Conversions

Parked by the beach not far from here is a caravan of Americans from Duluth, Minnesota and Medford, Oregon, I was told. They live in campers and trailers and drive around Japan visiting communities and schools. They put a speaker on top of one of their vehicles to spread the word - the word of the gospel.

Today one of the Americans, a Japanese citizen who has lived in Japan for over 50 years, visited my school to talk to my Vice Principal. He entered the staff room with the correct polite Japanese expressions, offered his business card and proceeded to monopolize the VP’s time with a long diatribe. Another teacher that sits across from me glanced at me and raised his eyes as if to ask “Where the #@*% did this dude come from?” - - there was a 73 year old foreigner speaking Japanese in my school. The VP stood, nodded, spoke a few words but looked cold and unwelcoming. In two years, I have rarely felt such inhospitality from him, so I knew something strange was going on. Because the American was speaking away from me and in accented Japanese, I wasn’t able to follow the conversation. When it was clear he was finished and the VP was not interested in his offers to enlighten the young Nyuzen minds with stories from the bible, he asked the VP if I was the English teacher and if he could speak to me. I was intrigued but wasn’t overly polite because I could sense the tension in the room. He introduced himself as an Evangelist from the Bible Distribution League, the title he also has on his business card. He told me about how the work they do and about traveling around Japan. He has been doing this for 40 years—living out of a camper and going from place to place preaching the gospel. He admitted that he hadn’t gotten far with the VP and looked as if he was looking for my support. I wished him well in Toyama and he said he hoped I was reading my bible. If only he knew.

Everyone in the staff room remained silent after he left the room, pretending not to notice our conversation or what had just happened. After I was sure he was out of earshot, I apologized to the VP and told him I thought it was a bit strange. I’m not sure why I felt like I had to apologize, I guess because he was American too. I didn’t want all the teachers to automatically assume I was on his side or supported him because we shared the same nationality.

I don’t have a problem with people practicing their religion, but I do have a problem with evangelists. I don’t understand the process of converting people to a religion imported from another culture. From what I’ve seen and heard it feeds on people’s fears and insecurities through a process of manipulation and guilt. For me religion is very much based in culture. Therefore, I also don’t understand how an American can be a Hindu, or a South Indian can be a Baptist. It just doesn’t compute to me. Religion is so intertwined with culture, that I don’t think you can separate them or take them out of their context. Maybe an American can be a practicing Hindu, but culturally an American is predominately Christian.

It’s always a bit shocking to me when I see or hear about people trying to convert Japanese or Hindus, cultures that have a great deal of respect for many religious beliefs and values. Speaking generally of course, they seem to be open and accepting often recognizing the greatness of many spiritual leaders and paths.. Conversion, especially by fundamentalist Christians, seems like an approach that requires those being converted to close their minds, to focus and narrow their perspective. In a modern global society, where people are interacting with many different cultures and religions in one day, we need to be opening our minds, sharing our beliefs and learning about other beliefs.

I’m glad my VP has that same perspective. After being one of a handful of international/multicultural educators for this town and in this area…I hope that people are a little more understanding, aware and open to other cultures. But I fear that people like Mr. Evangelist from Minnesota is encouraging education of the wrong kind.



In other recent news, an estimated 5,000 Dalits converted to Buddhism in Mumbai several weeks ago at a mass conversion, one of India's largest to date. You can read the article on BBC News.