Online Missions Trip Day 13

Tara the Typical: Tara the Typical holds to the same typical worldview as the majority of Americans. This typical worldview varies some with each individual, but at the core are several commonly held beliefs that were shaped from a variety of sources such as religious background, personal friends, school, entertainment choices (this is a huge factor) and family background.

At the heart of Tara the Typical's worldview is tolerance, individualism, self-expression, self-effort and self-gratification (can you say myspace.com!). Tolerance is the overriding principle that guides everything else in Tara's mind, so she sees all religions, lifestyles, sexual preferences, etc. as equally valuable and valid.

Tara believes it is wrong for any one religion to claim they are the only way to heaven, nirvana, etc., and it is also wrong to judge other people in their lifestyle and choices unless they are really bad. One of Tara's highest values is sincerity - as in it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere (genuine and honest) in your beliefs. Tara feels that her worldview is what will get her what she wants out of life without hurting others.

Things to Remember:
Warning - Tara is extremely sensitive towards anything that sounds intolerant and/or judgmental, so approach with extreme caution! The best route to take is to first get her to see the inconsistencies and contradictions in her worldview. This is best done by asking penetrating questions like:

• Every major religion contradicts the others on major issues like who God is and how we get to heaven, so how can they all be right?


• If getting into heaven is a matter of being good and sincere, why did Jesus come to earth, die on the Cross, and come back from the dead?


• Osama Bin Laden claims to be a strict Muslim who planned the Two Towers attack partially out of a sincere religious belief called a Jihad. Do we have a right to judge him for that? Will he be in heaven as well?


• There are many areas in the physical life where there are absolute truths, like mathematics and science, so why wouldn't there be absolute truth in the spiritual world?

Also, your personal testimony will be helpful in helping establish the credibility of your message.