Bishop Robert Baron on John Chau

[Brendan_64]

“Say what you want about his prudence. I will speak of him with honor.”

https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/article/the-challenge-of-john-chau/5964/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_term=fb-barron&utm_content=the-challenge-of-john-chau&utm_campaign=article

 

[qui_est_ce]

When I think how hard it is for me just to pray over my meals in public…

 

[tomarin]

A question: why didn’t he bother to learn the language first? That would have dramatically improved his likelihood of success. I feel like he just kind of threw his life away.

 

[Brendan_64]

The people there are completely isolated and apparently nobody knows what language they speak. So how could he have learned it?

 

[qui_est_ce]

A question: why didn’t he bother to learn the language first? That would have dramatically improved his likelihood of success. I feel like he just kind of threw his life away.

According to the article, he did.

For a number of years, he carefully prepared himself through cultural and linguistic study, through exercise, through spiritual discipline. His fondest hope was to establish a Christian community on North Sentinal island and to translate the Bible into the language of the people.

 

[tomarin]

I read that he didn’t know the language they speak (perhaps no one does); he tried talking to them in Xhosa, a South African language that he knew a little of. Without knowing the language, what chance did he have?

 

[Brendan_64]

When missionaries in the past brought the Gospel to native tribes in remote parts of the world, did they know the language of those people when first approached?

 

[tomarin]

When missionaries in the past brought the Gospel to native tribes in remote parts of the world, did they know the language of those people when first approached?

I would say more often than not they did, in the context of Victorian-era missionary work, up until modern times. I mean, you have to be able to communicate at least a little bit, don’t you?

 

[FirstFiveEighth]

Not necessarily. When the Columbus and the Spanish arrived in the Caribbean and Central America, they didn’t even know what peoples were there, let alone what language they spoke. And yet missionaries still went out to spread the gospel.

 

[niceatheist]

With considerable help from the Conquistadors and smallpox.

 

[FirstFiveEighth]

So what. We are talking about language barriers and “first contact” situations.

 

[niceatheist]

In the New World, most of the indigenous populations were either subjugated or absolutely devastated by disease by the time the priests came around. Leaving that out of the equation means not being able to explain why not all indigenous peoples want to countenance colonial intrusions, whether it’s with a sword or a bible.

 

[graciew]

But this person knew. that they very violent and what his chances were alone and unprotected.
There is nothing to say about his heart but that may Jesus be with him now.
But would any Bishop or priest or even an adult encourage such an experience? I do not think so. There was much information to dissuade this sort of landing there alone and unprotected.I am sorry for him and still wonder why any adult or adults could not convince him that it may not have been the time and the way to do so.
He was young and had dreams,and faith and that is very respectable but to certain point,it reminded me of this thinking that one can hold a cobra,pray and the cobra won’t bite.
I wouldn’t ’ t encourage it by any means.And for various reasons.
May he rest.
And I like Bishop Barron a lot and follow him since he was Father Barron,but I have to say it…not to be encouraged nor compared to the times of Colombus and the Mission( I lived where it was filmed btw. Breathtaking)
May he rest with Jesus now.

 

[FirstFiveEighth]

You are making this about missionaries and conquest. I am talking about first contact between cultures and communication. Columbus arrived at San Salvador and met the Taino people. Neither could speak the other’s language. Yet they still communicated.

The English arrived in Virginia and found a way to talk to the local population.

This missionary is being vilified as an idiot as if no one in the history of the world has ever encountered people without a shared language. That is simply not true.

 

[JW55]

I am not sure if there is a right or wrong answer in this. On the negative side in these type of situations, these isolated tribes have little resistance to diseases or infections those from the outside might bring in. With such a small number of them left, they literally could be wiped out. Having never heard a Christian message I would assume they might be under the heading of protected by "natural law’ or for lack of a better term ‘blissful ignorance’ of the gospel, and not be held to our standards.

On the other side of the coin, we sort of have an obligation to spread the gospel. So it becomes hard to weigh the level of right and wrong in this instance.

Regarding the language barrier, I understand he did not know the language of the island no one outside does). He supposedly had visited other islands in the area that had a similar language but not quite the same as on North Sentinel Island. So he was probably very limited on his ability to communicate with them. If the language was similar but not the it might be like a visitor from Russia going to Bulgaria. The languages are similar, they have a common alphabet and share some words, but certainly not all. Communication might be possible but not easy.

I read some where that he was a member of- The Way Church. I don’t know if this is associated with the cult known as the “The Way” which have some distorted views of Christianity (I have read they do not accept the Trinity, and believe in sort of a Arianism). It may not be any association with this organization, so if someone knows differently, please note that.

In any event, Mr. Chau seemed dedicated to his faith and showed courage and determination in his quest. It is hard to fault that aspect of his determination to evangelize these people.