Missionary work is a rather complicated issue, and its acuteness is only gaining momentum. The meaning of the word “missionary” and missionary work itself are shrouded in a million secrets, speculation and prejudice, illusions and stereotypes. Many believers ask themselves questions: to whom and how to explain the role of faith in the life of mankind, is this worth doing at all and what is the main task of any missionary?
Origin of the word
A missionary is a word that comes from the ancient Greek "mission". In literal translation, it means "an important assignment, or delivery of a parcel." Missionaries are figures (members) of religious organizations that set themselves the task of converting unbelievers to a particular religion.
The mission, according to the church, is one of the main tasks of any believer. The Church of Christ presents mission as one of the most important forms of service to the Lord. Many historians claim that the first missionary is Jesus, who walked around the world and tried to teach unbelievers, to reveal before them the secret of the Lord’s being, to devote the blessings of this mystery into the sacrament of spreading in the unenlightened world.
Dangerous way
The missionary has always been considered a respected person among the believing community. It was the missionaries who went on long journeys in order to attract people and preach the faith among dissenters.
But missionary work has always been a dangerous "profession." History is replete with facts when missionaries were not accepted, did not understand, beaten, expelled and even killed. For example, in 1956, when Protestant ministers of the church made an attempt to convert the Indians into their faith, the mission was unsuccessful. The five missionaries were not simply expelled by the indigenous people of the Ecuadorian tribe of Huaorani. They were killed, and then (according to the laws of the tribe) eaten. A similar story happened with ministers who arrived on the island of Vanuatu.
Missionary Conquests
Particularly popular is the missionary work of the representatives of the Catholic Church. Catholics knew who the missionary was back in the fifteenth century, when the mass formation of the Portuguese and Spanish colonies began.
The missionary - in those days, one of the colonialists. Together with the military, missions from churches arrived in the “captured” lands in order to sow the seed of faith there.
The legitimization of Catholic missionary work occurred in 1622, when a Congregation promoting faith was created. Separate missionary communities were created in the conquered countries and colonies. In the seventeenth century, when Great Britain embarked on the path of colonization, the Protestant church also began sending missionaries to the colonies.
As for the missionary work among the Muslim religion, most often the merchants and merchants served as the main executors of the mission.
Total control
In the United States, missionary communities began to emerge in the late nineteenth century. In most cases, missionary organizations owned large tracts of valuable land, real estate. They were subsidized by government and private organizations. Religious missions held most of the American colonies in Africa and other countries.
Missionaries' organizations controlled not only the investments and political moments of the conquered countries, but also medicine, education, cultural and social associations, and sports. Schooling was a particularly important step in any mission. Children absorbed the teachings and main commandments much easier and faster than adults. They quickly forgot the faith that their parents, their people, their tribe adhere to.
A missionary is a representative of the Christian faith. In Russia, missionary work began to develop in the late nineteenth century. The first missionary society in the capital was organized in 1867. Initially, faith began to spread from the peoples of Siberia, then the “wave” went to the Tatar peoples. Several Orthodox organizations at that time were created far beyond the borders of Russia.