ELL: SIL's religion

[coyotez]

Dennis,
Thanks for supplying the reference, I have the book, but the title and authors
had escaped me. I appologize if it seemed as though I overgeneralized, but the
nature of the discussion was overgeneralizing in itself. Of course not all SIL
members nor all evangelists are engaged in such activities but I think that
what is important is that we all learn a lesson from the past. The possibility
that actions of Corporations and evangelists might have help destroy languages
is enough for me to be very wary. As a scientist I must continue to question
the research and actions of my fellow scientists, and take what is know
further. Other cases have been proven and so, on an individual basis, all such
questions must be weighed.
Thanks for listening,
David


>===== Original Message From Dennis Holt <dionisio77 at yahoo.com> =====
>Dear ELLers,
>
>The SIL Amazonian involvements alluded to are
>discussed in a rather controversial book,  _Thy Will
>Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson
>Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil_ by
>Gerard Colby and Charlotte Dennett (HarperCollins
>1995; paperback reprint 1996 -- both apparently out of
>print).
>
>In the year the book was published, the authors
>attended the annual meetings of the American
>Anthropological Association in Washington, where they
>sold copies of the book and discussed its claims with
>interested persons.  By sheer happenstance, I was able
>to be present at an informal lunchtime discussion
>between the authors and a very defensive SIL
>representative (whose name I have forgotten).  I
>remember that the conversation was polite but with an
>unyielding adamancy on both sides of the issues
>involved.
>
>My own abiding sense of the SIL is that it is a mixed
>blessing in the world of endangered languages -- an
>organization about which one should be careful not to
>overgeneralize.
>
>Dennis Holt
>
>
>
>
>--- coyotez <coyotez at oregon.uoregon.edu> wrote:
>> As well, there are implications that the SIL
>> missionaries had investigated the
>> resources of third world areas, like the Amazon, for
>> the benefit of the
>> Rockefellers. The Rockefellers helped fund the SIL
>> and had a keen interest in
>> things Native, and they owned large oil and gas
>> companies.
>> Convertion+Corporations=cultural disintegration and
>> loss of languages.
>> David
>>
>> >===== Original Message From Lakhan Gusain
>> <lgusain at hotmail.com> =====
>> >I strongly support Lucas Husgen's view about SIL.
>> >Lakhan Gusain
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >>From: "Lucas Husgen" <lhusgen at kirogi.demon.nl>
>> >>Reply-To:
>> endangered-languages-l at cleo.murdoch.edu.au
>> >>To: <endangered-languages-l at cleo.murdoch.edu.au>
>> >>Subject: ELL: SIL's religion
>> >>Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2002 09:56:56 +0200
>> >>
>> >>  According to a story in Dutch newspaper NRC
>> Handelsblad the Summer
>> >>Institute of Linguistics, which has fathered the
>> Ethnologue, is not as
>> >>unbiased as it might seem. As I understand it's
>> firstly a Christian
>> >>project, vising at the conversion into
>> Christianity. Though it's fostering
>> >>endangered languages all around the world, it only
>> does so in order to
>> >>promote the Bible in those languages, with
>> sometimes disruptive
>> >>consequences, because those sent out into the
>> streets to peddle the Bible
>> >>make an amount of money, way above the financial
>> standards of their
>> >>respective communities. The most capable of these
>> peddlers are being sent
>> >>to the States to have them discover that
>> Christianity is the one and only
>> >>true religion - through of course prosperity,
>> making them look down upon
>> >>their own background. So, finally, the work of SIL
>> is vising at disrupting
>> >>those selfsame societies which they purport to
>> protect. What does the list
>> >>have to say on this?
>> >>
>> >>Best regards,
>> >>Lucas
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
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>>
>> David Lewis
>> Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
>> Department Of Anthropology
>> University of Oregon
>>
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>
>
>
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David Lewis
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Department Of Anthropology
University of Oregon

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