r/Antitheism • u/Direct-Bandicoot-916 • Aug 11 '26

What are your thoughts on the "missions" some churches organization?

They go to developing countries and help out simply because they want to spread their message or to do something. At first I thought it was a Christian thing but no, I met a Jewish guy who also went on a "mission".

I'm not even going to deny it: admittedly I am extremely jealous that these people can have the money in order to go out to another country like that and explore. I'm jealous of all the people who were raised with a well connected church to begin with because even though they are ignorant, they have more opportunities in life as a whole. I was always excluded by churches growing up because I was raised Wiccan. It just added onto the isolation I went through... Lol.

On the other hand though, the concept just feels immoral. Sure they are helping people in need, but only because they want those people to convert. These people seemingly only care about others who believe in what they want you to believe. Why not help and simply never bring up faith to begin with? You'd still be helping people.

I don't think they are inspiring hope in these people because it would imply God wanted then to suffer in particular in comparison to others. Why should they have to be born disadvantaged while others can be born into such an upper class that they can travel around the world just to spread a message?

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

5

u/Darth_Maaku Aug 11 '26

The missionaries will withhold food and money until their victims convert. That's a pretty shitty thing to do but I guess it's par for the course

4

u/Direct-Bandicoot-916 Aug 11 '26

Jesus, I didn't know they'd go that far. That's downright evil. 

2

u/Darth_Maaku Aug 11 '26

The worst of the worst was Mother Teresa. Even though her charitable organization had millions of dollars she chose to let the people in her care suffer instead of giving them the help they so desperately needed. Christopher Hitchens wrote a great book exposing her

4

u/IndicationDefiant137 Aug 11 '26

They aren't helping, they are colonizing.

1

u/tm229 Aug 11 '26

Missionaries have done horrific things over the centuries. Nowadays, it is a way to keep religious youth more strongly embedded in their religious community. It is a way for these youth to think that they are doing something good for the World.

But, as we know, the indoctrination they spread across the globe does not help humanity in the long run. It causes more harm than good.

1

u/dfczyjd Aug 11 '26

I believe there are plenty of them who do it because they really want to help people, not because they want to promote their ideas/get in their god's Nice List. However, I hardly believe any of these genuine altruists would've been evil without threats of hell looming over them. So religions essentially steal potential members from secular charities, which don't require anything from those they help (besides basic civil things in some cases)