Suatu kejadian yang patut dijadikan pembelajaran. Apalagi bila melihat
keadaan/sikon tanah air yang beberapa waktu sudah goncang di pelbagai
daerah(Sulawesi & Ambon) karena terjadinya pertengkaran antar agama.
Kejadian di Afghanistan menjadi contoh bahwa
evangelism,proselytising yang dilakukan oleh para kresfun mengundang konflik
yang lebih mendalam.
Seharusnya orang kresten dini waktu harus mendusin bahwa cara2 seperti mereka
lakukan di zaman pertengahan sudah tidak bisa dilakukan lagi, kendati mereka
datang tanpa senjata ke negara2 seperti Afghanistan dan Iraq kendatipun mereka
(para kresfun) berjubah sebagai pekerja2 sipil di projek2 sosial.
Dalam tulisan dibawah, "warna" para kresfun Korea ini digambarkan
sebai......"agressive and blatant way of evangelizing"
Dari itu patut diharapkan bahwa aktivitas terutama golongan2 seperti golongan
kresten dan Budha perlu mawas diri. Kerjakan apabila golongan2 ini bergerak
dalam bidang sosial, ya batasi secara ketat bahwa ini adalah pekerjaan sosial
jangan di-embel2-i men-jaja-kan agama mereka.
Peliharalah ungkapan...to each his own, jangan coba2 meng konvert orang untuk
beralih keyakinan.
Ada satu peristiwa di Jateng, dimana seorang pemilik pabrik es juga merangkap
sebagai evangelist sempat dibunuh karena, gara2 getol banget kluyuran ke
kampung2 untuk nyebarin ajaran kresten.
Di skala dunia seperti kita memasuki era perang agama....gara2 Bush yang
nyerang Iraq tanpa alasan yang kredibel.
Jauhkan diri dan hindarkan ajakan para fundamentalist dari manapun/asal-nya.
Agama adalah untuk kedamaian pribadi, tidak perlu di dengung2kan keluar. Agama
menuntun bagi orang2 yang lemah untuk jadi fundamentalis yang kejam dan
beringas. Cara2 proselytising, evangelism dan mengajak orang untuk pindah agama
adalah resep perang agama.
Harry Adinegara (atheist 100%)
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07-23-2007 17:42 Is Missionary Work Safe in Islamic World?
Korean Christians board buses as they leave the western city of Heart in this
file photo taken on Aug. 3, 2006. About 700 South Korean Christians visiting
strictly Islamic Afghanistan against their government's advice were under
virtual house arrest in the capital Kabul amid concern about their presence. /
AFP-Yonhap
Evangelizing Right vs. Security
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Is it safe for Christians go to an Islamic country to conduct missionary work?
This question was first raised in Korea when interpreter and aspiring
missionary Kim Sun-il was kidnapped and killed by insurgents in Iraq in June
2004.
To this question, the Korean government has consistently said no, citing that
the Iraqi militants who killed Kim claimed they did so because he and his
company were engaged in Christian activities in Iraq.
Since then, government officials have said that it is almost ``suicidal'' for
Christians to evangelize Muslims, for security reasons.
Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade designated some dangerous
countries as off-limits countries, including Islamic ones, some Christians
ignored the ministry's warning.
Finally, the government will revise a passport law this month under which
Koreans would face punishment if they entered off-limits countries without
government permission.
The latest kidnapping of 23 Korean Christians taken hostage by the Taliban
militants in Afghanistan, Thursday, will put Afghanistan on a list of
off-limits countries under the revised law.
Meanwhile, answers to the question were different among Christians. Some of
them considered that security must come first, while others gave priority to
evangelizing the world.
For example, the National Council of Churches in Korea, Sunday, urged
Christians to stop all missionary work in dangerous countries such as
Afghanistan.
Other Christian organizations identified with a church in Bundang, south of
Seoul, where the 23 Korean hostages regularly attended, apologizing for the
nation about the incident, but not mentioning anything about stopping such
missionary work.
The problem is that even after the kidnappings, several Protestant-based groups
kept going to Islamic countries to do missionary business.
In August 2006, the largest number of Korean missionaries yet _ 2,300 people _
planned to hold the ``Afghanistan 2006 Peace Festival'' event in the Afghan
capital of Kabul, despite the serious concerns by the Korean and Afghan
governments. The event failed to take place amid great debate home and abroad.
One of the Christian organizations that put religious rights before security,
is the Institute of Asian Culture and Development, which unsuccessfully
organized the Afghan festival last year.
Security in Afghanistan
Choi Han-woo, secretary-general of the IACD, said its members just want to
conduct sports, culture and academic activities, helping the Afghan people, and
kept arguing that Afghanistan is ``safe.''
