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Missionaries in Japan

What is your opinion of foreign missionaries operating in Japan?

  • They are saving the souls of the Japanese infidels.

    Votes: 14 11.0%
  • They are simply offering the Japanese an alternative point of view.

    Votes: 36 28.3%
  • They are harmless as most Japanese avoid/ignore them anyway.

    Votes: 29 22.8%
  • They are naive, aggressive and self-righteous.

    Votes: 41 32.3%
  • They threaten to destroy Japan's unique nature and family-orientated secular culture.

    Votes: 23 18.1%
  • Missionary visas should be withdrawn immediately.

    Votes: 33 26.0%
  • The world would be better off if Japanese culture was more widely spread around the world.

    Votes: 20 15.7%

  • Total voters
    127

Mahoneko

後輩
10 Sep 2004
4
0
11
What is your opinion on foreign missionaries coming into Japan to convert the local infidels?

When I was living in Japan I got quite irritated by the numbers of brainwashed foreign missionaries operating in Japan. DOn't get me wrong I all for freedom of belief, but on encountering these individuals I found them to be generally young, naive and zombie-like. They were generally American and seemed to epitomise the stereotype that the rest of the world has about Americans ( which is a shame, because I also made some great friends among the American ex-pats). I find the Japanese refreshingly innocent of organsied religion, and feel the people and culture is much better off without it. I couldnt help feeling that these missionaries in the unliekly event they achieved success would ruin the fantastic country that Japan is. I also fear that instead of China becoming like Japan, it may, through the influence of these missionaries, end up crippled by organized religion.
 
When I Was There....

I was amazed how you could be in the smallest out of the way town, and run into a Mormon team. I don't think there was an inch of Japan they didn't cover!

Frank

:?
 
Sorry, but I have to say this. If I offend, sorry.

But Mormons are THE SINGLE MOST ANNOYING people when out and about on their missionary cattle quests for new followers.

I was going to work the other day, and three of them came up to me and asked if I wanted to learn the will of God. I said no, but the will of my employer is that I get into work, now. Then they asked if they could come back. I said no. Then they asked if they could have my mobile number, I said not a chance in hell. THEN, they asked why not.

I told them this...

I was born Catholic, I will die Catholic. I love God, despise my religion. But it suits me.

Anyway.

Ant
 
It all depends on how you define "missionary"

Whilst there are a small minority of traditional religious missionaries in Japan, it would also be accurate to say that the vast majority of Westerners in Japan are actually missionaries for spiritually empty secular Western post-modern culture.
 
I have to agree with the rapidly-emerging "Mormon missionaries are annoying" consensus that is forming on this thread.

They seem to be a pretty well-financed group over here. In my city I see them almost everyday on their little bikes with their little nameplates and helmets cornering people who often seem somewhat threatened by having a couple 6ft2 bucktoothed 19 year olds from Salt Lake city confronting them on their religious beleifs while they are on their way back from picking up a tube of toothpaste at the drug store. Hell of a way to market a religion, I can't imagine that they've had much success with it.

They came by my place once while I was outside and didn't have any good hiding places to jump into. They engaged me in about 5 minutes worth of obligatory banter before I excused myself by saying I had to run off to work. They never got into their religious speil, I guess they save it for the Japenese.
 
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I think the alternatives are quite colored by the points of view of the maker of this poll, there is no way to approve of missionaries without calling the japanese people for "infidels". I myself approve very much of missions work all over the world, both in the western world and outside it, but I am very sad that so many missionaries preach their own american/european culture alongside with their faith. I am an active Christian myself, and I think it is almost impossible to be a Christian without wanting to or seeing the need of telling other people about our faith. But still, I am sometimes sad of the way it is done, and especially in Japan this is very visible. Hundreds of different organizations and churches have their own missions work there, and at times it seems more like business-branching than anything else. But I believe it is possible to wish for Japanese people to get to know Jesus, without wanting them to become Americans, throw away all of their Japanese culture or seeing them as "infidels".
 
stephenmunday said:
Whilst there are a small minority of traditional religious missionaries in Japan, it would also be accurate to say that the vast majority of Westerners in Japan are actually missionaries for spiritually empty secular Western post-modern culture.

