decafaholic Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 So, one of my best friends (we've been friends for 13 years) is a Christian. She never judged me through my deconversion and I know that if I ever needed anything from her, she'd help me out. Today she texted me asking me for my address (I've moved recently). I thought she was going to send me a card or something. She's thoughtful like that. Then I logged into Facebook and saw on her page that she's asking everyone for their addresses because she's sending out fundraising letters for a missions trip she hopes to take to Greece summer. Her church or something is going to put on a camp for kids. Rant #1: Ever since Survivor Season 1, international missions trips have been all the rage. Having been on one myself, I can tell you, it's a huge misuse of money. Let's say a group of 10 people raise $2,000 each to fly to a poor country and put on puppet shows for street kids for one week. That's $20,000 spent mostly on travel. If the church wanted to really make a difference in street kids' lives, they could take the $20,000 and pay someone to teach kids basic academic skills for a year.THAT would make a difference. But it's not really about helping the local people. It's about taking cool, exotic pictures with your iPhone and telling everyone about your missions trip to Greece. That's the cold, hard truth. Rant #2: She knows I'm an atheist. Why is she asking me to support a missions trip? If she needed an organ transplant, I'd sign up. When she needs a shoulder to cry on, I am there. But I make less money than she does, so why would I give money to a missions trip??? BIG EXHALE ...and I thought getting invited to those product "parties" at friends' houses was awkward... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I had no idea Survivor had made an impact on mission trips! I had stopped going to church when that show started. The church I attended in college had a substantial student ministry, and one year a group of us went to Honduras to help build an amphitheater at a bible college down there. One of our ministers confided in me basically what you said, that trips like this were really more about exposing the students to the rest of the world. He pointed out that it would have been much cheaper for the church to have sent a few thousand bucks for local laborers to do the work. He wasn't so much criticizing as pointing out that the value of the trip was less practical and more experiential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owen652 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I think every Western teenager should have to go and visit a poor country to see how the majority of the world's population live. But Greece? I know they've had the austerity measures and everything, but it's not exactly Bangladesh. How bout a missions trip to Canada? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ ficino ♦ Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Rant #2: She knows I'm an atheist. Why is she asking me to support a missions trip? If she needed an organ transplant, I'd sign up. When she needs a shoulder to cry on, I am there. But I make less money than she does, so why would I give money to a missions trip??? BIG EXHALE ...and I thought getting invited to those product "parties" at friends' houses was awkward... Could you tell her the gist of your Rant #2, i.e that you're happy to help with things but you'll have to beg off this one? I personally find the idea of a mission trip to a Christian country offensive. Does her church think that Greek Orthodox means "unsaved?" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I wouldn't give her a single penny to help her go to Greece an introduce children to Jesus. I wish I had never met Jesus, and my childhood was haunted by him. It's not like they are digging a well, building an orphanage, or cleaning up trash. Instead, they are trying to convert people to a religion that the world would be better off without. Tell her that you will contribute $10 if she'll do that for your next vacation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 ...and I thought getting invited to those product "parties" at friends' houses was awkward... Only if they're for Tupperware. If it's a sex toy party, I'm in! (Actually, come to think of it, you can glean a lot about your friends according to which sort of party they put on. I wonder if any research has been done on that? Hmmm.) But regarding your rant, I wouldn't take it so personally, myself. Most christians just don't think. Full stop. It probably didn't even occur to her that, as an atheist, you'd have an issue supporting this "missions" trip. They all kind of walk around in their own little bubble, completely unaware of how caustic, stupid, ignorant, arrogant, condescending, and hurtful they can be and frequently are. It just doesn't occur to them that anyone else would possibly think or feel differently about something. Not only that, but I think it adds more weight to the theory that your friend just wasn't thinking by the fact that she not only sent you, an atheist, a request for funds for this missions trip, but that you also earn less than her. Like, jesus, I'd be mortified if I did something like that. But even so, what a bitch of a thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConureDelSol Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 People really shouldn't be going to third-world countries unless they plan to give their children proper (evolution included) education and actually do useful things like build schools, bridges, roads etc... If they want their freaking youth to see the world, they better make them work for their plane ticket back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephie Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I hear you on this one. I went on four missions trips as a teenager and looking back, I am appalled that we did not provide some sort of services to people. In fact, my last trip to Russia, a professor on a college campus let us have it. Basically (via translator) she said something to the effect of, "HOW DARE YOU COME TO MY COUNTRY AND TELL ME THAT I AM NOT A CHRISTIAN!!! YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE OR ANYTHING ABOUT OUR CULTURE!!! YOU STUPID AMERICANS ASSUME THAT WE ARE HEATHENS WHEN IN FACT YOU ARE THE ONES WHO ARE WRONG!!! GO BACK TO YOUR OWN COUNTRY AND EDUCATE YOURSELF!!!" I was 18 and had no clue how we were viewed outside of the U.S. It was quite humbling. If your friend was going to provide food or some service I might throw a couple of bucks but otherwise no. She was wrong to assume that you would support her. