Author: T R Jawahar
Publication: News Today
Date: November 29, 2002
URL: http://www.newstodaynet.com/crusade/291102.htm
Just sample these familiar insertions in the
Sunday matrimonial pages of any newspaper:
* CSI Nadar Christian invites alliance...
* CSI Adi dravida wants ...
* Roman Catholic wants...except SC/ST..
* Protestant Pillai seeks...
Welcome to the 'casteless' egalitarian world
of Christianity. Or at least, that is what the board outside Evangelists Inc
claims. Then what do the above advertisements that routinely appear in very
secular newspapers point to? Well, they reveal what really one confronts behind
the facade, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but unfortunately
kept captive by an army of lies. Frankly it does not need much effort to nail
all these self-evident bluster regarding 'a casteless' Christianity, nor do
they qualify as a closely held secret. As they say, everyone knows. But there
is certainly a crying urgency to brush up the facts, for, the key weapon brandished
by the champions of conversions is the 'oppressive caste-system of Hinduism'which
is deemed as justification enough for people to migrate to Christianity. And
the orchestrated indignation and self-righteousness with which these paragons
sermonise from the roof-top make one almost believe for a moment that they
are right after all. That is the power of lies, told repeatedly and at high
decibel levels. And couched as it is in holy attire, it would make even Goebbels
feel shy.
The singular theme of all their protests,
agitations, memoranda to those in power and of course all those secular editorials
in newspapers is that the oppressed classes have now been deprived of their
only means of salvation from the clutches of caste. Obviously, those editorial
writers do not care to see what appears in their own papers as advertisements
but their ignorance can be ignored for there are more people who read the
ads than those reading the edits, thankfully. And therefore it is common knowledge
that, even in Christianity, salvation for a Nadar lies only with a Nadar,
a Pillai gets invariably wedded to a Pillai, and Dalits continue to be 'untouched'
by the 'Caste Christians', with the healing touch of the new order remaining
a pipe dream. All these happen by conscious choice as is evident from the
'detailed' specifications that prospective brides and grooms take special
care to mention. In fact, with several sects and an equal number of churches
dotting the Christian landscape, there is also a strong tendency to remain
within those folds also. Thus the system of castes, clans and sub-sects thrives
merrily in the promised land too. The upper caste converts, particularly,
tend to carry forward their erstwhile superior status to their new faith too
as a means of justifying their change of religious loyalties to their angry
Hindu castemen whom they had deserted. They wouldn't countenance a dilution
of their caste status!
Of course, diligent conversionists have been
quick to point out that casteism is a legacy of Hinduism and Christianity
cannot be blamed. What an untenable excuse! Sure, but did they not promise
to erase these evils when swallowing the hungry multitudes into their flock?
Again, by saying so, are they not conceding defeat in their 'fight against
casteism'? Or was it that the fight was never intended to be fought in the
first place and was just a lure to attract those in anger and distress? We
all know, and make no mistake, they all know too. It is just that these torch
bearers of the 'true faith' somehow feel most comfortable riding on falsehood
to reach their destination of 100% harvest. And little wonder they keep tripping.
That's the fate of all those who rely on lame horses. Now to the question
on everyone's lips, be he an intellectual or an imbecile: If Christianity,
as they themselves confess albeit in defence, has failed to address the scourge
of casteism and instead solidifies it even more, then why at all should the
oppressed classes be made to change religious colours? Elementary, Mr Evangelist!
Let's now move on to the pride of Indian Christianity,
the Dalits, for whom, incidentally, the 'casteless faithful' are vehemently
fighting for the same SC/ST benefits that are available to their counterparts
in 'caste-ridden' Hinduism. These are the people who, owing to their sheer
numbers and greater distress (what arithmetic, what altruism!) had been 'identified'
as 'ideal' targets for conversion to Christianity by the 'founding Fathers'.
And in a true measure of the success of their time-tested techniques, the
Dalits, according to some estimates, now form a mammoth majority of the Christians
of India. These children of Hari - harijans -, as Gandhi used to refer to
them, became children of Jesus - let's baptise them as Jesusjans - in great
numbers and with greater hopes of economic prosperity and more importantly,
social emancipation. Now do we know for sure, if Jesus had succeeded where
Hari failed? I quote below from a Letter to the Editor published by a national
daily a few years back:
"Any one who is aware of the rural social
scenario will agree with me that Dalit Christians get the same treatment as
Hindu Dalits. Adding salt to injury, they are also looked down upon in their
own religion.
Is it Christian that a few upper caste communities
corner all the benefits under the pretext of minority rights and corner power?
Is it Christian to seek funds from abroad
under the guise of evangelism and social uplift by selling Dalits' shame and
helplessness in the West?
Is it Christian to keep the Dalits off the
power structure and manipulate funds?
Is it Christian to attach caste surnames to
their Christian names and identify themselves more with the caste than Christ?
Is it Christian to allot separate places in
the Churches, separate chapels and even separate graveyards for their Dalit
bretheren?
Is it Christian to deny self-respect to the
less privileged members of the congregation?
Let us face things. Dalit members are being
exploited in every way by the power wielding upper caste Christians.
To plead for the Dalits in public posing as
their protectors, and to kick them in private has become the order of the
day in many Churches."
Amen! Need I say anymore of the fate of the
Jesusjans? It is doubtful if these type of letters will find a place in the
'suddenly secular', 'minority sensitive' national dailies of today. On the
contrary the flavour of the season in the media now is to join the chorus
of lies let loose by the evergreen evangelists whose stock of untruths has
neither bottom nor a cap.In feigning outrage, the Christian outfits are a
class by themselves. What a hue and cry about the neighbour, when actually,
it is their own cupboards that are overflowing with skeletons! Indeed, crocodiles
must learn some lessons from these holy humbugs on how to shed tears for their'victims'.
Such perfection of pretence can only come by practice. And the secular playfield
offers them ample scope for that.
But in their evangelical euphoria, they seem
to be overdoing their bit, unmindful of the four fingers pointing inward.
Their claims fly in the face of facts. Now, why not book these jittery Johnnies
under the law banning forcible conversions for continuing to make false promises
to the gullible and then luring them into their fold? After all there is as
much casteism, if not more, in Christianity as in Hinduism; so how can they
mis-represent their 'product' to be a better one? If this does not constitute
fraudulent means, I wonder what else does.
I hereby rest my case!
(e-mail to the writer at trjawahar@vsnl.net)
