Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, explores the colonization and deals with missionaries. The main character in Things Fall Apart, deals with a lot of missionaries that come into his own mother’s tribe and he doesn’t really know what to do because they tell him and his entire community, that their beliefs and religion are wrong. They added that they should convert over to another religion of Christianity because this religion only worships one God. In addition to this, Nigerian villages during the beginning of the British colonization so colonization was an important topic in this reading. I think that the biggest and most important overarching themes in this are the different cultures/religions and newer ideas that are being brought in from Britain. I think that the main issue is the missionaries and religion conflict.
The amount that religion can exploit other people is very high and it is something that needs to be addressed especially during the time of colonization. When any nation conquers and exploits another nation, there are always and there will be many long-lasting consequences even though or even if the country regains their independence. There have been many debates on whether missionaries help or harm and in John Allen Chau’s claim for whether or not missionaries help or harm he said “It isn’t about getting people to believe like we believe,” he writes. “It is about people seeing for themselves, from the Bible, that God has a plan for mankind in general and everyone in particular.”” This statement implies that John Allen Chau is explaining the way that there are other ways to think about what missionaries suggest. They may come across as super harsh and pushy to do everything their way, but the real idea behind them could be what John Allen is talking about here. In this case the answer to the help or harm question would be that it could help depending on the person and harm if the person that is getting talked into by a missionary is actually thinking that they are convincing them to change religions because of the religion that they are. What is your opinion on this?
Resources
Luckhurst, Toby. “John Allen Chau: Do missionaries help or harm?” November 2018
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-46336355
I like how you wrote that there can be long-lasting consequences of colonization. I think that these effects are rampant in numerous ways. Some of the most obvious being the exploitation of countries that have a history of being colonized, but also, like how we’ve discussed in this class, the “othering” that happens to the people of these countries. When we discussed Third World, it was in the terms of who was colonizing and who was being colonized. Things Fall Apart shows, once the missionaries show up, how the beginning of colonialization is occurring and we, the readers, see the process of “third worlding” taking place. Okonkwo has already had to deal with the power struggles within his own tribe, but now he has another force that will be putting him, and the rest of his people, in question as well.
The question about missionaries being helpful or harmful is very tough. It may look from a missionaries perspective that they are trying to do the right thing and get everyone to follow in the correct path. From another point of view it can look like they are straying from God due to the force and unkind nature of which they make these people practice their beliefs. I’m able to see both sides of where each party comes from but, I can sympathize more with those who feel like they are being exploited and made to change because they are doing something wrong.
I think missionaries can be helpful in the sense that they introduce ideas to people that they may never knew had existed in the first place. However, most of the times, this is done in a very pushy and forceful way. The people the missionaries interact with did not ask for their help and if it seems like they aren’t interested, they should be left alone. I understand wanting to help people in need and wanted to share information that has had a great impact on a person’s life, but that isn’t the only way to do things in life.
I think after reading “Things Fall Apart” as well as reading your comments on the book, I have come to think about why one group may think their religion is the correct one to follow. i think everyone should be entitled to their own beliefs and if another group or person has different views on that, then it can be talked about but nothing more then talking. Telling someone their own beliefs are wrong is just questionable to me, like how he was being told in the book. Not only is Okonkwo dealing with all these issues in his own tribe, the other people are now in question. I think some aspects of this is still occurring in modern time, that is people telling others that whatever they believe is wrong, when really everyone is different and should be open to hearing different beliefs.
After reading “Things Fall Apart” I was taken back. It was very sad to hear how the colonization in Nigeria affected the individual community members. After the missionaries came to the village you could slowly see Okonkwo falling apart. The book highlights how European culturalization truly made the village of Umuofia fall apart. They took the people away from their traditions and culture and tried to convert them. Although many followed them and their teachings, others struggled to see how the white men could help them improve their village anymore. The village people were already thriving, the help of the white men was unnecessary in some villager’s eyes. I believe missionaries can be good but it does depend on the approach of the missionary and the drive of the person they are trying to convert. I think the white men in this novel struggled to understand the village people and what culture and traditions were already established. Their way of thinking was self-centered as they insisted that Christianity was the only way and that all should convert. They did not consider each villager and the impact it would make on them. I can understand the drive the Christians have to try and be disciples by teaching others about God, however, a Christian is supposed to be accepting of all people and I do not believe the British demonstrated these qualities when they came and exploited the land. I would say that John Allen Chau was right with what he shared. However, these missionaries did not exercise his idea though. Towards the end of the book, Okonkwo seemed to have lost all of his identity as if someone had taken it away from him. His culture, traditions, and the other villager’s support were swept from under his feet. I believe how the missionaries addressed the situation ultimately lead to Okonkwo’s suicide. I think some villagers struggled to see the negative impacts of the missionaries at first but it was clear that they eventually understood it when Obierika said “That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself, and now he will be buried like a dog…” (p.2430). The great impact of the missionaries was highlighted at this point.
I have always been told in church that missionaries are always helpful, and they help bring the light of god for people. Now thinking about it, they can be helpful in some ways, but they are not for everyone. They are definitely good to help bring people information about a specific religion and the beliefs, but sometimes they come on very strong and can even be a danger to some people. How they approach these situations can be very bad, and can even be considered harassment. They shouldn’t be trying to force a religion onto someone, no matter what the cases are.