Actually, I beleive most of us are here as missionaries for spiritually empty secular Japanese corporations who view us as commodities to be marketed to the spiritually empty secular Japanese post modern-culture. Our spiritually empty secular western post modern culture doesn't really have any interests at stake in sending us all over to Japan as missionaries, everyone here is already converted.

Personally though, I'm just here because I love asphalt and noise.
 
What are the philosophical underpinnings of modern or post-modern Japanese culture? Where did they come from?

A lot of us are over here with Japanese corporations, that is true. But where did the idea of faceless legal entities like corporations come from? Where does the materialistic corporate world-view where the value of everything is assessed in financial terms orginate? In Japan, or the secularized West?

I will leave you with those thoughts. I have to get back to work ;=)
 
stephenmunday said:
What are the philosophical underpinnings of modern or post-modern Japanese culture? Where did they come from?

A lot of us are over here with Japanese corporations, that is true. But where did the idea of faceless legal entities like corporations come from? Where does the materialistic corporate world-view where the value of everything is assessed in financial terms orginate? In Japan, or the secularized West?

I will leave you with those thoughts. I have to get back to work ;=)

Are you saying the west has a monopoly on greed? Or, more to the point, are you saying that an otherwise pure Japan has been infected by said Western greed? I suppose they didn't have "faceless legal entities like corporations" in Japan until they opened up to the west, but that is kind of meaningless. Prior to that they had a system known as feudalism in which social mobility was completely banned and anyone who so much as left their hometown without written permission could be executed on the spot. Its hard to see how there was anything spiritual or religious about this system, or how its collapse led to Japan adopting a materialisic corporate world view. Or, to take the example of the corporation, Japan had a system of monopolies dominating most trades prior to the reforms of the Meiji period which were every bit as faceless and materialistic as anything you'll find on Wall Street today. I really don't see how any of that is relevant though.

I'd say most of the "Philosophical underpinnings" of Japan's society continue to come from the confuscianism that was promoted during the Edo era. Japan hasn't really imported many philosophical ideas from the west, really.
 
I always had mixed feelings about the missionaries I encountered while in Japan. Sure, I was annoyed by them and had no interest in their attempts to help me "see the light," but I felt sorry for them because their intentions were so good (in their minds, saving the souls of those who will be destined for hell without some guidance) and yet they're so hated by everyone.

They may be misguided and ineffectual, but their hearts are in the right place. They always seemed to be nice guys, but still no one wants to have anything to do with them. I think they should give up, but I can't fault them too much for being firm in their beliefs.
 
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Lot's of "missionaries' are actually just here for the lucrative western style wedding gig. me included. But i prefer the more respectable "actor" as a label.
 
well i have a few point to make on this.
firstly, whoever said that the japanese are infidels, please do your homework before you accuse christian missionaries of using such words.

it is islam that calls the nonislamics infidels. christians do not.

the japanese are no different in God's eyes to americans, germans, jews, palastinians, fijians or anyone else in the world. to God they are not infidels, they are the people who he loves so much. they are the people, the children that God himself died for.

yes, i am a Christian. in fact, i am also a missionary, and spent 5 months in Japan earlier this year as a part of my training to be a Christian missionary. i will also return to Japan as a missionary in a couple of years, not because i am some pimply faced 19 year old from salt lake city. - i am neither 19, american or mormon.

(mormons by the way are not Chrsitians. although they do, like the jehovah's witnesses, call themselves christians in Japan. the Jehovah's witnesses and mormons actaully follow a different religion and a different bible to christianity.)

and you will find that most christian missionaries don't abscond people in pharmacies, nor do they walk the streets looking for hapless people to abscond.
instead they live amongst the people to live God's love to them.

thanks for the thread anyway, but polls ususally work better if they allow people to vote for both sides of the arguement. this is not american politics.
 
kaelrysh said:
(mormons by the way are not Chrsitians. although they do, like the jehovah's witnesses, call themselves christians in Japan. the Jehovah's witnesses and mormons actaully follow a different religion and a different bible to christianity.)

