PEOPLES I"VE POSTED ON~
Hyejin-tres, seis
Haichan-3rd entry
Grace Lee-#3
Jin #2-"What should society do for “uncivilized cultures” like the Sawi?", "What do mission organizations do for these people?"
Inhye-"You've Got To Believe In...a) Yourself; b) God/Some Deity; c) The Tangible Things; or d) None Of The Above"
James Song-No.4
peace_child
African Globe Trotters. //
February 2, 2009 at 4:46 AM- Grace ShinAe Lee //
December 31, 2008 at 4:17 AM
- African Globe Trotters. //
February 2, 2009 at 4:52 AM
- African Globe Trotters. //
February 2, 2009 at 4:57 AM
- African Globe Trotters. //
February 2, 2009 at 5:03 AM
- Korean Cherry Blossem //
December 3, 2008 at 8:01 PM
- Mr. Rader //
December 4, 2008 at 6:00 PM
- African Globe Trotters. //
February 2, 2009 at 5:10 AM
- African Globe Trotters. //
February 2, 2009 at 5:05 AM
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
What reflections and connections can you make with this novel?
While reading this book I could feel myself and my own faith growing and advancing along with it. It seems in the short time we've spent reading and analyzing this book I've grown a little bit more and have begun to understand more of me and a part of myself. It was a really wierd feeling and I felt kind of proud I guess you could say, but it defniately was a great feeling.
Much like the Sawi, I think I carried a sort of darkness in my heart. Hatred, revenge, feelings that are quite ugly and a burden to carry around. More or less I guess I could understand how the Sawi regarded revenge as a priority and stuff like that. But then the moment of darkness passed and then the Sawi and I were brought forth to God and just as they started to reveal and wash away their sins to God I could feel myself open and let go. As wierd as it sounds reading the book was kind of like my own little get back in touch thing with God and I could feel myself slowly letting go of the bad things.
While reading this book I could feel myself and my own faith growing and advancing along with it. It seems in the short time we've spent reading and analyzing this book I've grown a little bit more and have begun to understand more of me and a part of myself. It was a really wierd feeling and I felt kind of proud I guess you could say, but it defniately was a great feeling.
Much like the Sawi, I think I carried a sort of darkness in my heart. Hatred, revenge, feelings that are quite ugly and a burden to carry around. More or less I guess I could understand how the Sawi regarded revenge as a priority and stuff like that. But then the moment of darkness passed and then the Sawi and I were brought forth to God and just as they started to reveal and wash away their sins to God I could feel myself open and let go. As wierd as it sounds reading the book was kind of like my own little get back in touch thing with God and I could feel myself slowly letting go of the bad things.
How did Christianity change this culture?
I think Christianity brought hope to the Sawi. New hope and peace. The darkness that seemed to lurk in the shadows of the beginning chapters gradually started to vanish as the pages passed and the Sawi grew closer to God. The Sawi no longer had to commit the horrific acts that their own religion demanded and they were able to free themselves of that eternal fear of the spirits that would supposedly harm them at the slightest wrong.
Also, it seems that bringing Christianity to the Sawi was a crucial step for them to be able to adjust to the standards of our society. If Don Richardson had not come earlier and related our views to theirs they would have had to face the judgement of many nations and they certainly wouldn't be in favor of the Sawi. It seems though, because of Christianity, the Sawi were able to communicate well with advancing governments and go past their aggressive nature and find a way to cope with their changing environment.
I chose this picture because it reminded me of the Sawi, the butterflies are kind of dark but then there's something about this painting that's not so depressing, in fact, to me, it feels like there's hope. Almost like the butterflies are flying to somewhere with a brighter future, like they've found freedom.
I think Christianity brought hope to the Sawi. New hope and peace. The darkness that seemed to lurk in the shadows of the beginning chapters gradually started to vanish as the pages passed and the Sawi grew closer to God. The Sawi no longer had to commit the horrific acts that their own religion demanded and they were able to free themselves of that eternal fear of the spirits that would supposedly harm them at the slightest wrong.
Also, it seems that bringing Christianity to the Sawi was a crucial step for them to be able to adjust to the standards of our society. If Don Richardson had not come earlier and related our views to theirs they would have had to face the judgement of many nations and they certainly wouldn't be in favor of the Sawi. It seems though, because of Christianity, the Sawi were able to communicate well with advancing governments and go past their aggressive nature and find a way to cope with their changing environment.
I chose this picture because it reminded me of the Sawi, the butterflies are kind of dark but then there's something about this painting that's not so depressing, in fact, to me, it feels like there's hope. Almost like the butterflies are flying to somewhere with a brighter future, like they've found freedom.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Does everyone have a specific culture? Define culture?
Culture is the language, belief and value system of a certain group of people that develops over time and is constantly changing time after time.
Culture is different even within the same race/nationality so I guess depending on where you live, how you've been raised, your family, even your own personality affects your culture. So technically everyone has their own specific culture.
Culture is the language, belief and value system of a certain group of people that develops over time and is constantly changing time after time.
Culture is different even within the same race/nationality so I guess depending on where you live, how you've been raised, your family, even your own personality affects your culture. So technically everyone has their own specific culture.
But I think that every culture has the same root/core that helps us relate to eachother and form relationships with eachother no matter how far our cultural boundaries are. For example, every culture has the belief that there is something greater, a higher being or enitity, everyone has art and music, everyone has a language in which to express themselves. But these similarities are so deeply hidden by the outer differences we fail to recognize that at one point we were all from the same line of humans.
Everything in this painting is different. colorful, vibrant, and yet looking at all the shapes and colors, taking in the painting altogether, you realize nothing is awkward but is in fact actually quite beautiful.
What concepts in the Sawi culture intrigued / reviled / saddened / angered / surprised you?
Naturally everything about this culture shocked me and honestly I wasn't very keen on finding out what exactly was the extent of their, practices and beliefs were. Especially considering how disgustingly descriptive the writing was. I mean, why did we have read about these cannibals and what could we possibly learn from reading about how some missionaries were going to apparantly change these people's lives. As far as I was concerned it was another reading assignment that was a bit more gruesome than the last.
It was only today that I came out of the shell. I read up to about chapter 17 and from there on it kind of felt like there was a door opening inside of me, I felt like I could kind of understand the Sawi more. The detailed descriptions weren't to gross the readers out or get people's attention but they were meant to help us experience the Sawi culture through the book. All of a sudden I felt my self immersed in the book, sadness overwhelmed me when an exchange of the peace child was made, fear struck my heart with the introduction of every modern device, confusion clouded my thoughts at the thought of comprehending a whole another culture unlike my own.
I was impressed at how productive everyone was and yet couldn't get over how people who could be so warm could sometimes be so cruel as to beat their own wives or honor the act of betrayal. Reading towards the end of the book is what helped me realize just how and what exaclty twisted the Sawi's culture into the head hunting and cannabalistic people of today. But what's more amazing is how there seem to be remenants of the teachings of God within these people and how they are able to relate so well with Christianity. These tribesmen who at times seem to be the most heartless of creatures show remorse and doubt and fear in their actions, there is light and truth within the depths of their hearts.
Overall the whole experience of reading about this new culture, the people of the Sawi, was a great experience for me and though I haven't finished the book yet I hope to find out just how many more surprises the Sawi have in store for me.
Naturally everything about this culture shocked me and honestly I wasn't very keen on finding out what exactly was the extent of their, practices and beliefs were. Especially considering how disgustingly descriptive the writing was. I mean, why did we have read about these cannibals and what could we possibly learn from reading about how some missionaries were going to apparantly change these people's lives. As far as I was concerned it was another reading assignment that was a bit more gruesome than the last.
It was only today that I came out of the shell. I read up to about chapter 17 and from there on it kind of felt like there was a door opening inside of me, I felt like I could kind of understand the Sawi more. The detailed descriptions weren't to gross the readers out or get people's attention but they were meant to help us experience the Sawi culture through the book. All of a sudden I felt my self immersed in the book, sadness overwhelmed me when an exchange of the peace child was made, fear struck my heart with the introduction of every modern device, confusion clouded my thoughts at the thought of comprehending a whole another culture unlike my own.
I was impressed at how productive everyone was and yet couldn't get over how people who could be so warm could sometimes be so cruel as to beat their own wives or honor the act of betrayal. Reading towards the end of the book is what helped me realize just how and what exaclty twisted the Sawi's culture into the head hunting and cannabalistic people of today. But what's more amazing is how there seem to be remenants of the teachings of God within these people and how they are able to relate so well with Christianity. These tribesmen who at times seem to be the most heartless of creatures show remorse and doubt and fear in their actions, there is light and truth within the depths of their hearts.
Overall the whole experience of reading about this new culture, the people of the Sawi, was a great experience for me and though I haven't finished the book yet I hope to find out just how many more surprises the Sawi have in store for me.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I don't think I'm that close to Jesus, but even if someone were to say they were like "one with God," I highly doubt that they'd still be able to perceive his thoughts. If we were to just observe God's words though, I think more than what He wants us to do for a certain group of people, it's more important we consider what to do for everybody. The message has never changed, show love, be merciful, and it's the same treatment that we should show to the Sawi, as well as anyone else. I think that God sent Don Richardson to the tribes not because the Sawi were "underdeveloped" or "uncivilized" but because they were in need of God's love. They were given the opportunity to experience a different way of life that is based on the idea of love rather than deceit and betrayal. I'm guessing that if there was anything God wanted for the Sawi, it was to show them His love and to reconnect with His lost children, at least the ones who were ready to receive Him.
How does Faith relate to the world in which we live?
I think faith is an essential part of our lives regardless of whether it's related to a religion or not. As people, we are constantly faced with stress and hardships that make our lives more than a struggle to live through. We need something more than the facts, and faith, our belief of something that assures us that everything will be alright, is how we stay positive.