The IACD claimed the government is exerting diplomatic pressure on Afghanistan
to prevent even cultural events organized by Korean Christian associations from
taking place under any circumstances, for security reasons.
``We have held the peace festival in Afghanistan annually since 2001 and the
number of participants reached hundreds at each event,'' Choi said. ``But there
was not an accident, so far.''
He stressed that security in Afghanistan is getting better year by year after
the end of war. However, he agreed a southern part of Afghanistan is still
dangerous, where the U.S.-led coalition and its Afghan allies battle still
defiant Taliban militants.
Former Afghan Ambassador to Seoul Nabil Malek-Asghar echoed a similar view of
the security in his country.
``We welcome any kind of events organized by the Korean government or its
people in Afghanistan,'' Malek-Asghar said. ``But the southern part of
Afghanistan bordering Pakistan is dangerous.''
However, the ministry considers all the territory of Afghanistan unsafe as
proved in the case of 23 Korean hostages.
About 1,600 people were killed in Afghanistan in 2005, and militants of
Taliban, al-Qaeda and HIG continue terrorist attacks on the Afghan government
and its allied forces throughout the nation, according to the ministry.
Christian Missionary in Islam
The ministry notes that South Korea's Christian-based missionary work makes
security worse than general security in Afghanistan. This view is widely shared
by Muslims and foreigners in Seoul.
Sohn Ju-young, professor of Arabic language at the Hankuk University of Foreign
Studies in Seoul and former president of the Korea Muslim Federation, agreed
with the ministry's view.
``Christians do not know how dangerous it is to conduct missionary work in
Islamic countries,'' Sohn said. ``Particularly, it is much more dangerous in
Afghanistan where Islamic fundamentalists based on Wahabism are leading
terrorist activities.''
Wahabism is part of Islamic fundamentalism and its followers, including Osama
Bin Laden, are very violent and extreme in their characteristics, according to
him.
Sohn was worried if the Korean Christians' work could negatively affect Korea's
various activities in Islamic countries, including Zaytun Unit in northern
Iraqi town of Irbil.
Foreign residents who had experienced Korean missionaries' work noted that
Korean missionaries have a notorious reputation for their aggressive and
blatant way of evangelizing.
Oleg Kiriyanov, correspondent of the Russian state-run newspaper, Rossiyskaya
Gazeta, said he was surprised to meet Korean missionaries, as they were too
persuasive at home and abroad.
``I attended a Korean language class by a Korean missionary in my state-run
university in Russia, but he was kicked out because he taught mainly the Bible
and Christianity rather than language,'' said Kiriyanov, who lived in Korea for
nine years. He could confirm that the forcible way of missionary works was more
explicit in Korea after he arrived here.
Their bizarre missionary works are very unique compared to those of other
nations' Christians, he added.
Even the Taliban militants, who kidnapped the 23 Christian Koreans, indicated
that the Koreans' missionary work would negatively affect their security in
Afghanistan.
Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, spokesman of the Taliban, said the insurgents know well the
23 Korean Christians visited Afghanistan in order to convert pure Muslims to
Christianity, according to New York Times. ``If they were not women, they would
have been killed when captured,'' Ahmadi said.
The Korean hostages _ 18 women and five men, mostly medical doctors and nurses
_ went to Afghanistan to offer medical services. Most of them are members of
the Saemmul Community Church in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reader's Comments ¢º Other
View
boston (211.63.207.95) 07-26-2007 18:30 Korean
christian missionary groups in Anti-Christian place like Taliban. They needed
History 101 class before they left to Afghanistan. seoulsaram
(161.122.31.49) 07-26-2007 17:37 The title is not good in deed. It
seems a fundametalist mentality. All religions are good for mankind. But
nonsense people like Bush, Blair, Laden are making things screwing. In the name
of God all are doing wrong. ysaleem73 (161.122.31.219)
07-26-2007 16:31 agree with woodchopper, in addition to that you
mentioned just look at what Mr Bush is doing all around the world and its
beyond doubts he is a full fledge christian, now the situation is taliban cant
reach Bush but an innocent Korean christian so its the result.
selwyn (219.255.154.75) 07-26-2007 14:24 Is it safe for christians to
be in an Islamic country? HELL NO! woodchopper
(59.17.121.75) 07-26-2007 10:33 Sorry, jimbo, bu I don't totally
agree. They are not looking for any excuse, they have plenty of excuses to kill
christians. Stay out of the middle east with your doctrine and they will be
fine. Start poking people and telling them that their beliefs are wrong and
yours are right and damn right they are going to fight. Go to any church in
Korea and stand outside and try to pass out leaflets about buddhism or
something that goes agains the bible and see how well you are received.
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