The missionaries working in the Congo have been having a hard time spreading the faith when there are bullets flying over their heads. The Congo is in a constant state of turmoil because it is infested with violence. The Congo needs as much help as it can get, not only from missionaries but also doctors and teachers. “Everywhere in the Congo, Africans begged missionaries to stay on. In several areas, crowds kept evacuation planes from landing in order to forestall the departure of their doctors and teachers.” http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869676,00.html#ixzz0nC7Iw0U1. The state of the Congo gets so bad on a regular basis that some of the volunteers must evacuate immediately or they will die. The inhabitants obviously need the volunteer’s help the most when there is an emergency or a large act of destruction. The inhabitants prevent the volunteers from leaving any way they can. This is putting the volunteers’ lives in danger.
I believe that the missionaries are just as important as the other volunteers in the Congo, which include doctors and teachers. The doctors are there to save lives and help the injured but the missionaries are there to spread God’s message. If the missionaries do an outstanding job then peace and love will thrive in the Congo. The violence can be stopped through Christianity. The country is in a state of chaos and Christianity seems to provide hope to the Congolese. Christianity lets the suffering victims believe there is an after life. This means they have something to live for, something to keep them going in such a depressing state. Christianity also teaches morals and shows the Congolese how to act towards each other.
When the missionaries pull out in a state of emergency the Africans have to continue with Christianity so it can flourish. Reverend Glenn Murray, who is a missionary in the Congo, says "This whole thing will work out best for the church. It was very difficult to pull out and leave them, but now the Africans will have to take over the church themselves and accept responsibility, and perhaps they will develop it into even a more worthwhile thing than we could.” http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869676,00.html#ixzz0nC9N4NFM
The missionaries are important in the Congo since they teach them the fundamentals of Christianity which provide lessons on respect and righteous living. Although the missionaries are spreading the word of God it is up to the Congolese to interpret and apply these lessons to their lives, and maybe through this they can stop the violence.
FILIP
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~Hey there Fil.
ReplyDelete~You brought up a bunch of interesting points. I liked the idea of Christianity being the Congolese people's superhero fighting against the authoritative villian--But who is to say that the Congolese aggressors are not Christians themselves.
~If they are Christian, an increasing quantity of missionaries in the region would not improve the state of the region because they need to change their strategy of spreading Christianity. Do not get me wrong, they do exellent work to help the common people of the Congo but this is only because they only interact with the common people of the Congo. Instead, they run away when there is any slight sign of aggression from the Congolese people. Like you said, they are evacuated on escape planes to ensure their own safety. This shows that they are afrid of dealing with the government. How do they expect to use Christianity to solve the big problem if they are only communicating their message to one side of the population involved in the problem?
~If they want to make a difference they need to stop fearfully leading one side, and start confidently teaching both sides.
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Mark
Ideally, the state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo would be in much better shape if the beliefs and teachings of Christianity were to work their way in to the everyday lives of the Congolese. That, I believe, is the duty of the Christian missionaries who risk their lives to help the people of the DRC. Though they not be able to stop the violence and crime altogether, they give hope and love to the people who need it most.
ReplyDeleteMark Contikitikitembo, I'd have to disagree with you. To say that the Christian volunteers run away "when there is any sign of aggression" is an incorrect generalization. Many priests and Christians have been killed and taken hostage during their time in the DRC. They did not run in the face of danger or evil.
However, I do agree with Rev. Glenn Murray's beliefs mentioned within Fil's post. It's true that the work of a missionary can only go so far. In the same way that God trusts us to carry out his will, the missionaries must eventually leave and entrust the Congolese with the responsibility of taking care of each other.
I must say that I agree with Fil and AJ and this topic. The fact is that although some harm may come from it, Christianity has played an important and positive role in the Congo. I believe that these missionaries give hope to the Congolese through the idea of God. This idea can be explained more thoroughly as a comparison between Jesus and Santa Claus. Children are taught to believe that if they behave throughout the year, Santa Claus will reward them with gifts on Christmas. Now similarly, Christians are taught to believe that if they live life according to the teachings of God, they will be rewarded with his presence in heaven. That is why missionaries would be effective in helping end violence in the Congo. The Congolese will be under the influence that they will enter the kingdom of heaven as long as they follow God’s rule. In my opinion, this is mass delusion being used positively. Basically, Christianity can convince the inhabitants of the Congo that there is an invisible man, who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer. But at the same time he loves you. I may be the only person who finds this absurd but if it helps prevent violence then so be it.
ReplyDeleteBut what may occur is that these Congolese possibly will want to be rewarded for their faith while they are still on earth. Then what? Will they still believe in the God that white men have bestowed upon them? For this reason, it is more important that the missionaries help physically than spiritually in the Congo. In my opinion, two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer.
-Tim R
Filip, your topic is extrmemly heart warming. I believe that missionaries sent to the Congo are doing everything in their power to instill faith in their Christian followers and give them hope for the future. Missionaries can only do so much, however, so the people of Congo need to step up and continue to practice their faith and live good Christian lives even after the missionaries leave.
ReplyDeleteHaving a missionary come in and helping for a few days can be extremely beneficial. In my opinion, however, once the missionary leaves the people of the Congo lose faith when they are continually surrounded by violence and cruelty to one another. This itself allows for people to lose faith and commit immoral acts and go against Gods will. If the people of the Congo truly wish to continue to grow in their faith they need to gather together and help each other grow in Christianty and regain hope.