How Does Faith Relate to the World in Which we Live?

Although there are people in the world who believe faith is only about religion, and believe that having faith in something that cannot be seen or proven is believing in stories such as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy and view faith as something for the weak-minded and the foolish. However what one does not realize is that faith is around us everywhere. If we think about things in our lives we cannot direct and manipulate; a train for instance. Every weekend when I board the KTX I have faith this machine will drag its contents and passengers to their destination. I also have faith that the conductor has paid attention when being taught how to operate the machine. As well as this I have faith the conductor will not allow the train to slide off the tracks. These things are tangible though, we can see the train moving.

The skeptics and cynics may state the obvious, that this is clearly based upon science and education. Science applies itself by the mechanics of making the train move. Education is what taught the conductor to keep the train moving. What we forget is that we once had faith that these would work, and not only until we tested out faith (theories) that we knew the train would move. Yes science and knowledge are key factors when thinking of trains and cars, but then that makes me question emotions. I have faith that my mother loves me unconditionally. Even the strongest Atheist would agree love is present in our world. I can not physically see my mothers love, because my mother hugs me is no proof she loves me. Love is based on faith there is no way to prove it in tangible means. Almost all religions when broken down come to an assumption and belief in love. And this comes down to faith.

Even if I deny faith when it is exercised through religion, I still have faith just as everyone in the world does. The world has intangible faith. Faith is something beyond every one's control, which means we believe in something we cannot prove. Many aspects of religion are pleasant thoughts such as someone always listening to you, heaven, merit points for being "good" however faith truly boils down to believing in something bigger than oneself when it come to 'religious faith and the world.'

Faith is believing in the not yet proven. It is trusting and it is loving. Faith reminds me of the "trust game" where you fall back into your partners arms and have faith they will catch you. Not having faith is choosing to not listen and participate in the world around you. Faith does not have to be religious however can be in the simplest form such as knowing that tomorrow your cell phone will work or that the burger joint will have french fries.

What do mission organizations do?

What does being a missionary mean? What is their mission? These are a couple of the questions I inquired about when reading the question of what a mission organization does.
When I did some research, it seems that mission organizations, Christians, Churches as well as missionaries do not hold the same views and cannot comply on what God has asked them to do in their missions. Let's start simple; a missisonary is a follower of Jesus called to go into an unknown culture and spread evangelism or other activities, "as educational or hospital work". And this is true for many mission organizations. Usually this is done in the form of preaching - or translating the Testament into Sawi- and "church planting". This would be very worthy to respect for most, if not all, Christians.

Before one can be a missionary, they must have attended Bible school as well as have sufficient funding - to support the organization. Bible school is a must because it is known that missionaries preach, and this is what the world view is when asked " What do mission organizations do?" My first answer would have been, 'they go to foreign lands and preach the word of God.' However, going through many testaments of missionaries it seems Bible school and preaching is not first on their list - showing their love and Jesus' love to orphans, youth, and the uneducated is what it's really about for them. Which in many ways is meritable. A lot of these mission organizations are sending missionaries out to demonstrate God's love to people, not by preaching to them or judging them, but rather by loving them and exhibiting the way to lead a better life. Many mission organizations still follow a more traditional approach by "church planting" and preaching.

I believe that mission organization need to have a greater cause other then converting people to Christianity and what they believe is "right" A true Christian based organization - in my opinion- should be showing the people how to live a better life by demonstrating to them how to love each other. And that was Jesus' true message - Love one another.

"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth...Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable."

-- Kahlil Gibran

Choose a passage from the story which held significance to you and comment on it.

"You may be called upon to make the first advance into the midst of entire tribes that have never known any kind of government control, where people are a law unto themselves and where savagery is the way of life..." (page 69/70)

This passage intrigued me in the novel "Peace Child" because it shows how an untouched, uncivilized culture without law accepts and embraces cruelty, and demonstrates that treachery is honoured. Is demonic behaviour man's instinct and natural way of being? This made me question the impulses which exist among human beings; should we live by the rules, in a peaceful way? Or seek out instant gratification through violence to exhibit our sovereignty among others? In the case of the Sawi tribe and Don Richardson it is savagery vs. civilization. Because of the way I've been raised (back to the world of cell phones and french fries) I have been accustomed and been persuaded to believe that savagery is evil and the civilized world is good - much like Tolstoy's belief where Christ is light and secularism is darkness. Today we think we are decent, 'we are the kind of people who would never dismount and perform sadistic cruel practices.' We only know what we know - the passage strained the wheels turning in my head. Would I too have been like the Sawi if I had been born into the world lacking government control? Do you think you would have adapted to their way way of life - or do you strongly believe you have a moral compass within you which would have led you in the right direction?

