So much of life is searching for answers, prying back the layers to find meaning or substance, years of true devotion and commitment and in the end, the answer was an easy or obvious solution hidden in plain sight. John, over at Nowhere Tribune posted a concise and worthwhile book review about a missionary who came to the realization that people around the world were happy without the gospel and Jesus. He also notes that the higher your level of devotion and study of the Bible and Christianity, the more likely one is to leave it. We are going about this atheism all wrong! All we need to do is promote in-depth bible study. Spread the word! And give John a quick read if you have a moment. 
TheCommonAtheist 
Missionary work is about colonization and imperialism. It is to instill a certain set of values and mindset on the people. The vehicle is the religion (usually monotheism).
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Yes that is true. I think today though, the culture of missionary work is individuals trying to serve those in need, then, like in this case find people are happier and more content around the world than we were led to believe.
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Who is to decide who is in need? How does one define need? Is it done by western intellectual standards? Also, why use religion as a vehicle? Unless it is to convert as well.
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Oh totally agree. The root of missionary service is to convert. An honest person (the author) follows his observations and reports the truth. They didn’t need him, in fact, he felt like they were serving him and their kindness exceeded his own honest intensions. Same as my experience when living in Panama. Although poor and needy in monetary terms, the people are much happier than Americans
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Studying the Bible worked for me!
Signed,
‘Happy Atheist.’ 😉
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I just really like that. It’s important too, to study it alone without all the excuses and ad nauseum explanations.
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Indeed, studying the Babble, ALL of it, taught me, with total certainty, just how full of poop the Babble is–as is Christianity and religion in general. “And what thous art reading is CRAZY, so doubt it all and believe it not.” Bullshitacus 23:14-15
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Lol. The arm chair pontificator has spoken. The Jeffrodesiac of inspired enlightenment has pulled an apocryphal gem from the seam of his sofa. Sofa king has spoken truth!
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Thanks for sharing, Jim. A little history: I went to catholic grammar school run by nuns, catholic high school run by monks, was an altar boy, went to confession, took communion, sang in the church choir…. as a youg “adult” was church treasurer and choir director… no kidding… until in a single heartbeat I woke up… in my late twenties and I realized I had no idea why I was doing what I was doing. I is a source of deep embarrassment that it took me that long, knowing what I know now. At any rate, one of the most astonishing things is that I did not realize until a quarter century later that I had never actually read that vile piece of fiction that is so widely and blindly venerated. It was only after read ALL OF IT, not just the cherry-picked parts that suit the preacher’s agenda… that I realized that the god of the bible is a monster above all others. And so, I , too, am a huge advocate for Bible study… as long as I get to pick the chapters and verses.
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Wow! That almost sounds like the Einstein post I wrote it about you.
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Not sure why you would be embarassed, Frank? So it took a while. Length of time is unimportant–it is not even a blink in the cosmic eye, if there is such a thing. The only important fact, you did it. You looked at religion, and life, and discovered the former is not a necessity of the latter. Congratulations. I applaud you…
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Hi Jim, thanks for the link and the compliments!
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This repost, John’s book review, and Henry Rambow’s testimony about the uselessness of Christian-Missions in this day and age are SO VERY true! Bravo for this book and Mr. Rambow’s real-life stories!
When I spent my 10-months in Sierra Leone and Liberia, West Africa (soccer/futebol) and there for “missionary” work, after say 3-4 weeks I got to know and understand THEIR culture, THEIR way of life. While travelling the two countries from city or town to city or town, there was two things that could NOT be unseen, or unnoticed; they were glaring and in your face EVERYWHERE you travelled: old (1950s – 1980s), stripped, rusting, abandoned vehicles pushed-off to the sides on the paved or dirt roads, and deteriorating near-delapidated buildings, some 4- or 5-story buildings, in the cities! These two GLARING conditions could not be overlooked. In very stark contrast to this “garbage and disrepair” in urban areas are the rural villages and their villagers — how they have REMAINED practicing their own way of life they’ve passed on from many multiple generations. The vibe or energy there was like night-n-day compared to the cities and vehicles strewn everywhere up and down the streets and roads. By 4-5 months in my stay I figured out and was told by locals what had happened…
Sierre Leone has been and is still one of the world’s major producers of diamonds and cocoa and for Liberia, rubber. Then all the dots connected.
Much of Africa has been exploited by Western Civilization for many, many centuries. There was usually ONE explanation Leonians and Liberians gave me when I asked about all the trashed, abandon vehicles everywhere, poorly standing buildings, usually no working plumbing or water, and no electricity at night. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, the capital of the nation, had three massive generators from the 1960s – 70s. Only one of them now worked, barely, and they couldn’t run it 24/7 much less all night. No one native knew how to repair ANYTHING Western powers brought to these two nations. “The white business men and their companies never bothered to teach us anything long-term” was the typical explanation I heard over and over and over.
It was worse than shameful Jim. 😦
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And before that, they never needed our help until we showed up. I respect them and Ghana’s and others ability to hold back some of the forces at work to get them to conform.
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All it takes is for you to ingrain in them that you are indispensable and you have done it. It will take very long for them to stand on their feet again
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Studying the bible is just one path to atheism. Another is just throwing it away, which was the road I took. At least when I left Tibetan Buddhism behind, I gifted my TiBu treasures to another seeker, my Book of Chants (with Sanskrit to English translations) and my hand-crafted prayer beads made by my rinpoche’s own hands from a sacred tree in Lhasa. I hope they brought the giftee even half the peace they gave me…
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Doesn’t seem to be working with my brother the JW.
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Is he a frequent misionario?
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Every week and then some!
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You can tell a Jehovahs Witness, but you can’t tell ’em much. Their buildings need windows. There’s a whole wide world out there if you just look.
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LOL
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