Slightly off topic, but I flagged down two well-scrubbed Mormons the other day as there was a question I'd been thinking of asking. With less than 4% Christian in the Kingdom, how goes the saving business? They have converted 400 souls to Christ this year here, with a goal of 800. Even more off topic, in Korea, I was approached by a very cute pair of female elders and as they were talking to me I couldn't help feeling compelled to tell them I'd marry them both and live in Utah if that sort of thing were still going on. The encounter did not end in a three way.

I had heard that the Mormons were over doing charitable work, not converting. I guess that was wishful thinking.

Often the charitable work is merely a cover for the real deal.

My own opinion is that very few missionaries are ever honest enough with themselves to stick purely to secondary business.

nightmare.believer wrote:Slightly off topic, but I flagged down two well-scrubbed Mormons the other day as there was a question I'd been thinking of asking. With less than 4% Christian in the Kingdom, how goes the saving business? They have converted 400 souls to Christ this year here, with a goal of 800. Even more off topic, in Korea, I was approached by a very cute pair of female elders and as they were talking to me I couldn't help feeling compelled to tell them I'd marry them both and live in Utah if that sort of thing were still going on. The encounter did not end in a three way.

Just out of curiosity, where did you come up with the figure of 4%?

I've heard less than 1% before, but maybe that's changed.

Nearly every Khmer shop I go into has at least some Buddhist shrine in it but I never feel offended because they don't tell me their beliefs. In fact I'm glad they don't.

I've never understood this obsession with Christian bashing, it seems to come from people who I'm sure would tell you that their philosophy is to live and let live.

Joker Poker wrote:Nearly every Khmer shop I go into has at least some Buddhist shrine in it but I never feel offended because they don't tell me their beliefs. In fact I'm glad they don't.

I've never understood this obsession with Christian bashing, it seems to come from people who I'm sure would tell you that their philosophy is to live and let live.

The sins of the few over shadow the (silent)majority.

There was a report a couple years ago about christian missionaries, I don't know denomination, using tactics either on purpose or not saying that Pol Pot was a consequence of not following the Christian religion. And that a similar tragedy would happen if they didn't convert.

Sharing their belief will inevitably talk about hell and saving their immortal soul, again going back to fear mongering among people that may be poorly educated.

I grew up a Jehovahs Witness and dread the day if, unless it already happened, that they come tramping into this country.

Joker Poker wrote:Nearly every Khmer shop I go into has at least some Buddhist shrine in it but I never feel offended because they don't tell me their beliefs. In fact I'm glad they don't.

I've never understood this obsession with Christian bashing, it seems to come from people who I'm sure would tell you that their philosophy is to live and let live.

I'm far from a basher, but I did feel sort of deceived by the conversation that I mentioned. I don't think that anyone owes me information about their personal life, but when someone is running an business, with their primary funding coming from a church and their primary purpose is religious, I think it's very odd to not mention this when having a conversation with a customer about missionaries and their business.

Personally, if a business has a religious or political affiliation, especially if all of the profits from the business go to fund that affiliation, I think that information should be available to customers. For example, I can imagine that a gay person might not want to support a business that is rabidly anti-gay. Not to say all religiously-affiliated businesses would qualify by any means, but I think customers should have the right to decide for themselves.

For the record, I don't have a problem with religious expats in Cambodia (who I think often do good work), but I'm not keen on proselytizing.

Already happened, thePeck. (Edit: JWs in Cambodia)

Related, Pol Pot had a hatred for religions (as a good Marxist) but was known to be particularly passionate about eradicating Christians. There was actually quite a large Christian church throughout Cambodia before the KR, consensus is that after the genocide only three indigenous pastors and a small handful of believers survived.

Fair enough giblet, I wasn't actually referring to you, there are a few really vocal bashers that I won't bother to mention. It just gets really tedious at times.