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

-Article 1 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

What should society do for uncivilized cultures like the Sawi?

I believe we should only interfere with uncivilized nations as a last resort or if they are harming each other - such as the Sawi practice of Cannibalism and fattening for friendship. There is no doubt that the 'modern' world has much to offer the 'stone tribes' living vastly among the world, however I do not agree with forcing our beliefs among others. Christopher Columbus was the first person to set foot in the New World...not including the inhabitants which had been there for at least 10 000 years. In a diary entry he wrote :

"October 12, 1492:
It appears to me, that the people are ingenious, and would be good servants and I am of opinion that they would very readily become Christians, as they appear to have no religion."

It seems as if Don Richardson is a modern day Christopher Columbus. Maybe he too will one day have a day marked in his name among the tribes of the Irian jungle. I do not agree with him going to the Sawi tribes and telling them the way life ought to be lived. Believing in Jesus is not instinct - not wanting to die is. He could have taught morals and ethics to the people through the stories of the bible however not have told the people that they are real. Society is becoming blindly fanatical and narcissistic. Richardson compares himself to Jesus and John the Baptist many times in this novel. "John the Baptist's communication problem was a cinch compared to mine...It looked as though God had led me to the end of the earth and left me alone to grapple with a problem greater than and He had ever required prophets or apostles to face." Don Richardson is representing the way society would go in there - for their own interest. The traders go into these uncivilized tribes looking for raw materials which prove useful to them, missionaries enter these cultures hoping to convert some 'savages.' Everyone seems to be in it for their own interest.

Society should expose these uncivilized communities to the modern way of life - which they (most likely) may one day join. Society should also help them with their material needs. However if they are comfortable with their culture and choose not to join ours we should leave them alone. If they are 'performing' another Rwanda, that is when we should use force and power and not sit back and watch the destruction and slaying of the people. By instinct the human body will fight to survive - this is why force must be issued if they do not follow this basic instinct. Overall education should be provided to all uncivilized and civilized nations - because this is how we will one day all unite in the world of cellphones and french fries - whether we like it or not.

How do you relate to faith?

Now here is a question that has come up since the Golden Age; What is faith? Opportunely we now have the Webster's dictionary, and it will state that faith is '1. A strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny 2. Complete confidence in a person or plan 3. Institution to express belief in a divine power 4.Loyalty or allegiance to a cause or a person'

TCIS has been one of the most impressionable religious experiences of my youth. I have never questioned God so much in my entire life, because I had never really had to think about God or the whole blind faith that goes along with it. I have always been a skeptic and remain a secularist. However, seeing the faith that rises over the Christian community compelled me to gain knowledge and introduce myself to the Bible. My faith- or lack of it- prefers to read the Bible as if it were written by man rather than a supernatural being. One does not have to read the Bible and soak in its literal truth to appreciate the authors visions. To me, the Bible widens a world of morals and teachings, an understanding towards human nature, and most importantly for me it is a literary gift given to humanity from the translations made in the 17Th century.

I do not understand when people tell me they are praying for me to gain faith in God. There is not a specific moment when I stopped believing in God. I stopped believing because of the lack of evidence, for the same reasons I stopped believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. To me God is an energy which surrounds all living things - maybe to me God is just atoms. I do not ponder the unwarranted, immoral acts of the world, I am able to see everything as a result of nature and logic or as a result of human nature. The greatest gift man has been given is the ability to think and with that ability can come change. Don Richardson brought about change, and his ability to think and use his faith helped him do this. Some people need faith, it helps them along and makes the world a better place. But for me? ...I prefer the term free thinker.