When reading the “Chinua Achebe: Nigeria’s Most Famous Novelist” page on Carmen, I immediately made the connection that this story was going to be about how the British colonization affect the citizens of countries that are victims of this colonization, specifically Nigeria in this story. Although only Nigeria was the country of the story, it could definitely highly relate to any other country that fell victim to the European and American colonization and its consequences. This could also connect to idea of manifest destiny, and how they felt no guilt in taking control of these lands.
I believe missionaries can be very helpful as they are helping spread the ideas and beliefs of another religion to people who may know nothing about. In the comments, many people say missionaries go about this in a very pushy or forceful way, but I do not agree with this. Today, missionaries go through training leaning how to connect with others and share the word of their particular religion. Though there are cases of being pushy, I believe it is coming from a sense of explaining to understand ones position, not pushing one to believe them or accept the word of that particular gospel. Overall, I think spreading the word of different gospels through missionary and learning about all religions can be helpful for one to depict what they believe in.
I believe everyone in entitled to believe in what they choose to believe in. I do not think it’s fair for anyone to be pushed or punished for believing in one god or many gods if they choose so. I think different religions should be taught at a young age in school so the child can pick what they what to believe in. Most people believe what their parents believe simply because thats all they know or were even taught as kids. So with all that being said I think it’s very selfish to have another human believe in something simply because you believe in something else or think there is a better “god” to believe in.
I think that missionaires mean well most of the time and are truly there to help people see that their religion can help them through tough times. I thought it was interesting how you talked about colonization in regards to missionary help because it can come across as harsh and in turn become harmful. These missionary communities are often from the Christian religion, which is a mass practiced religion across the world. These missionaries are often going to countries whose religions are not widley practiced and trying to push their faith on a group of people who already have a religion. I think that wether or not missionaries are pushing their faith on these groups of people becoming a harsh manner really stems from the missionaries point they are trying to get across. I think it is acceptable for a missionary to spead their faith for good but there does become a point where it can be seen as trying to convert someone, which goes hand in hand with colonization.
I really like the take-way of the blog of the last-lasting consequences of colonization has on the colonized. We have seen this in previous readings where western ideology seems to dominate the ideologies of the colonized as observed in the works of Ahmed and Spivak. The presence of missionary is a bit different than colonization but certain elements of the master-slave dynamic is observed as both tend to take the condescending approach to change the native way of life.
I like how you said explained that colonization has lasting impacts. While I believe that everyone has their own beliefs and grew up with certain values, no one should have the right to “beg” someone to change to something they are not. I definitely agree that a group of people living a certain place can change the culture around it, I truly think our society has become more accustomed to seeing others’ values and religions. I am curious to know if you believe that there are certain religions that are more persistent in getting people to change vs others or maybe even certain counties? (first or third world)
My opinion on missionaries has changed in the last couple of years. I had a friend that traveled to Indonesia on a mission trip while in high school. The particular mission she was going on instilled in the native people that if they did not convert to Christianity, they would be forced into eternal damnation and live the rest of their lives in hell. I consider myself to be well versed in religion, as I attended Catholic school my whole life, and this message really shocked me. This way of displaying Christianity was exclusionary and frightening, which goes against almost everything that I had learned about Christianity and an all knowing, all loving, God. I feel as though people use religion as a way to instill fear into and control others. Threatening an already oppressed group of people with eternal damnation and forcing them to conform to your beliefs is entitled and goes against much of what the core beliefs of most religions are.
Whether or not missionaries are harmful is a deep rooted question. There are a lot of pluses, such as someone like Nwoye escaping an abusive situation through Christianity. Although, some of their methods and strategies are harmful, and can be seen as colonization. There’s nothing wrong with trying to spread your word and religion, but when you force it upon the people that you’re trying to convert, then it becomes colonization. As long as they are respectful and actually help the people they visit, rather than just being there to convert them, then it is ok.
I think that overall, missionaries are harmful. They often brag about their experiences to seem like they are making a huge difference in society but these people are still struggling. The money that is spent to get them there could be going back into these societies to help them. These people didn’t ask to be taught Christianity or to be told that what they are struggling with is part of God’s plan. If these people wanted to seek out religion, they should have the option to and what religion they want to learn. Also, while reading your post, I was happy to see that you spoke about the ever-lasting effects of colonization. I often feel like when people talk about colonization of the past, they only see it as an issue of the past rather than all the effects it has on a colony and even ancestors that follow.
I know how missionaries can be helpful in churches and help people see the light of god and give them a path but it’s also not for everyone. Not everyone is religious and I believe they have the right to believe what they want as long as it doesn’t harm anyone. They’re certain situations where they execute their plans poorly to the point it’ll be considered harassment. Overall It can be used in a good way but at the same time it’s can be a bit selfish making everyone thing the same way as a particular person or group.
I like how you brought up colonization in your post because it was very crucial aspect of the slavery era. During this time they invaded countries and established political control and dominance most of the time by force. They installed hierarchy of one social structure one way of living within religion, politics, or social class. They change the full social infrastructure of a colony without any approval from natives who are occupying the land.
One thing i think is interesting is that compares to the world today. If someone doesn’t believe in the same thing as another, the opposing view is considered wrong. In this paper, they try to convince him to switch regions because his beliefs are wrong. They are not wrong, rather they are just different. It needs to be understood that people can have different opinions, views, values etc. and that is just okay.