How did Christianity change this culture?

Christianity had a profound impact on the culture and lifestyle of the Sawi people. First and foremost, it completely redesigned the theological, cosmic and social hierarchic order that they had beforehand.

Prior to the evangelization of the Sawi, they believed that the cosmos was ordered by the commands of spirits and demons. Any disruptance in the metaphysical universe would create a shift in the balance of the cosmos, as well as hatred from the demons upon the person who caused such disruptance. Consequently, this belief created the notion that men and women should avoid any and all form of contact with the metaphysical. Christianity changed this. As conversion spread among the Sawi, the earlier notion was soon forgotten and the connection with the metaphysical (God) was encouraged. It was no longer a theology that focused on the harm and wrath of the demons but on the benevolence of a Creator.

Socially, Christianity debunked the supposedly prowess and versatility of the witch doctors with the supernatural/metaphysical. During the early stages of the Sawi evangelization most of the populace was baffled at the challenge that Richardson made to the witch of the tribe regarding the validity of her work. This challenge reveals the underlying theme of examining new perspectives in order to make an educated belief regarding our ideology. The Sawi kept an open mind to the words of Richardson despite the fact that it contradicted values established aeons ago. It was only through this that they were able to fully comprehend the erroneous way in which they were living: blindly following the words of a phony. Through Christianity, the counterfeit of witchcraft was revealed and proven false, hence changing the social order of the commune. Their pagan lifestyle and traditions (headhunting, fattening with friendship, etc) were also metamorphosized through Christianity, which brought pace and settlements between tribes and also among the bodies of the Sawi people. Social change was also seen through the healthcare services provided by both Carol and Don, which help assuage the grievances and harsh conditions of the jungle.

I can only gather from this list of change that Christianity brought nothing but good to the Sawi people. It is truly a blessing that Richardson evangelized these people before enterprises and businesses corrupted them to the extent that it would have been almost impossible for them to change their heathen ways.

“Conversion is not implanting eyes, for they exist already; but giving them a right direction, which they have not”