CHRISTIANITY VS CHURCHIANITY

 Harvest of Hindus as Converts By Pavithran 

Mahatma Gandhi’s Crusade Against Christian Harvest of Hindus

Before Independence there were many attempts made by Christian Missionaries to convert Gandhi into Christianity. Gandhi, as a true follower of Truth and Non-violence, had faced them in his own way which had portrayed him as a crusader against their nefarious attempts to make India as Christian Nation.

 

Some of the Christian missionaries, recognizing his deep interest in Sermon on the Mount and resulting pacifism, were attracted to him with an ulterior motive of using him as a “tool” in mass conversion because of his extraordinary stature around the globe and particularly India. But, nothing had succeeded.

 

Gandhi had ridiculed the Missionaries as ‘vendors of goods’ with no spiritual attitudes in their activities.

 

In this context, Gandhi, in his Harijan Paper of November 5, 1937, had quoted a specific instance about the activities of a Christian missionary thus: ‘Only the other day a missionary descended on a famine area with money in his pocket, distributed it among the famine stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple, and demolished it. This is outrageous.’

 

Gandhi had condemned the proselytizing under the cloak of humanitarian work and had termed it as unhealthy. Conversion, he decried, had become a matter of business, like any other and had ridiculed a missionary report saying how much it cost per head to convert and the presenting a budget for the ‘next harvest.’

 

According to Gandhi, these proselytizing are not Christianity, but, Churchianity which term means the missionaries’ propaganda missions. Gandhi had opined that he would never tolerate churchianity under any circumstances.

 

Even during his school days, Gandhi was subjected to these threats of conversion by zealots Christians.

 

He laments in his autobiography – My Experiments with Truth as under: ‘In those days, Christian missionaries used to stand in a corner near the high school and hold forth, pouring abuse on Hindus and their gods. I could not endure this. I also heard that the new convert had already begun abusing the religion of his ancestors, their customs and their country. All these things created in me a dislike for Christianity.’

 

One by name Mr. Coates, a Christian missionary, had come forward to save Gandhi from the abyss of ignorance quoting that salvation was impossible for him unless he accepted Christianity which represents the truth and that his sins would not be washed away except by the intercession of Jesus and that all good works were useless.

 

Gandhi saw no reason for changing his belief-his religion. It was impossible for him to believe that he could go to heaven or attain salvation only by becoming a Christian. On hearing the repudiation of Gandhi, some of his good Christian friends were shocked. Those were all who refused to see truths beyond their own religions. It goes to prove their narrow outlook which, if unchecked, will lead to turmoil and to torpedo the peaceful co-existence with other religious faiths.

 

Gandhi’s prophetic words in condemning the tactics of conversions of the missionaries are worth quoting: “I am not interested in weaning you from Christianity and making you Hindu, and I do not relish your designs upon me, if you had any, to convert me to Christianity. I would also dispute your claim that Christianity is the only true religion. Further, it was impossible for me to regard Christianity as a perfect religion or the greatest of all religions.

 

“In the manner in which the Christian missionaries are working there would seem to be no room for them. Quite unconsciously they do harm to themselves and also to us. It is perhaps impertinent to say that they do harm to themselves, but quite pertinent to say that they do harm to us. They do harm to those amongst whom they work and those amongst whom they do not work, i.e., the harm are done to the whole of India. The more I study their activities the more sorry I become. It is a tragedy that such a thing should happen to the human family.”

 

Gandhi has this to say about the various publications of the Christian Literature Society: Think of the caricature of Hinduism, which one finds in so many publications of the Christian Literature Society. A lady wrote to me the other day saying that unless I embraced Christianity all my work would be nothing worth. Well, all I can say is that it is a wrong attitude.

 

Yes, it is their wrong attitudes which are being propagated as correct attitudes.

Gandhi who was the author of Quit India Movement, had opined that if the Christian missionaries were bent upon the humanitarian work only for the purpose of proselytizing, then Gandhi said to them ‘please quit.’

 

I quote the very words of Gandhi in this context for your perusal:

 

‘If instead of confining themselves purely to humanitarian work such as education, medical services to the poor and the like, they would use these activities of their for the purpose of proselytizing, I would certainly like them to withdraw. Every nation considers its own faith to be as good as that of any other. Certainly the great faiths held by the people of India are adequate for her people. India stands in no need of conversion from one faith to another.’

 

Gandhi had even gone to the extent of declaring that if he had the power and could legislate, he should stop all proselytizing.

 

According to Gandhi, conversions are the greatest impediment to the world’s progress towards peace and wondered: Why should a Christian want to convert a Hindu to Christianity? Why should he not be satisfied if the Hindu is a good or godly man?

 

Gandhi had gone one step further and said that “It will not be denied, I speak from experience, that many of the conversions are only so called. In some cases, the appeal has gone not to the heart but to the stomach. Accordingly, conversion is inherently a politically motivated phenomenon derived form hunger and economics.”

 

Hinduism is the most tolerant because it is non-proselytizing. Normally a Hindu refuses to change his religion not necessarily because he considers his religion to be the best, but because he knows that he can complement it by introducing reforms.

 

Gandhi: I would present to some the Koran, to some the Gita, to some the Bible and to some Tulsidas’s Ramayana. I am like a wise doctor prescribing what is necessary for each patient.

 

Gandhi’s questions are most appealing: “Why should I change my religion because the doctor who professes Christianity as his religion has cured me of some disease, or why should the doctor expect me to change whilst I am under his influence?”

 

If the doctor had wanted the patients to change their religion, then Gandhi had this to say: Doctor, cure yourself.

 

During the British India, it is reported in the book titled ‘A study of Prosperous India’ by Digby that cross was followed by sword. It shows that the missionaries had employed coercion for spreading their religion. It has reported in that book that the Christian population of Assam at that time had increased 300 times due to conversion of local population of Hindus into Christianity.

 

Hence Cross means Conversion which brings forth sword for its achievements. There are many historical evidences and the churches are not averse in declaring that conversions of other faiths into Christianity are their ordained spiritual duties.

 

Awakening amongst Hindus is the call of the day, though even many Hindu brethren are under the wrong spell of ‘secularism’.

 

Hinduisms can survive only if the ills of castes and untouchables are completely eradicated by bringing them all as equal partners and participants.

 

 

French philosopher Romain Roland often referred to Gandhi as “second Jesus Christ”. 

Let me finish the article with two pertinent quotations of Gandhi - Second Jesus Christ as a finale: 

•         I came to the conclusion long ago that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them, and whilst I hold by my own, I should hold others as dear as Hinduism. So we can only pray, if we are Hindus, not that a Christian should become a Hindu. But our innermost prayer should be a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian.

 

•         Today my position is that though I admire much in Christianity, I am unable to identify myself with orthodox Christianity. I must tell you in all humility that Hinduism as I know it, entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being and I find a solace in the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads that I miss even in the Sermon on the Mount. Not that I do not prize the ideal presented therein, not that some of the precious teachings in the Sermon on the Mount have not left a deep impression upon me, but I must confess to you that when doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon I turn to the Bhagvad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of external tragedies and if they have not left any visible and indelible effect on me, I owe it to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita.

 

Gandhiji had said: Christianity should not be Churchianity.