Hi, thanks for your interesting post.

Just wanted to point out that someone that believes in, and tries to follow Jesus is in fact a christian. Jehovah's Witnesses believe in Christ and they also use the Bible as their guide.

Enjoy your time in Japan 🙂
 
kaelrysh said:
well i have a few point to make on this.
firstly, whoever said that the japanese are infidels, please do your homework before you accuse christian missionaries of using such words.

it is islam that calls the nonislamics infidels. christians do not.

True. But "heathen" isn't much of an improvement.
 
kaelrysh said:
yes, i am a Christian. in fact, i am also a missionary, and spent 5 months in Japan earlier this year as a part of my training to be a Christian missionary. i will also return to Japan as a missionary in a couple of years, not because i am some pimply faced 19 year old from salt lake city. - i am neither 19, american or mormon.

So you think it's OK to harass people, and to force your beliefs on another individual? You think it's OK to spew hate and close-mindedness? You think it's OK to judge people? That's what missionaries do.
 
Man, I really want to talk bad about Mormons...

Must... resist... buddhist... feelings... not... to... talk... bad... about... others....


Dang... Can't do it.

Worst I can say in all honesty is that I've never met a Mormon that wasn't very nice (I live in Arizona - lots of Mormons around), but all of them give me the creeps.

Attempt to find the Southpark episode about Mormons - it's not much of an exageration. Also, google around for some ex-Mormon websites.

"LDS - not quite as kooky as scientology."

There, my inner buddha let me say that.
 
i haven't seen any mormons here in belgium yet, but we have the getuigen van jehova
(withnesses of jehova). and they come ringing at your door.
i don't think you should force someone to follow your belief.
going round ppl's houses or things like that... :/

( i have to say we had christians ringing here aswell, although everyone in our house already is officially chistian. prolly to bring ppl back to the church :p )
 
I grew up with a girl in my classes who was a Jehovah's Witness. Her mother forbade the school to allow her to participate in any Christmas parties (this was back when it was ok for US public schools to have Christmas parties). She would sit in the corner and cry and cry the whole time while we had the party. Her mother and father were divorced, and for a while her father would bring her birthday and Christmas presents. Her mom would throw them all away. She would tell us about this at school. Her crying during the Christmas parties was horrible and something I'll probably never forget.

I don't have too many happy feelings towards the JW church because of that.
 
Fantt,

Buddha taught moderation in all things. Perhaps remaining silent about Mormons is too extreme. You did well!
 
Fantt said:
I grew up with a girl in my classes who was a Jehovah's Witness. Her mother forbade the school to allow her to participate in any Christmas parties (this was back when it was ok for US public schools to have Christmas parties). She would sit in the corner and cry and cry the whole time while we had the party. Her mother and father were divorced, and for a while her father would bring her birthday and Christmas presents. Her mom would throw them all away. She would tell us about this at school. Her crying during the Christmas parties was horrible and something I'll probably never forget.

I don't have too many happy feelings towards the JW church because of that.
i heard thet they have to brake all bands with non-jehova's withness family, i think it could have to do with that.
 
They are forbidden from celebrating birthdays - Christ's or their own. That's why her mom threw away her presents and made her cry during our Christmas parties.
 
Fantt said:
I grew up with a girl in my classes who was a Jehovah's Witness. Her mother forbade the school to allow her to participate in any Christmas parties (this was back when it was ok for US public schools to have Christmas parties). She would sit in the corner and cry and cry the whole time while we had the party. Her mother and father were divorced, and for a while her father would bring her birthday and Christmas presents. Her mom would throw them all away. She would tell us about this at school. Her crying during the Christmas parties was horrible and something I'll probably never forget.

I don't have too many happy feelings towards the JW church because of that.

That's the saddest thing I've ever heard. 😭That poor girl is probably scarred for life now.
 
Well... I think her birthday is the same as mine (or a day or two off), so she should be 35. She was really smart when I knew her back then. My guess is that she's turned out fine and making DAMNED sure that doesn't happen to her kids.
 
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