Brains Please

Howdy friends. I need your help(ish), you see I have this cousin, who is supporting me in the trip to India, but has raised some concerns. I tried to address some of them (though I kind of suck) and he has addressed them back and I need some help with my response.

What he wrote:
Dear Laura: We received your letter outlining your trip to India next
summer. It does sound like an interesting way to spend a month although
I do not envy the plane trip to get you there and back.
We will send off a small contribution towards your endeavor in the
hopes that it will help get you there and back safely.
I do feel obliged to tell you that I do not support the underlying
purpose of your trip with much enthusiasm. I do not think that we should
be trying to convert people of a different faith to one that we feel is
superior. For me, the important thing is that these people have a faith
and that they follow it. While I think of myself as a Christian, I do
not think Christianity is superior to other religions. There have been
some pretty terrible things done in the name of Christ. People in the
middle east shudder when they hear George Bush talk about a crusade
against terrorism. For them, the word crusade has bad connotations.
Having said that,thre have been some wonderful things done as well...
Albert Schwitzer (?) and Mother Theresa come to mind and I am sure that
these are the sorts of things you see yourself doing. That is admirable
and I hope that you will be successful in your committment to doing
good.
So I have mixed feelings about ventures such as yours. I also think
that charity begins at home and I wonder why you have to go so far away
when there are so many needy people here at home. Think of the native
people living in sub-standard conditions in nothern communities. Think
of the homeless sleeping on Toronto's streets at night.
As the Secretary of the Lions Club I get one or two calls every
month from people right here in Brighton who need help: a mattress for a
child who has been sleeping on the floor, heat for a family who have had
their hydro cut off, a new pair of glasses for a child whose family
cannot afford them. There is a lot of hurting in the world. Much of it,
I admit, is in India and Africa.
There you are. I hope that you can understand my ambivalence over
what you are going to do. I'm sure that you will do good things there.
We wish you good luck.
Hugh
PS Norma has been looking over my shoulder at this and while she may not
agree with everything I have said, she has not raised serious objections
so I guess she sort of, kind of, agrees with some of it. She says that
she admires your devotion and committment and I guess, in essence, that
is what we support.


What I responded with:
Dear Hugh,
Thanks for your financial contribution and your honesty. I'd like to respond to your comments.
The term conversion can carry many negative connotations. Please rest assured that I have never been involved with a group that has shoved Christ down the throats of those with or without an existing faith. It is simply not the way. I (and many others) prefer to show others the love of Christ by example and we invite them (gently) to accept Christ into their lives. Though most of the time this acceptance is as a result of the acceptee approaching us.
As far as Christianity being superior, I again cringe at that term. I have to say (and so does the bible) that Jesus Christ is the only way. It is through Him that we have the promise of a new life. Buddha, Allah, alcohol or consumerism do not and cannot provide this. He is the only way. This is why it is important to myself and my Christian peers that others hear and know of this.
I agree with your comments about the terrible things that have been carried out in the name of Christ, though I feel that this is shaky evidence. Terrible things have been carried out in the name of Empiricism and having a bad day. Part of living in a fallen world is the distortion that is present. This is partially why we need to restore the name of Jesus and the acts that are charged from/by him.
You are not the only person to confront me with the argument of a need to stay in my own back yard and help people. Though it is quite valid, here is my position: the people in Brighton have groups like the Lions Club, the Kiwanis, and government social assistance. And though I realize these often fall short of fulfilling the need, there are there and do offer some help. The poor and lost in countries like Ghana, or India do not have these helps. They are just lost and desolate. I, nor you have the resources to pull all of these people out of poverty. Why should we leave them like that when we can offer them a hope that runs deeper than physical need? We're not, we're bringing them Christ.
I hope this addresses some of your concerns. Feel free to respond.
Love and Hugs,
Laura

What he wrote back:
Laura:
I love a good discussion. Good for you for replying . Just so you know... there are 51 pages of Lions Clubs listed for India in the 1995 Lions Directory. At Roughly 60 Clubs to a page that makes about 3000 Lions Clubs in India. Ghana does not fair so well... only three Lions Clubs listed in Ghana. The Lions motto... world wide... is " We Serve " so I think there are lots of Lions in India, at least, working to better the lives of the Indian people.
In addition, there are many non-sectarian groups like Lions who work there and around the word trying to good works without trying to change local religious values. ( Note that I did not mention Rotary, Kiwanis etc. who are similar to Lions )
While the Bible may say that Jesus is the only way I might point out that it was written about 1000 years before the Koran so , it seems to me, quite possible that the Koran supercedes the Bible. After all, the Koran does include many works included in the Bible. Maybe when God watched man in those years from 40AD to 1000AD he decided he had to make some revisions !
I can't claim to have studied all the words great religions but I do know that many of them have the same core values that Christianity espouses. It seems to me that the greatest value of a religion is to provide a system of ethics that adherants can use as a framework for behavior. The ten Commandments are a pretty good example of what I mean. Perhaps the golden rule... do unto others.. is equally good. If a person has these "good " values what difference does it make what they call their religion ? What name they give to God ?
Just a thought. It is important that you be able to defend your positions to sceptics like me. We can continue later.
Hugh

Any suggestions?