Judge missionaries as you find them

I would say many Thai people are likely to have negative attitudes towards Christians. This is because there are a lot of missionaries in Chiang Mai who come over to Thai people and say things such as, “You will go to hell if you don’t believe in God”. That approach can easily overwhelm anyone, regardless of nationality.

One of my friends who has had bad experiences with some missionaries, says that there were a couple of missionaries who came over to her house and tried to persuade and convince her to be a Christian.

She said ‘They called me like five times a day and wanted me to go to Church with them but at the time I was busy’. The next day they came to her house and attempted to persuade her to join Christian rituals with them. They were like stalkers, coming to her house every day. She was completely scared.

From my experience, I must say there are two main kinds of missionaries in Chiang Mai. The first type pesters you until you feel forced to participate in a religion you do not believe in. The second type respects you and your religious beliefs and does not try to overstep you.

In reality, many missionaries spend time with the locals, learn Thai culture and Thai language, and teach them English without asking for any money in return. Moreover, they are also concerned about sex-trafficking and prostitution, which have been very big problems in Chiang Mai’s history.

The missionaries we most often hear about are pushy about their religion to the point of rudeness; we must acknowledge that there are also respectful missionaries who are here with the honest goal of being beneficial to Chiang Mai people. It is possible for missionaries to devote themselves to God without being disruptive of Chiang Mai citizens’ ways of life. Therefore, we must not let 

the word “missionary” itself scare us. Open your heart and judge the people by their responsibility.

Sirinart Phuangphet