization efforts, for which a significant portion of the money is used. 1ar too often, their activities have absolutely nothing to do with spirituality or real charity, and everything to do with getting names and numbers of converts, so the missionaries can go back to their funding agencies and supporters and ask for continued finances for their claimed "successes." In India, missionaries tell their supporters in the 6.7. that they provide free or ine pensive services to the needy. $owever, once initial assistance is given, then conditions are often added for subse2uent help. If free education is provided, conversion may then be a re2uirement for its continuance past a certain point. If aid is in the form of health care, then the 2uality of care or type of medicine and treatment available may be determined by one8s willingness to convert. This becomes a serious and difficult issue for parents who bring a sick or injured child to a missionary hospital. They may be told that the necessary care is only given to Christians, or that the re2uired medicines "will only work" on Christians. 1or those who do convert in order to receive needed care, they may well be pressured to then convert other family members or else lose whatever aid they are receiving. I have seen families torn apart by such missionary activities in Central India where I conduct research. )gain, this is not what all missionaries do, but these are fairly common occurrences. In his "7eeds of Contemplation," the late Catholic Trappist monk and mystic Thomas Merton warns about those with spiritual pride who think of themselves as having the truth and humility while others do not, who think they are suffering for &od8s sake but deep inside are becoming full of pride in their supposed sanctity, who think that everyone else must adhere to their truth. Merton writes that when such an individual thinks that "he is messenger of &od or a man with a mission to reform the world. . . $e is capable of destroying religion and making the name of &od odious to men." I am a strong supporter of freedom of religion. Most proselytizers are not. They want the freedom to coerce vulnerable and gullible individuals into converting, and they can justify many nefarious methods to accomplish their goal. 0o matter how well intentioned, any attempts to push a religious belief or denomination on someone ultimately benefits no one and demeans the religion in the process. If missionaries actually have something of genuine worth and value, why do they need to seduce, coerce, or threaten people to get them to accept it9 Maybe their methods suggest that what they have to offer is not that worthwhile.

'amb, %amdas. "Missionaries! the good, the bad, and the ugly." The Washington Post : March ;4-4. 5eb.