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paine Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 The local church that I attended until my Big Awakening is hosting one of these annoying as shit trip for rich kids to feel good about themselves and fill their FB account with tropical photos. We were still attending pretty regularly when they started mentioning this trip===don't laugh, Im not lying==== to the Bahamas!!!!==== over a year ago....raising money and the like.... Well I put my foot down right then, and I must have been closer to the Big Awakening than I had realized because it was crystal clear bullshit to not only me, but to my high schooler. I must have done something right. >>>>>>>> AS TO YOUR FRIEND, OFFER TO MAKE A DIRECT CASH DONATION TO THE HOST CHURCH IN GREECE, if she would ***be so kind as to get that information for you***** You'll never hear from her again on this score, if you're lucky.....and just an aside..... WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE A FRIEND WHO WOULD ABUSE YOU IN SUCH A WAY? Lose her. Distance makes it easy. ***good friend, my ass*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paine Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I think every Western teenager should have to go and visit a poor country to see how the majority of the world's population live. But Greece? I know they've had the austerity measures and everything, but it's not exactly Bangladesh. How bout a missions trip to Canada? Respectfully....... Fuck. Canada. What about a "Mission" trip to the hills of West Virginia to install indoor plumbing to a coal mine widow with four kids? What about the inner city of Detroit to give aid to the elderly, abandoned in the ruins of a city they can't escape? You don't need to get on a PLANE to help people, but don't remind a CHRISTIAN of that fact. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikirin Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Rant #2: She knows I'm an atheist. Why is she asking me to support a missions trip? When I went on a mission trip, my pastor told me to send letters to everyone, even atheists, because then God would reward my boldness and loosen their pursestrings, part of a recurring theme of being a dick for Jesus. I was embarrassed to send the letters, but I was more afraid of NOT sending them, because then God might punish me for my lack of confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 So, one of my best friends (we've been friends for 13 years) is a Christian. She never judged me through my deconversion and I know that if I ever needed anything from her, she'd help me out. Today she texted me asking me for my address (I've moved recently). I thought she was going to send me a card or something. She's thoughtful like that. Then I logged into Facebook and saw on her page that she's asking everyone for their addresses because she's sending out fundraising letters for a missions trip she hopes to take to Greece summer. Her church or something is going to put on a camp for kids. Rant #1: Ever since Survivor Season 1, international missions trips have been all the rage. Having been on one myself, I can tell you, it's a huge misuse of money. Let's say a group of 10 people raise $2,000 each to fly to a poor country and put on puppet shows for street kids for one week. That's $20,000 spent mostly on travel. If the church wanted to really make a difference in street kids' lives, they could take the $20,000 and pay someone to teach kids basic academic skills for a year.THAT would make a difference. But it's not really about helping the local people. It's about taking cool, exotic pictures with your iPhone and telling everyone about your missions trip to Greece. That's the cold, hard truth. Rant #2: She knows I'm an atheist. Why is she asking me to support a missions trip? If she needed an organ transplant, I'd sign up. When she needs a shoulder to cry on, I am there. But I make less money than she does, so why would I give money to a missions trip??? BIG EXHALE ...and I thought getting invited to those product "parties" at friends' houses was awkward... I assume the gospel has already been brought to Greece so like you said, this is more of a veiled vacation she wants her friends to pay for. Since you make less money than she does, why not tell her that you would certainly and organ or let her cry on your shoulder but right now, you're broke. Puppets for Jesus. That's funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherJosh Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Why does Greece need missionaries? Give your money to a charity that actually helps people instead. I know multiple people who go on mission trips. It's basically a vacation except they go to an orphanage once in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted March 12, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2012 I'm accepting donations to fund my next mission trip to Key West. There are sinners there; I saw them up close. Please PM me and I'll tell you where to send the money. Do it for the children. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pratt Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 in my undergrad days, i signed up for missionary trip and went training for 6 months,,,,, DESINATION,,,,, ROME, Italy, the WHORE of BABYLON,,,,, but it was cancelled due to reasons unknown,,,,,,,, even without the "mission" work, it would have been my 1st Europe trip,,, shucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centauri Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 The sign says it all, complete with a happy face drone holding a crusader shield. It rates a 10 on the disgusting meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will02 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I recently heard about a missionary family who went to Namibia. These people told the locals all about jesus, etc. but didn't do much of anything to improve mundane life (dig wells, install pipes for running water, provide generators, bring food, help the locals build better houses, etc.) There were pictures of the villages this guy went to... the village was so poor that it looked like the locals built their houses/shacks out of debris they found laying around. And yet the village church was by far the nicest building, with brick walls, a tin roof, and everything... absolutely luxurious by village standards. The church even had a few solar lanterns while most people had no electricity at all! They then showed pictures of the missionary's house and it was WAY nicer than the village shacks. It looked like a low-end house from the USA and even had some kind of swimming pool/pond in the back yard, electricity, and a solar water heater. So this