Letter to an Athiest

While doing an image search this morning, a blog titled "Why Missionaries are Extremely Destructive" caught my eye.  It was a rant from an atheist against Christian missionaries and the indoctrination of children by the Church.  I occasionally read what people are saying on this topic because I used to spout such things, and because it challenges me to draw deeper into my understanding of faith and service. 

Here is my reply:


Dear sir,

I am sorry that you feel so betrayed by your Christian upbringing.  For any acts of unlove or judgement or hypocrisy you saw in these tender years, I apologize.  We humans fall so achingly short of God's beautiful, compelling standard.  We are to be light and salt and end up being clouds and lemons sometimes.   


You feel that what I am doing to my children is indoctrination.  I suppose I am guilty.  This faith flows from every fiber of my being, spills from my heart, leaks out through my smile, excites me so much that I have to share a verse or a story or a song with my kids because they're my favorite people in the world. 

Do you have a passion for something?  Do you share it with your children?  Do you teach them the rules of football or an appreciation of music or how to hunt a deer?   When they come of age, they will be free to choose to love or hate football or music or hunting or God.  Just like you.  In the meantime, they are with us constantly and we are bound to rally around something.

You say missionaries fly to other countries and tell people what to believe; that they shower them with gifts and then (your favorite word) indoctrinate the poor, helpless, uneducated souls.  Have you met a missionary lately?  On the whole, they are the most humble, sacrificial people I've ever met.  Long term missionaries give up almost every conceivable comfort to live as an alien in another culture, and they are promised nothing in return.  Have you felt an irresistible urge to go and do something?  Did you do it?  What kind of sacrifice did it require?

You criticize short-term missions, highlighting the one particular day they spend on recreation.  When did you use most of your vacation to visit a poor part of the world?  I've talked to many who have...I've never heard one of them describe it as a vacation.  No, their eyes glisten and their voices crack, and they will always be haunted by the need and humbled by their blessings, and I'm pretty sure their bank accounts are heavy with fingerprints of compassion.  To me, this means a lot more than writing an occasional check to United Way, as good as their work may be.

Now let's consider the "path of destruction" left by the missionaries.  A kind, energetic person from a prosperous country comes to me, offers me clothing, food, a shoebox of gifts for my kids, a Bible in my language, teaches me a song, makes me feel special, and then leaves after a couple of weeks, I would feel quite blessed, not ransacked, by the experience.  Lovely people have breezed in and out of my life and left a sweet impression.  In fact, their fragrance drew me into a faith that has changed my life.

The first part of my own life was spent being against Christians, and I would have left some encouraging comment on your blog back then.  But do you have any idea how much joy there is in being for something so big and powerful as faith in Jesus Christ?  If you could only have a fresh taste of it, a renovation in the architecture of your philosophies, I believe you would grasp and hold this Love, which is unlike any you have known.

Admittedly, I am more mystic than theologian or scholar, and I am not here to defend my theology.  I am instead compelled to speak from the heart; a heart that is broken and spilled out for people who suffer both from physical need and from spiritual desolation. 

Thank you for challenging me to evaluate my motives for serving and to recognize that we as humans are cursed with a bent toward selfish gain. I do, however, think your anger could be directed in much more productive directions, like toward warlords who deny their people available nutrition, or toward child traffickers or slave-owners, instead of people who are trying in their small way to help, based on a Spirit within them Who abhors apathy as much as hypocrisy.