Missionary
Missionaries are representatives of a religion, sometimes dispatched by a power structure, as with Mormon or Catholic missionaries, sometimes self-appointed, to travel to a distant location and convert the complete strangers that live there to their religion. Missionaries are frequently, but not always, associated with charitable programs as well. There have been some cases where these "charitable" missionaries have demanded a conversion before providing relief for disasters.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Christianity
Activities of Christian missionaries can encompass a wide range of activities, often involving some mixture of them. Notable activities are: medical (e.g., World Medical Mission), humanitarian (e.g., The Christian Alliance For Humanitarian Aid), education, aviation (Mission Aviation Fellowship), linguistic (SIL International), as well as strict proselytizing. Sometimes these organizations really do important charitable work, other times its just a cover to get more bodies on the tally sheet for Jesus.
SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics, based in Texas), was accused of being a front for the CIA in several countries,[2] and was evicted from several countries in Latin America for this.
[edit] Missionaries in Mormonism
The LDS church is particularly noted for its numerous missionaries, as all male Mormons are expected to spend an entire year "on mission" to a destination of the Church's choosing upon reaching the age of majority. These missionaries are expected to adhere to a strict set of behaviors, and are trained to emotionally manipulate their targets in various ways.
[edit] Islam
Islam also has a long history of missionary activity. In recent times, this has largely taken the form of Islamic education centers.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ an example
- ↑ Misperceptions, Missionaries And The CIA Colby & Dennett's letter to the Los Angeles Times regarding a review of their book Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon : Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil