Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 197 posts

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#151

Post by bediger4000 »

swatkat wrote: post #43
projectramo wrote: post #38

The comments here are horrific. Yes, I don't think we should invade the lives of indigenous people any more than you do. And yes, I think this young man was mistaken and misguided. But, he went in with the best of intentions, and he died. You just don't believe what he did. Imagine a techie died while trying to teach rails to the homeless (which, I can only assume, some of you might be more sympathetic towards), woul…

A techie might teach Rails to a homeless person if that person wants to learn Rails.

Hobos prefer Python to Ruby. Everyone knows that.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#152

Post by neeleshs »

smsm42 wrote: post #144

It is fascinating - and unsettling - how many people react to this on range of "ha-ha, stupid medieval idiot, deserved to be murdered" to "typical American!". I know some cultures don't value human life as high as we in the Western culture do, and murdering people for trespassing on some taboo barely comprehensible to outsiders is not very far from our culture either. But what I see is a person trying to do a subject…

"objectively at least not doing anything we'd consider harmful" - According to the article, these islanders have been isolated for several thousand years. Newcomers can bring disaster to them via infections against which they may have no defense. We've seen how that played out in the mediterranean islands and of course, the americas.

Edit: Again, absolutely sad that a human life was lost. I do not condone making mockery of the dead.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#153

Post by candiodari »

WhompingWindows wrote: post #50
swatkat wrote: post #13

What he did was illegal. Access to the island is restricted for a reason. >>> But Mr. Chau pushed ahead in his kayak, which he had packed with a Bible. After that, it is a bit of a mystery what happened. Also, can these evangelists take a break? It's not 1600s anymore.

Their religion and its proponents teach them to spread the word, they won't take a break. It's what separates Christianity and Islam from the majority of non-proselytizing religions.

> the majority of non-proselytizing religions

I get that you are much more aware of how it works in Christianity and Islam, but there is no majority of non-proselytizing religions.

Such a thing cannot exist in a Nash equilibrium. Think about it. All current faiths (and for that matter, ideologies) have spread much faster than people spread. MUCH faster. So they all proselytized.

It is sometimes a little bit irritating to hear people make the wildest claims about quite a few religions. Often about Buddhism people make the most outlandish claims, which presumably includes "non-proselytizing" in your comment. Now please don't think I'm singling out Buddhism here, it's just an example.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missionary#Buddhist_missions

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#154

Post by iBelieve »

thunfischbrot wrote: post #145
iBelieve wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you were convinced that something is true and that it has eternal consequences for those who reject or don't hear that message, how could you _not_ want to tell everyone about it, going to the ends of the earth and risking life itself so others could hear that message?

Although if you believe in an omnipotent god, would you believe that she/he would not give those a chance who did not here of her/him? Why the need to actively push it onto those who are currently unaware?

If you're a theist who believes in a "god", sure, you can believe whatever you want, including that god won't punish anyone.

But for Christians, we are convinced that the Bible is true based on evidence and reason, and therefore can only believe what it teaches. For Christians, the answer is simple: everyone has sinned, God is just, and must punish sin. Lack of knowledge of God is no excuse, for everyone knows that God exists and everyone has rejected Him. No one deserves to go heaven; no one can get to heaven by anything they do. The only way to heaven is through Jesus, by trusting in Him as our only hope of forgiveness and salvation.

That is why we must go to the ends of the earth, from the largest cities to the most remote islands, to share Christianity with everyone we meet, often giving our lives to spread that message.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#155

Post by wpietri »

JPKab wrote: post #139
wpietri wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Proven to be causal? Like we'd clone 1000 John Allen Chaus, raise them around the globe, and see how many of them do something fatally arrogant relating to overseas travel? As an American who has lived on 4 continents, I can confirm that American tourists quite often live up to the stereotype. I have a variety of painful memories of times I've had to intervene and explain things and/or translate for aggressively clue…

A very snide remark you start with, not realizing you are proving my point. He made a statement that is a sweeping generalization that isn't even provable. Your anecdotal experiences on 4 continents are again, just that. Anecdotes. The American travelers you didn't notice, and therefore don't remember, aren't included in your confirmation bias fueled reasoning.

