In November of last year, John Chau, a 26 year old American, tried to visit North Sentinel island, part of the Andamar archipelago in the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar. There lives a small population that has no contact with the outside world, one of the few remaining, and the Indian government had legislated to prohibit visits to the island to protect its inhabitants, or the ones that are left after diseases introduced to them by foreigners who had previously tried to visit.
He went to the island three times in two days, threatened each time, and by the third time he was killed.
What do you think? Do his actions make sense?
Just imagine the scene, the first time he reached the shore, some inhabitants ran towards him shouting words in their language. He was still in his kayak, and shouted back (in English, naturally) that his name was John, that he loved them and the Jesus also loved them.
I don’t think he was lying, but do you think that any word he said had, or could have had, and positive impact? If they had understood anything from what he said, or were in a position to understand, then there would have been some hope of developing some intelligent conversation, however the chance of this happening was zero.
Chau’s strategy was clear from what he had written the day before he was killed “You guys might think I’m crazy in all this but I think it’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people.’ In other words, he was going to do everything he could to make them hear the name of Jesus, and in fact he did so within ten seconds of contacting them.
Chau is right to imagine some of those reading his story thinking he was crazy. I’m one of those thinking he was crazy, and pathetic and deluded too, God have mercy on his soul.
There are ways and means to proclaim God. Jesus did not tell us to treat everyone who does not share our faith as an imbecile, or that necessarily lives with Satan if they don’t have a church and go to mass. How long shall we continue considering those having a different value system to ours, perhaps expressed in different terms to ours, and curious practices (to our eyes), as inferior to ours and that we have (or should have) a mission to bring everyone to be in agreement with us?
I have no doubt with the good intentions of missionaries of this type, and missionaries there have been, and still are, in the hundreds of thousands, and those of other religions too, but good intentions are not enough.
These fervent attempts to convert people come what may, do more damage than do good. Here in Australia, there are as many stories as you like about missionaries who took aboriginal people, usually young children, and gave them no choice but to learn a language, culture and religion that was completely alien to their own, forced to separate from their families and communities, and today are referred to as the Stolen Generation, who suffered an incredible trauma whose effects have long been and will continue to be felt for decades.
A good conversion occurs when one gives witness to his beliefs through his actions, with useful and altruistic work, an open heart, empathy, words of comfort and a ready ear. When others sees this witness, noting its positive attributes especially when compared to the rest of society, and asks what is driving it, then one can talk about the faith that inspires the action. A mature, sincere and free conversion can then come about.
--------------------------
F’Novembru tas-sena l-oħra, John Chau, Amerikan ta’ 26 sena, ipprova jmur fil-gżira North Sentinel, parti mill-arċipelgu Andamar fil-Bajja tal-Bengal bejn l-Indja u Myanmar. Hemmhekk tgħix popolazzjoni żgħira li m’għanda l-ebda kuntatt mad-dinja, waħda mill-ftit li baqa’, u l-gvern Indjan kien għadda liġi li jipprojbixxi li wieħed iżur lill-gżira biex jipproteġi lill-abitanti, jew dawk li baqa’ wara l-mard li kien introdott lilhom minn barranin oħra li kienu ppruvaw iżuruhom.
Niżel tliet darbiet fuq il-gżira f’temp ta’ jumejn, kien mhedded kull darba minnhom u mat-tielet darba inqatel.
Intom x’taħsbu? Dak li għamel fil-fatt jagħmel sens?
Immaġinaw ftit ix-xena, l-ewwel darba li resaq lejn ix-xatt, u xi abitanti qabdu jiġru lejh jgħajtu b’xi lingwa tagħhom. Hu kien għadu fil-kajjik, u għajjat lura (bl-Ingliż, naturalment), li jismu John, li jħobbhom u li Ġesù kien iħobbhom ukoll.
Jien ma naħsibx li kien qiegħed jigdeb, imma taħsbu li xi kelma milli qal kellha, jew seta’ jkollha, kwalunkwe impatt pożittiv? Kieku fehmu xi ħaġa milli qal, jew kienu f’pożizzjoni li jifhmu, kieku kien ikun hemm xi tama li jiżviluppa xi djalogu intelliġenti, imma ċans ta’ dan kien hemm żero.
L-istrateġija ta’ Chau kienet ċara minn dak li kiteb il-ġurnata qabel ma nqatel “Intom forsi taħsbu li jien miġnun f’dan kollu imma naħseb li hemm valur meta tiddikjara lil Ġesù lil dawn in-nies”. Fi kliem ieħor, kien se jagħmel minn kollox li jsemmalhom l-isem ta’ Ġesù, u fil-fatt għamel dan fl-ewwel għaxar sekondi tal-kuntatt magħhom.
Għandu raġun Chau jimmaġina lil uħud minn dawk li jaqraw fuq l-istorja tiegħu jaħsbu li huwa miġnun. Jien wieħed dawk li jaħsbu li kien miġnun, u patetiku u illuż ukoll, Alla jaħfirlu.
Hemm mod u mod kif ixxandar ‘l Alla. Ġesù ma qalilniex biex nittrattaw lil kulħadd li m’għandux l-istess twemmin tagħna bħala imbeċilli, jew li neċessarjament qiegħed jgħix f’post ix-xitan għax m’għandhomx knisja u jmorru l-quddies. Kemm se ndumu nikkonsidraw lil dawk li għandhom skala ta’ valuri differenti minn tagħhna, forsi espressi b’termini differenti minn tagħna, u prattiċi (għalina) kurjużi, li huma inferjuri għalina u li għandna (jew għandu jkollna) missjoni li nġibu lil kulħadd jaqbel magħna?
Jien m’għandix dubju mill-intenzjonijiet tajba ta’ missjunarji ta’ dan it-tip, u missjunarji kien hawn, u għad hawn, mijiet tal-eluf, u ta’ reliġjonijiet oħra wkoll, imma l-intenzjonijiet tajba mhumiex biżżejjed.
Dawn l-attentati ferventi li nikkonvertu lin-nies akkost ta’ kollox ħsara jagħmlu u mhux ġid. Hawnhekk l-Awstralja, hawn stejjer kemm trid ta’ missjonijiet fejn kienu jittieħdu nies aboriġeni, aktarx tfal żgħar, fejn ma kellhomx għażla ħlief li jitgħallmu lingwa, kultura u reliġjon kompletament aljena għalihom, mġiegħla jisseparaw mill-familji u l-komunitajiet tagħhom, illum jissejħu ġenerazzjonijiet misruqa, li ġarrbu trawma inkredibbli fuqhom li l-effetti tagħha ilhom u jibqgħu iħossu għal għexieren ta’ snin.
Il-konverżjoni tajba sseħħ meta wieħed jagħti xhieda ta’ dak li jemmen b’għemil tajjeb, xogħol fejjiedi u altruista, qalb miftuħa, empatija, kliem ta’ faraġ u widna lesta li tisma’. Meta ħaddieħor jara din ix-xhieda, jinnota l-attribwiti pożittivi tagħha speċjalment meta mqabbla mal-bqija tas-soċjetà, u jistaqsi mnejn sa fejn kienet ġejja, imbagħad wieħed jista’ jitkellem fuq it-twemmin li jispira din l-azzjoni. Konverżjoni matura, sinċiera u libera tista’ mbagħad isseħħ.
1Mt 28:19
2https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/03/john-chau-christian-missionary-death-sentinelese, retrieved 5/2/2019
3Lk 10:25-37
1Mt 28:19
2https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/03/john-chau-christian-missionary-death-sentinelese, retrieved 5/2/2019
3Lk 10:25-37
No comments:
Post a Comment