# Idiot missionary gets killed

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [November 21, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892 "2018-11-21T14:07:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 8

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### Author: ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/141 "2018-11-23T16:16:55Z")

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> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#):
>
> “Christian” organization International Christian Concern, which claims that this is a pattern of Indian discrimination against Christians, wants the Sentinalese tried for murder.  
> [Nonreligious Questions](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/nosacredcows/2018/11/christian-group-wants-native-tribe-brought-to-justice-for-death-of-missionary/)

What about “God will judge them?”

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### Author: ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/142 "2018-11-23T16:25:05Z")

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> [@Riemann](#):
>
> I don’t know about this proselytizing thing. What’s the story again? The all-powerful and all-knowing God set humans up in a pretty garden; when an evil talking snake made his plans go awry, he decided that the only way he could manage to forgive us for being naughty was to sacrifice his son _to himself_. If I were Yahweh, I’d find the whole business a little embarrassing, the fewer people that hear about it the better.

The really difficult part is when you claim that God is omniscient. That means that at the time he was making this decision he already knew he was going to regret it and end up reversing it. So why didn’t he just not make it?

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### Author: ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/143 "2018-11-23T16:29:36Z")

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> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#):
>
> “Christian” organization International Christian Concern, which claims that this is a pattern of Indian discrimination against Christians, wants the Sentinalese tried for murder.

India has enacted laws that prohibited Chau from going to the island where he was killed. So how exactly was India discriminating against him? They were trying to keep him alive, which was more than Chau himself was doing.

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### Author: ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/144 "2018-11-23T16:30:47Z")

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> [@Horatius](#):
>
> Apparently he wrote a letter and several pages of notes before he went back to the island. He sounds quite conflicted about dying.  
> [Christian missionary's letter to his family before he was killed | Daily Mail Online](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6415649/Christian-missionarys-letter-family-killed.html)

Wow, thanks for that. A look into the mind of a zealot.

> [@FluffyBob](#):
>
> From a BBC Article: [Family forgive tribe who killed American](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46300459)
> 
> ‘In a statement, they said John Allen Chau “loved God, life, helping those in need, and had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people”.’

I’d like to see the actual statement, as clips from it show they are more concerned about Chau’s abettors than the Sentinelese.

> [@](#):
>
> Mr Chau’s family released a statement on Instagram, saying he had gone to the island of “his own free will”.  
> “We also ask for the release of those friends he had in the Andaman Islands. He ventured out of his own free will and his local contacts need not be persecuted for his own actions,” the statement said.

They’re not being persecuted, you morons, they’re being _ **prosecuted** _ for violating Indian laws.

> [@Baron\_Greenback](#):
>
> Here’s an absolutely fascinating twitter thread about the North Sentinelese. It features a deeply odd Royal Navy Commander in Victorian times, anthropologists and a shipwreck
> 
> [https://twitter.com/RespectableLaw/status/1065841141201989632](https://twitter.com/RespectableLaw/status/1065841141201989632)

Wow, Twitter is a horrible platform for that, but it was very informative. He linked to a second twitter feed:

> <https://twitter.com/JShahryar/status/1065309680514195456>
>
> WE WANT POK @MRINALS22804387

Which had a poster say the following:

> [@](#):
>
> **prop d** @propdiddy
> 
> i don’t mind people disapproving of his actions, but anyone who laughs at him outright would laugh at a bunch of jesuits attempting the same thing and failing in the same way, and that’s not kosher
> 
> [snip]
> 
> i think a lot of people have also lost sight of the fact that you can’t really be christian unless you think that these people should be christian as soon as possible, although pragmatic differences on who should take on the task of evangelizing them are possible

There it is in a nutshell - the mindset. “We have to proselytize to them as soon as possible, for their own good. It’s our Christian duty!”

He is right about one thing - most of the people disapproving of Chau’s actions would also disapprove if it were Jesuits doing it. Not kosher? I don’t think Jesuits are kosher.

