Play

The first problem was that she was doing to us the very same thing she was faulting the missionaries for doing.  In other words, she believed her way of thinking was the right way, and that missionaries should abandon their beliefs to follow her way, which of course is exactly what missionaries are doing.  Ironically, she was acting like a missionary to us, trying to evangelize us and convert us to her way of thinking, in the process doing the very thing she claimed to despise.  If she were truly tolerant, she would have had no problem letting missionaries do their thing, since in a tolerant society everyone should be free to believe whatever they want to believe, even if that belief leads to converting others.

Secondly, she saw the goal of missions as converting people to our way of life and thinking and in the process destroying the native culture, when in reality much of missions is all about lifting up and celebrating the native culture while helping them to learn the gospel of Jesus in a way that does not destroy community.  Think of the Paynes, missionaries we support, who are helping a tribe in Africa develop their own alphabet and written language.  Missionaries are often very positive influences on the cultures they visit. 

Thirdly, my Teacher’s Assistant neglected to realize that religions are not the only group of people trying to spread their influence around the globe.  Corporations like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s are influencing the world, and doing a lot more harm to native cultures than any missionary ever would.  Foreign cultures are being reached by the industrialized world; it’s just a question of whether they will be reached by people who want to exploit them or by people who want to serve them.

And lastly, if she really believes that we should live and let live, then she had better prepared to allow things like cannibalism, incest, genital mutilation, polygamy, and anything else practiced by other cultures that we see as morally wrong to continue.  After all, would it not be evil and arrogant to force her beliefs on another culture, just because she thinks she is right and they are wrong?  Would that not make her just like those missionaries she despises?