Past mistakes can be prevented from repeating
By Lethbridge Herald on October 26, 2024.
Editor:
The following may sound like a rejection of Christian Church. It isn’t.
I love Church. It’s like I like myself. It’s the only thing I have. That’s why I hate its past mistakes. I reject the idea of the Imperial Christendom. My religion is that of Oscar Romero and of Desmond Tutu.
“Missionary” used to be an honoured status. Nowadays churches tend to avoid referring to once revered title after it became public that missionaries played a pivotal role in the Canadian government’s policy to forcefully assimilate the Indigenous people into the Christian European culture.
It devastated the people who were here from the time immemorial. It led to the loss of their language and inflicted serious damage to the pride in their identity. Nations cannot survive without self-respect.
“Missionary” now represents a demonic force in places that had been colonized by the Christian imperialists.
However, in Japan and Korea missionaries escaped such a tarnished image. How did that happen?
The following is the story of my journey to trace the fall of ”missionary” from the pedestal and speculate for the exceptions.
In 1968 I went to work in Lesotho in Southern Africa as a missionary on a secondment to teach at a university. The teaching position was reserved for a person appointed by “the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society.”
(The phrases hereunder between quotation marks are my translation from the original French) The organization was the missionary agency of the Reform Churches of Huguenot tradition in France and Switzerland. The year happened to be the time of the transition. My position had been reamed ”Apartner in mission” while I was receiving orientation in Paris.
The organization itself changed its name to “The Joint Apostolic Action” by the time I reached Africa.
However, in Japan and Korea “missionary” has never lost the honoured status. How has such a difference emerged between the former colonies in Africa and the two countries on a small corner of the North Eastern Asia?
When I came to Canada from Japan in 1957, it took me by surprised to find that missionaries began to suffer a tarnished image in Canada while in Japan some missionaries were receiving medals from the Emperor for their long service in Japan.
The educational institutions founded by Foreign Mission Societies were still called “Mission Schools.”
Several renowned universities in Japan founded by the overseas Christian denominations are still well regarded like the Ivy League universities in the U.S. although they are secular now. Japan and Korea are the only non-Christian country I can think of where “missionary” did not lose its luster.
The reason for the exception is quite simple. Japan and Korea have kept the strong cultural and moral grounding based on Buddhism and Confucianism. No external force was able to diminish the strength of such deeply rooted foundation. Japan lost the war with the West but was not colonized. Korea was colonized by Japan but the cultural tradition remained untouched. In both cases, Western missionaries were invited to participate in the modernization program of the nations. It was not the forceful imposition of foreign culture. Outsiders were working within the framework of the national goal. The government was in control of the process.
Teachers of Western history, languages, and philosophy; scientists and technicians; even military advisors were invited in, and salaries paid by the government and industries.
From the beginning of the 19th Century missionaries also were invited guests to participate in as partners in the modernization program. Missionaries were free to proselytize but within the framework of the law of the land. In my elementary school days, the morning assembly began with the recitation of the Imperial Edict on Education. As a Christian and a patriot, I had no problem accepting the wish of the Emperor. Daily recitation of the Edict was the routine even in religious schools. The practice was terminated by the Allied Occupation
Forces in 1945, but the traditional values remained intact.
It does not mean that there was no attempt to use Christianity as an instrument of the colonial expansion. The famous one was the landing of the Jesuits mMissionaries led by Francesco Xavier from Portugal during the 16th Century. he Shogun authorities were alarmed by their success. The suppression that followed was harsh. Hundreds of missionaries and converts were crucified or drowned if they refused to recant.
The armed resistance by Japanese Christian converts was brutally crushed. To prevent colonization through religion, both the Toyotomi and the succeeding Tokugawa Shogunates’ closed the country completely. Religious conversion was a capital crime. Isolation lasted four centuries.
It was only after the restoration of the direct Imperial rule by the Emperor Meiji and the end of Shogun regime that the country was opened to the outside influence. The new regime was keen to catch up with the West.
By the decree of the Emperor Meiji, every thing Western: art, literature, philosophy, science , and technology were welcomed into the country.