> [@Kimera757](#):
>
> He’s still an idiot. I don’t see how successfully recruiting Christians, who then die of disease, is good for his cause. It’s a post-truth world, nobody knows how disease works anymore ☹

His “cause” is saving their souls, what does he care if they all die immediately afterwards, as long as they now go to heaven to worship God in their own way. :rolleyes:

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### Author: ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/145 "2018-11-23T16:37:59Z")

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> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> India has enacted laws that prohibited Chau from going to the island where he was killed. So how exactly was India discriminating against him? They were trying to keep him alive, which was more than Chau himself was doing.

I think the “logic” is that, because the island group is technically in Indian territory, the Sentinelese are Indian, and their hostility toward Chau counted as “Indian discrimination.”

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### Author: ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/146 "2018-11-23T16:43:07Z")

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> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> India has enacted laws that prohibited Chau from going to the island where he was killed. So how exactly was India discriminating against him? They were trying to keep him alive, which was more than Chau himself was doing.

The ICC is conflating the Sentinelese with India, saying it is a part of a trend of violence against Christian missionaries in India. They are ignoring the fact that India has declared them an independent state and has laws against contacting them. They are conflating the acts of individual groups with India as a whole.

One might reasonably say that India persecutes Christians, in that AFAICT there are laws against proselytizing there. That’s a far cry from feeding them to the lions in the arena. And there have been acts of violence by Hindus against Christians. So there definitely is justification for concern over how Christian missionaries are treated. But this ain’t that. The North Sentinelese want to be left alone by all outsiders, whether Christian or not. They likely have no idea of what “Christian” even means.

The ICC is just opportunistic about this incident, using it for publicity.

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### Author: ![JB99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JB99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JB99)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/147 "2018-11-23T17:22:59Z")

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> [@FluffyBob](#):
>
> From a BBC Article: [Family forgive tribe who killed American](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46300459)
> 
> ‘In a statement, they said John Allen Chau “loved God, life, helping those in need, and had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people”.’
> 
> Fuck Them. He was being a selfish fucking asshole. He did not give a fuck that he may kill them all with disease, he did not give a fuck about what they believed or wanted. He did not love these people in any way, to him they were just another tool for his own selfish interest. Asshole.

Absolutely. He wasn’t there to help anyone. He was there to satisfy his own ego and extend control over people. Fuck this guy.

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### Author: ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/148 "2018-11-23T17:59:43Z")

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> [@Dangerosa](#):
>
> What about “God will judge them?”

The “murderers” have that loophole in the fact that they have not heard about Jesus, so get to pass God - no indication if they get to collect $200.

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### Author: ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/149 "2018-11-23T18:21:10Z")

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> [@Ike\_Witt](#):
>
> The “murderers” have that loophole in the fact that they have not heard about Jesus, so get to pass God - no indication if they get to collect $200.

If God isn’t going to judge them, then I don’t think we can either.

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### Author: ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/150 "2018-11-23T19:02:45Z")

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> [@Ike\_Witt](#):
>
> And I want ICC charged for aiding and abetting the idiot to break the law and getting himself killed.

What have you got against the Interstate Commerce Commission? Are you taking little white pills and your log book’s way behind? 😕

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### Author: ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/151 "2018-11-23T19:12:26Z")

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I thought he meant the Intercounty Connector, and was wondering how a highway could get charged with aiding and abetting.

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### Author: ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/152 "2018-11-23T19:41:10Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> but anyone who laughs at him outright would laugh at a bunch of jesuits attempting the same thing and failing in the same way, and that’s not kosher

Firstly - interesting place to use _kosher_. But mostly, yes, I would laugh at the Jesuits too.

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### Author: ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/153 "2018-11-23T20:44:58Z")

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> [@MrDibble](#):
>
> Firstly - interesting place to use _kosher_. But mostly, yes, I would laugh at the Jesuits too.

Well, you know, their boss is Jewish.

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### Author: ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/154 "2018-11-23T20:48:58Z")

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> [@MrDibble](#):
>
> They _do_ presume that other sects are wrong about stuff like Trinitarianism, Original Sin, etc. They’re hardly agnostics. I mean specifically Christian Unitarians, of course, the whole UU thing is a bit more fuzzy.

