Uncivilized cultures are cultures that when compared to other cultures of the world, seem not advanced. I'm a little confused at what cultures are and aren't civilized cultures in this world, because I feel like according to each culture of the world if you were to ask one of the people apart of it would not feel like they have an uncivilized culture because a huge part of culture is the people that make up that culture.
When looking at the Sawi culture we see that there are definitely things that are apart of that culture that would never be acceptable in our own culture. The style of clothing worn, the housing, the customs of marriage and wives and children, the different feelings between different tribes, the custom of cannibalism, and of course the offering of the peace child. In the views of society all of these parts of their culture are uncivilized but it is not our place to 'change' the way that they live. What can happen though, is what Don Richardson and his family did by going and befriending their culture and letting them see what kind of lives they live and tell them why they live the way they do which is when the Sawi were introduced to Jesus Christ.
Seeing the way that Don Richardson and his family lived for Jesus Christ and how He really was the reason that they lived is what made his family and the Sawi's relationship grow even stronger. Then when he had befriended and accepted their culture enough to know the language and be able to tell them about Jesus through the example of a Peace Child, this was when the Sawi's lives changed. They realized what they were doing was wrong and that THEY wanted to make the decision to be different and change for God, instead of society TRYING to change them and make them live differently. From that point on, the Sawi grew more and more in their relationship with God and over time their customs within their culture have all been changed as well and people would not consider them an 'uncivilized culture' anymore.
What the story of Don Richardson and the Sawi people can teach us is that when society is faced with 'uncivilized cultures' it is not their job to make them change and be 'civilized'. Is it their job to love them like Jesus does and befriend them and show them that you care and respect them and their customs and also let them see your own customs and beliefs and through that will they have the right to decide how they want to live their lives because they've seen how others live and how they can live if they want to. And as Christians, we can be examples of Christ and His love by loving them and hopefully they will see this and want to have that Love and never ending Joy in their hearts as well.
True and well developed ideas.
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