Final answer:
Christian missionaries abandoned this science for a time due to their insistence on imposing their religious and cultural beliefs on indigenous populations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Christian missionaries abandoned this science for a time due to various factors related to their mission activities. One reason was missionaries' insistence on imposing their own religious and cultural beliefs on the indigenous populations, which often caused conflict and pushed the natives to reject Christianity. For example, in China, missionaries demanded that converts abandon ancestor veneration, leading to rejection by their families. Additionally, missionaries' attempts to undermine local customs and traditions, such as polygamy, resulted in negative consequences for the indigenous people.