How do I relate to Faith? How did Don Richardson relate to Faith? How do the Sawi relate to Faith?

When it comes to Faith most everyone relates the same, even thought there are many different religions that people fallow that doesn’t change much. You have three major groups when it comes to how people relate to their faith, people that couldn’t care less about it, people that know their faith but don’t practice it to its full extent, then finally people that know their faith and fallow it every day of their life.
The way that I relate to my faith is by knowing my religion and practicing it every day, not doing everything the normal human would want to do but not giving in to temptations out there and trying to help others not just worry about myself. Don Richardson related to his faith by going and helping many people survive. A whole tribe that was possibly going to be ruined and he put his whole life aside to go to this strange land where he could possibly die putting his life in danger to help others. Making his life the way his faith had done for him. Then finally the Sawi tribe relates to their faith by saving the believe system and not just conforming to other places. They found a way to take what Don Richardson showed them and his teachings and didn’t just totally transfer to what he said but adapted their already existing faith and embraced this new faith.

What do traders and NGO’S do for these cultures?

Traders intentions are usually just one thing, to make money to do whatever they have to do to make it and not worry about others around them. They are usually ahead on the times and have good equipment for their business and to make themselves look better and make people want to do business with them. When it comes to farming that was up to the tribe people they were in charge of who would farm where, on what piece of land, and how they were going to go about doing it. Then the traders come in and take over pretty much ruining all that they had been working for and pretty much turning them into slaves making them work for the traders profit which devastated a lot of the small farmers profits.
When it comes to the Sawi people and traders entering their lands, I think the traders wouldn’t have a clue as to what they were entering into and not do much to the Sawi tribe because they would just do what they always do. Fatten them and then eat them, become good friends and betray them without any questions. They would treat the trades just like the do everyone else and the traders wouldn’t know what was going on they probably think that they are out witting the Sawi people because they are giving them food and being friendly to them. I could be totally off with this thought they might outsmart the Sawi tribe and end up doing the same thing they do to most tribes.

What should society do for “uncivilized cultures” like the Sawi?
“Uncivilized culture” to me isn’t the right way to label the Sawi tribe, because when they look at our culture they might think our culture is “uncivilized.” but that’s beyond the point of this question. In some ways I believe that society should leave cultures that are still practicing the same traditions for many years and keeping that part of their life alive. Not let something that has been able to carry on for many generations just be totally demolished and changed completely.
But then when you think about it this culture was going to have to change no matter what because it was causing problems with the other cultures around them and they just couldn’t fit in anymore. So I believe that the society should not totally change the way these people are, but help to fix a few things for the better. Not just totally change their way of live but just enough to help them survive in to days modern world. Show them that there are better ways of going about doing things that don’t involve harm to the people around them. If society could help out the Sawi people in this way I believe both parties would be happy, the Sawi could still be them and the groups around them wouldn’t have to live in fear that the government wouldn’t try to totally abolish their tribe.
Most people think getting rid of something fixes it but you really have to deal head on with the problem not just a quick fix. When you stop to think about it a quick fix doesn’t satisfy everyone that’s involved.

How different is your modern culture from the Sawi tenants?

To be perfectly honest I think in ways our modern culture and the Sawi tenants aren’t that different. They hunt and kill their food, even though sometimes the food they are hunting is human meat, we do the same. There are a lot of people that hunt and kill to get food but in our modern world we hunt animals. We stand by our upbringings and they religion our parents showed us as children. The Sawi do the exact same, they have their roles in society, their culture, and their believes and they practice it from an early age till death.
But then you can look at it from a different point of view and notice that what they considered normal and just an everyday thing, is not only morally wrong but its also against the last. Like being head hunters, or cannibals, or the belief in treachery. All those things are so far from our modern cultures its hard to believe.
Even though this seems so far off it is very possible that somewhere out there, there is a small group, or maybe even a large group of people that still hold these beliefs to this day and have no problems morally with it. For example the Korowai tribe, the live in Indonesian New Guinea. They are one of the last people on earth to practice cannibalism.
So in many ways we can see how those cultures are “not normal” or “wrong” but when you think about it, if those cultures came and looked at the way our culture is. They probably will say the same thing about us. Its all a matter of where you grew up and how you live your life.

Does everyone have a specific culture? Define culture?

Some people may believe that everyone has a specific culture they belong to. But in actuality nobody has a set culture. Times are always changing people are always adapting to new things. More and more people are starting to move to different places. Not just different countries but different states or towns. Even though moving to a different state or a different town is a small move compared to moving to a different country but even those small little moves count. There are different cultures even in the same town. After living with many different cultures you tend to take a little piece of it and mix it in with the culture you started out with to create your own.
The word culture holds such strong importance, and if you ask around everyone will have their own definition for it. Even in the dictionary there are many different meanings, for example, according to dictionary.com

1. the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.


2. that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.


3. a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture.


4. development or improvement of the mind by education or training.


5. the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.


6. Anthropology. the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.


So, for everyone you ask nobody will give the exact same answer but a mixture of many different one.

How would uncivilized cultures react upon receiving technology beyond their comprehension?

If uncivilized cultures got technology beyond their comprehension I believe they would use it in ways we would of never thought, like if a cave man go a tooth brush he would maybe try to use it to scratch is body, or something of that nature.
There is this show back in the states I don’t know if they have it in Korea but its called “Phil of the Future” its about this boy who is from the future and took a time machine around the years in the past and when he gets to 2008 his time machine breaks and him and his family are stuck there until his father can fix it. He goes around using all kinds of things in odd ways and everyone finds him completely weird. Also while he was traveling through time he picked up a cave man so there are two opposites in the show someone from the far future and someone from the past trying to survive in the future and trying to hide from others the fact that they aren’t from this time period. And it made it really funny and really realistic because Phills best friend would have to turn things like right side up or turn it around because he was holding it wrong and using it in a way that really doesn’t make sense to us.
But with a little instruction and setting examples they will adapt to these new things just like Phil did. Nothing comes instantly but with practice and persistence it will all come to together like a 5,000 piece puzzle.

What do mission organizations do for these people?

Most like Don Richardson, the author of The Peace Child, believe that they are helping they are bringing the word of God to these people. He believes that the way he is going about bringing the word of God is better then the other groups would of done it. That he isn’t pushing his ideas or beliefs on them he is just showing them new ways that they might actually like better then their own. He is a strong believer in what he is doing as a missionary.
I find that this article makes him seem extremely bias. Even though it does show other points, for the most part Richardson is putting down the other side and favoring the side he believes in. He is not really just stating facts about the topic, he is more so in a way trying to make the reader lean to what he believes in.
I believe that missionaries yes in most cases help out cultures that haven’t been exposed to the word of God as much as we have, but I also believe that we are trying to change their culture or make them conform by going into THEIR homes and telling them their believes even though for the most part they are not pushing it on them, I feel like they are. The reason for this is the people survived as long as they did on their customs and believes, why do we need to go in there and change it or even give the idea of a change.