Americans and Europeans poured in. Teachers in all fields were invited by the government, the industries, schools, and universities.
Christian missionaries were also welcomed. Remember what Cecil Rhodes said, “Missionary is cheaper than policeman.” It’s because their salaries were paid by foreign mission societies. They were welcomed to start schools on the condition that they followed the Basic Education Guidelines articulated in the Emperor Meiji’s Edict. Japanese authorities did not let go of the control of the transformation process.
Though you can not change the past, you can prevent the repeat of the past missteps. Encounters and interactions with different cultures and traditions are the fact of life. The key to safeguard the identity of nation and people is the control of the process of transformation. Never take the hands off the steering wheel to reach your destination.
Tadashi (Tad) Mitsui
Lethbridge
28-27
Dear learned man, Church, Religion, Denominations…. these are all jargon. Obviously your “outside a fellowship” comments do NOT resonate with Spirit Filled Christians of a Bible believing, God fearing conregation. Having said this, until you have “tasted and seen” what an orange is and go ahead telling us about the orange, similarily, then PLEASE do not try and school any Christ follower regarding the true Christian faith and beliefs.
Once again all mouth and no brains a perfect fit for these Reformers and their American Republican pals. Donald Trump would be proud.
While Danielle Smith compares seniors who dared to get vaccinated to save their lives to Nazis and her pal Carlson Tucker is a holocaust denier and Pierre Poilievre praises criminal convoy truckers and doesn’t care they cost taxpayers $65 million and were stock piling Assault rifles at Coutts boarder to kill police officers. That’s how pathetic these Reform Party politicians and their supporters are. Let’s hope Smith gets shown the door this weekend. She certainly isn’t interested in looking after the well-being of all Albertans, is she?
Join the discussion
The beat of the pulpit pounding begins in earnest once again. Your tired and oft repeated arguments are erroneous and seriously lacking in wisdom. Tad on the other hand shows a profound understanding of humanity embracing all – irrespective of their beliefs.
Having read and reread HaroldP’s comment, I’ve come to the conclusion that he didn’t read the letter very carefully because it’s obvious he missed the central point.
HP is a selective reader and is a selective interpreter of Biblical passsages.
We have (replied). Waiting for a response from you. Pray (pun intended), put down your Bible and speak rationally if that is at all possible.
Be careful what you wish for. Be very careful. Getting into a discussion with HP is not unlike getting into a Do Loop in a computer program that you forgot to close.
another wisdom laden sharing, tad. thank you
it is an eye opening contrast to read your outlook on religion – as being a personal, experiential and open choice pursuit of purpose and meaning, with tolerance borne of love as the root – with that of harold. harold’s approach is about shoving, forcing, brainwashing…just do as you’re told, and then by rote reference a man-written series of books collected as the bible as being the one and only option; no real depth of learning, just blind following and adherence, and no matter how lame and preposterous are numerous of the stories within that collection of writings.
well, harold and ilk, i wish no one the right to interfere with your beliefs. however, i wish you and ilk would endeavour to extend tolerance and unconditional love to all those of different outlooks, such that the likes of “christian” superiority and judgement are usurped by true universal love for all other living entities. as it stands, based on your sharings, the orange that you seem to be tasting and beholding is of a most sour and bitter quality.
if adam and eve were the first people, as per genesis, what race/colour were they, and from where do all the ranges of race and colour come from?
harold, others of the blind christian privilege sects, might you be able to educate on what race/colour were adam and eve, and, how did we come to have such a range of races and colours?
Perhaps, to answer your question(s) you should read the Holy Scriptures. The clear explanation(s) are contained thetein.
oh, more than one explanation? and by whom, god, or another entity? perhaps you can reference where in the bible one look for the answer(s) to my query?
The Holy Scriptures were inspired by God, so “one entity” The Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
You’ve failed twice to answer the question LOL
Another Q.. if Adam and Eve only had two sons, who did the sons then impregnate to continue the human race?
yikes…kind of leaves momma eve as the only bio(logical) candidate.