Right. Everybody understands that not every topic is in practice approachable with the sort of level of rigor we use in, say, particle physics. But we are still people who have to live in the world. So everyone has a variety of heuristics they use to deal with topics that are not as tractable.

That includes you, of course. What studies do you have that show that demanding proof of causality in casual conversation is effective in improving the discourse? None, I'm guessing. But here you are doing it.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#156

Post by PhasmaFelis »

Apocryphon wrote: post #14
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #5

I thought this was going to be another drunken mistake like the two fishermen who died in 2006. No, apparently, this guy thought he was going to bring Jesus to a bunch of famously xenophobic murderers. Any death is a tragedy, but it's hard to feel terribly bad about this one.

One man's delusion is another's deliverance. Some may snicker of Darwin Awards and all that, but this man died in a misguided and naive attempt to do good, not to exploit or harm anyone. I'm sure his family and friends feel terribly bad about this tragedy.

I don't think he deserved to die. He sounds like he was a decent and loving person, and I'm sure he will be missed; I do not celebrate his death. But when you do the equivalent of sticking your hand in a box marked "DANGER LETHAL VOLTAGE", I do think you bear some culpability for your own death.

Practically the only thing we know about the Sentinelese is that they kill anyone who comes near them, no exceptions. He tried to make friends with them because he believed God told him to. Either his god is a giggling psychopath or he was delusional. I don't see a middle ground in this particular case.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#157

Post by PhasmaFelis »

candiodari wrote: post #153
WhompingWindows wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their religion and its proponents teach them to spread the word, they won't take a break. It's what separates Christianity and Islam from the majority of non-proselytizing religions.

> the majority of non-proselytizing religions I get that you are much more aware of how it works in Christianity and Islam, but there is no majority of non-proselytizing religions. Such a thing cannot exist in a Nash equilibrium. Think about it. All current faiths (and for that matter, ideologies) have spread much faster than people spread. MUCH faster. So they all proselytized. It is sometimes a little bit irritatin…

You are mistaken. Judaism, at least, does not proselytize. Some branches actively discourage converts, and a few refuse to acknowledge that conversion is even possible for the Gentile-born.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#158

Post by ryacko »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #157
candiodari wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the majority of non-proselytizing religions I get that you are much more aware of how it works in Christianity and Islam, but there is no majority of non-proselytizing religions. Such a thing cannot exist in a Nash equilibrium. Think about it. All current faiths (and for that matter, ideologies) have spread much faster than people spread. MUCH faster. So they all proselytized. It is sometimes a little bit irritatin…

You are mistaken. Judaism, at least, does not proselytize. Some branches actively discourage converts, and a few refuse to acknowledge that conversion is even possible for the Gentile-born.

The branch of Judaism that proselytzed and admitted Gentile converts became Christianity.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#159

Post by PhasmaFelis »

Udik wrote: post #83
WhompingWindows wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their religion and its proponents teach them to spread the word, they won't take a break. It's what separates Christianity and Islam from the majority of non-proselytizing religions.

I don't see catholic christians setting up missions with the primary purpose of proselytizing. In many respects it is true that American evangelical churches are much more retrograde than the Catholic church itself, promoting a brand of religion that is, for example, self-righteous, anti-scientific, and putting particular emphasis on the more archaic and brutal Old Testament.

> I don't see catholic christians setting up missions with the primary purpose of proselytizing.

Not in the West. In Africa and Asia, absolutely.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#160

Post by PhasmaFelis »

ryacko wrote: post #158
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are mistaken. Judaism, at least, does not proselytize. Some branches actively discourage converts, and a few refuse to acknowledge that conversion is even possible for the Gentile-born.

The branch of Judaism that proselytzed and admitted Gentile converts became Christianity.

And the rest did not. The point stands.
Post reply on HN