More than a bit I’d say: fuzziness is part of the UU church’s doctrine. Or rather non-doctrine. [Beliefs & Principles | UUA.org](https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe)

Summary on one page:  
[http://www.bible.ca/cr-Unitarian-universalist.htm](http://www.bible.ca/cr-Unitarian-universalist.htm)

I am not a Unitarian, but I’d wager they don’t discuss the Trinity too much or too often.

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### Author: ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/155 "2018-11-23T20:49:26Z")

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> [@pool](#):
>
> Eh he was stupid but it’s just delaying the inevitable, eventually some disease or their own inbreeding will wipe them out, Darwinism indeed.

Eventually you’ll be dead too. Should people be able to trespass on your land and actually hasten your death by exposing you to diseases that you wouldn’t worry about had they not been trespassing?

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### Author: ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/156 "2018-11-23T20:56:53Z")

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> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#):
>
> More than a bit I’d say: fuzziness is part of the UU church’s doctrine. Or rather non-doctrine. [Beliefs & Principles | UUA.org](https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe)
> 
> Summary on one page:  
> [Official creed of the Unity/Unitarian Church](http://www.bible.ca/cr-Unitarian-universalist.htm)
> 
> I am not a Unitarian, but I’d wager they don’t discuss the Trinity too much or too often.

Unitarian Universalism is a book club more than a religion.

It’s not Christian but there are Christian UUs. They just tend to be quite liberal.

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### Author: ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/157 "2018-11-23T20:59:05Z")

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> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#):
>
> More than a bit I’d say: fuzziness is part of the UU church’s doctrine. Or rather non-doctrine. [Beliefs & Principles | UUA.org](https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe)
> 
> Summary on one page:  
> [Official creed of the Unity/Unitarian Church](http://www.bible.ca/cr-Unitarian-universalist.htm)
> 
> I am not a Unitarian, but I’d wager they don’t discuss the Trinity too much or too often.

I’ll give you 3 to 1 odds they do.

:flees:

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### Author: ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/158 "2018-11-23T21:17:46Z")

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> [@Irishman](#):
>
> He is right about one thing - most of the people disapproving of Chau’s actions would also disapprove if it were Jesuits doing it. Not kosher? I don’t think Jesuits are kosher.

You are right. Long pig is not kosher. Jesuits don’t chew their cud.  
\<Chicago, the Musical\> He had it coming! He had it coming!\</Chi\>

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### Author: ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/159 "2018-11-23T22:39:52Z")

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> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#):
>
> Unitarian Universalism is a book club more than a religion.
> 
> It’s not Christian but there are Christian UUs. They just tend to be quite liberal.

Indeed. A college friend is a Universalist minister, who’s very active in the Christian UU movement - he wrote his master’s thesis on the history of Universalists in Georgia, and likes to conduct services in a surplice and Geneva bands.

I was at his wedding, and it was the bog-standard Western Christian affair: families on either sides of the aisle, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here…”, “You may now kiss your spouse”, _The Wedding March_ - the standard American hitchin’-up ceremony. The only thing exotic were the two grooms - this was twenty years or so ago, before marriage equality was national.

Nevertheless, my friend’s colleague, who conducted the service, commented that she’d never presided over such an “old-fashioned” wedding ceremony. :dubious:

As far as young Mr. Chau, in my eyes, he’s guilty of attempted negligent homicide. I’m sorry he paid a high price for his stupidity and zealotry, but what he attempted was incredibly stupid, extremely dangerous for both himself and the islanders, and deeply immoral.

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### Author: ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-missionary-gets-killed/824892/160 "2018-11-23T22:57:19Z")

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> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> What have you got against the Interstate Commerce Commission? Are you taking little white pills and your log book’s way behind? 😕

> [@Slash1972](#):
>
> I thought he meant the Intercounty Connector, and was wondering how a highway could get charged with aiding and abetting.

In this thread, ICC was referring to the International Christian Concern, the group that was supporting Chau and has made such statements as hoping his murderers are brought to justice. They’re the ones screaming about “persecution of Christians”.

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