in defence of missionaries

and, please, no jokes, about positions. jeez... i have to say that cuz, well, i know you guys too well. anyways. one thing i wanted to say in my big post above was specifically about conversion. i cut it out for brevity, little tho there was. anyways. it is a christian tradition to go out and preach the gospel. the same could be said of muslims to spread the prophecies and word of God via Mohammed as well, just to point out that it isn't just christians charged with bringing God's laws/word/etc. to the people. granted, in the western world, christianity, being the pre-dominant religion, it gets the most press on this topic. getting back to my point. in the gospels, jesus directs his apostles to go out and teach the people what he has given to them. notice i said teach--jesus was a rabbi, a "teacher." he didn't send his followers out to conquer or necessarily even convert, he sent them out to teach. they simply had to spread the word. now, much later, when politics became involved with religion, the Church found it easier to deal with the "uncivilized" populations it came across if they believed the same thing. again, most early missionaries, st. patrick for instance, were not war-like in their approach, they simply went out to foreign lands bringing the message of jesus, as had been the tradition, instituted by Christ, many years before. the forced conversion thing is nothing new either. you can't tell me that ancient peoples didn't force their culture, religion being an important part of culture, upon their conquered. it happened in the ancient middle east all the time, and i'm sure it happened in europe as well with the ancient pagans. conflict spreads religion as much as trade does. it's just a sad fact of history. conversion on europe happened largely by assimilation. rome and byzantium were christian. missionaries and traders brought it to the barbarian tribes in the north. seeking to align themself with the ancient power structures of southern europe, it only made sense to convert and gain the benefits of rome and byzantium. i'm sure 1st gen. pagan converts only paid lip service to the christian chuch, but their descendents grew up with the religion, simply believing in it. granted, when it comes to the americas and africa, for instance many years later, well, that's just ignorance and bigotry plain and simple. religious intolerance was just part of it. the Church no longer practices this sort of missionary work, rather it engages in much more charitable actions, such as building schools, hospitals and teaching those neglected by their own people. this is true of all christian denominations these days. yes, preaching and teaching about christianity is still an important part of the work done, but again, it's simply what has been handed down through the centuries by jesus himself. i'm really sorry all you see are the zealots on corners preaching fire and brimstone, jim. the fact is, these dumbasses are an extreme minority. problem is, they're just so damn loud, they drown out the voices of reason and tolerance which dominates most christian belief. really, i think people are divided on the details, some much smaller than others (say, the divide between roman catholicism and the eastern orthodox churhes), but most can acknowledge that there are commonly held beliefs that are beneficial--the tenets spoken of earlier. if all roads in fact lead to heaven, however, well, that's a sticky issue best left for another day.
one other thing. about being in tune with nature. i feel what you feel. granted i don't do a lot of barefoot walking through the grass, but i know what you mean, i just perceive it in my own way. i look up at the stars, watch the clouds float by, a sunset--it is in the beauty of the world and the universe that i catch a glimpse of God. i contemplate the simplest thing and how it fits into the big picture; the sheer genius that went into the creation of our world, and i am in awe. the machinations that drive us and nature are unbelievable. atoms, molecules, dna! it's all too much! and so precious at the same time. at every turn one can see what God has put into motion. for this reason christians, value life and the natural world. and if they don't, they are turning their back on God and the wonder he has given us. that is why i believe in saving the environment, protecting animals and wildlife and value human life so much. it and we are all the gifts and products of a loving God and must be respected accordigly.
a quick word on the contradictory nature of the bible. well, it's true, it can't be denied. much of it is meant to be taken as metaphorical and allegorical, representative of a universal truth. but, can't i say the same thing about wicca? i mean, it's hardly uniform. its beliefs are arbitrary, a believe whatever you want, whatever makes you happy religion. then again, that's just my observation. i'd love to be enlightened. as such, i refer to my "btw" post above.