It is hard to believe that the the people that I read about in the first chapters of the story and the people that I read about in the resolution are the same Sawi tenants. From the moment Don Richardson took a step into the New Guinean shores of the Sawi, Christianity dramatically changed and affected these people in beneficial ways.
Before Christianity reached the Sawi through Richardson's service in New Guinea, the Sawi society was based off of a disastrous and brutal social order. Power and glory were gained through the slaughter and betrayal of a fellow human being, and festive feasts and celebrations were held for treachery and murder. However, Christianity was able to turn the tribe away from its cannabalistic and evil ways and direct the Sawi people towards a peaceful society. After their religious transformation, the tribal people no longer layed their values in violence and revenge, but praised their 'Ultimate Peace Child' and grew into warm people. The men began to openly acknowledge that their wives were cherishable companions and the Sawi soon found that they should act generously towards their former enemies by inviting different tribes to feasts and religious conference meetings.
Christianity helped the Sawi develop into a modernized culture. Richardson and his other missionary friends handed out Bibles and clothing for the Sawi to use in their everyday lives. The people were taught how to use a book and how to read and write, and were able to escape from their illiteracy and recieve an education for the first time in their history. Clothes were given to cover their fragile bodies, and tools were distributed to improve their welfare. With the gifts of education, tools, and an improved welfare, the Sawi slowly emerged away from their under-developed and 'uncivilized' ways of life towards a modern and stable culture.
Beyond all the societal changes and living-standard developments, the most profound and significant thing that Christianity changed in the Sawi is the Sawi nature. Christianity wiped away all the muck and grime from the tenants' hearts, transforming their once greedy and treacherous nature into a generous and peace-seeking one. The tribe that Richardson dwelled in presented their former arch enemies the opportunity to experience God, inviting other tribes to the enormous dome that they built as their 'Church'. They found peace and joy when praising and worshipping God, not when battling and betraying others. The powerful role that Christianity played in changing the Sawi is something quite extraordinary that redeemed the society, welfare, and most importantly, human nature of the tribal tenants.
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