missionary gets to live way better than the people he went over there to "help". I would have much more respect if he lived in the same shacks as everyone else during his time there. The missionary claimed that the Namibian people's biggest problem is that they didn't believe in the "right kind" of Christianity rather than the fact that most people live in abject poverty over there. Even when I was a christian, stuff like that really bothered me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdp Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I spent a summer traveling with the "Jon Stemkoski Celebrant Singers" in 1998; about a week of that was spent in Honduras. Our sponsors there were business owners; my host owned a factory, a reception was given for the whole group at a country club, we sang at private Christian schools, etc. On the bus trips to our concerts we'd pass cinder block houses with no doors and no glass in the windows, and the people who lived in them would be doing their laundry in the stream that ran by the place. We never got any closer to them than passing by in the bus. And incidentally I spoke no Spanish at all; it all felt extremely arrogant to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybaris Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 One of the churches my wife went to made a push to raise money for the ministers daughter to go on a mission trip to Africa. One of the expenses on the list was for a car, a $25,000.00 car. It wasn't long after that my wife stopped going to this chuch as did 3/4 of the rest of the flock. Within 6 months the minister stepped down and last I heard the remaining sheeple gather in a vacant movie theater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
older Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 [snip] ... part of a recurring theme of being a dick for Jesus. ... Speaking of being a dick for Jesus, my son-in-law's father is a big one on mission trips. He's been on about a half dozen. He once went to Greece and told us upon his return that one of the things they did before they left was to visit a small island and distribute bibles. He said they wanted to be sure each house had one. "But of course, some of them threw them at us," he laughed. Sheesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decafaholic Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 I had no idea Survivor had made an impact on mission trips! I had stopped going to church when that show started. The church I attended in college had a substantial student ministry, and one year a group of us went to Honduras to help build an amphitheater at a bible college down there. One of our ministers confided in me basically what you said, that trips like this were really more about exposing the students to the rest of the world. He pointed out that it would have been much cheaper for the church to have sent a few thousand bucks for local laborers to do the work. He wasn't so much criticizing as pointing out that the value of the trip was less practical and more experiential. I agree the good thing about missions trips is that it exposes americans to the rest of the world, gives a more global perspective. And if it were being honestly sold as just that, a cultural immersion trip, I would be all for it. But don't lie to me and say you really want to help the locals when that's not true. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decafaholic Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 Rant #2: She knows I'm an atheist. Why is she asking me to support a missions trip? If she needed an organ transplant, I'd sign up. When she needs a shoulder to cry on, I am there. But I make less money than she does, so why would I give money to a missions trip??? BIG EXHALE ...and I thought getting invited to those product "parties" at friends' houses was awkward... Could you tell her the gist of your Rant #2, i.e that you're happy to help with things but you'll have to beg off this one? I personally find the idea of a mission trip to a Christian country offensive. Does her church think that Greek Orthodox means "unsaved?" *facepalm* I know, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decafaholic Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 I recently heard about a missionary family who went to Namibia. These people told the locals all about jesus, etc. but didn't do much of anything to improve mundane life (dig wells, install pipes for running water, provide generators, bring food, help the locals build better houses, etc.) There were pictures of the villages this guy went to... the village was so poor that it looked like the locals built their houses/shacks out of debris they found laying around. And yet the village church was by far the nicest building, with brick walls, a tin roof, and everything... absolutely luxurious by village standards. The church even had a few solar lanterns while most people had no electricity at all! They then showed pictures of the missionary's house and it was WAY nicer than the village shacks. It looked like a low-end house from the USA and even had some kind of swimming pool/pond in the back yard, electricity, and a solar water heater. So this missionary gets to live way better than the people he went over there to "help". I would have much more respect if he lived in the same shacks as everyone else during his time there. The missionary claimed that the Namibian people's biggest problem is that they didn't believe in the "right kind" of Christianity rather than the fact that most people live in abject poverty over there. Even when I was a christian, stuff like that really bothered me. I know, right? You feel sorry for missionaries until you find out they live in a nice house (that they didn't pay for) surrounded by squalor. In the Assemblies of God, there's a whole organization called Speed the Light whose sole purpose is buying brand new vehicles and sound systems for missionaries. I know because I gave them a lot of my hard-earned money in high school. It's sickening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decafaholic Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 The sign says it all, complete with a happy face drone holding a crusader shield. It rates a 10 on the disgusting meter. I should clarify, I just got that image off of Google. I have no clue if my friend's church plans to use puppets or not. It does seem to be a common theme in missions trips though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Tell her you want to attend the Reason Rally in DC and see is she'll be willing to reciprocate your donation. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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