Good Ol Boy: On the Subject Of Missionary work

JJ Alvord
Ms. Cook
WR122
21 January 2008

To Preach or Not to Preach

Although people put forth their best effort to be respectful when it comes to someone else’s religion, clashes happen when someone insists that their religion is the right one and your religion is the wrong one. When you see such clashes the question comes to mind; does missionary work do more harm then good? Should religions send out missionaries to convert others? People who identify with a religious sect do so because they believe that their religion is the only true church out there; should they share that truth?
If you spend enough time with a large variety of people, you will find yourself having to defend your religious beliefs or the lack thereof. In my experience, I have seen Methodists arguing with Lutherans and Catholics arguing with Baptists or visa versa, all over their specific doctrines. Everyday friendships are weakened because of a disagreement about religious doctrines or principles. Church members are all encouraged to bring more into the fold and that teenagers should start bringing their friends of different faiths to a youth night, all because they want to bring more people to the “truth”.
Missionaries are sent out every day by church leaders to, do exactly that, bring more people to the “truth”; to convert people to the religion the missionary represents. Missionaries are not sent to antagonize community members but in most cases people don’t want to be told that what they have believed in for their entire life is wrong.
Some may argue that missionaries are not there to offend anyone, but instead they are there to inform the people of what a specific religion believes; depending on what church the missionary belongs to. By doing this missionaries can clear up any misconceptions there might be about specific religions, and in the process stop persecution. From my own experience I have seen a need for this type of missionary work. I have been in situations were friends have told me that I worship a man named Joseph Smith and not God or Jesus Christ. My Sisters Ex-boyfriend believed that she had been brain washed and was part of a cult. It is these types of misconceptions that missionaries are striving to put an end to; for all religions.
It cannot be denied that missionaries serve a purpose. This purpose can be seen negatively or positively, it all depends on what side you are standing on. Missionaries can be considered antagonizing, trying to insult another’s religion, or they can be viewed as teachers, trying to clear up some misconceptions.
I personally belief that there is no harm to missionary work, and it is important, for us to coexist, to understand each other. A Missionary is man specifically called by the church leaders to clear up any misconceptions and stop persecution. The reason why missionary work is important to me is because I have to constantly defend my self from people who consider me less of a person because of what they believe I believe.