A response to Mr. John Dayal
Joseph Pulikunnel
This is a comment sent, but not published to the blog of John Dayal: http://aicu.blogspot.com/
I read with interest the response of Mr. John Dayal to Justice K T Thomas (open your eyes your Lordship). Mr. John Dayal shared with us some of his qualifications to justify himself. He is a practising Christian and a churchgoing Catholic. I humbly beg to state that I have no such qualifications to share with the readers except that I am a Hindu (all Indians, according to me, share the same patrimony of ancient culture of India, Hindutva). I was born in a traditionally ancient Christian family (Nasrani) and my Ishtadevatha is Jesus of Nazareth. My faith in Christ does not alienate me from Indian culture.
When I read the response of Mr. John Dayal it reminded me of the parable of Jesus regarding the Pharisee and tax gatherer. The Pharisee placed his qualifications before God and said “I thank thee, O God, that I am not like the rest of men, greedy, dishonest, adulterous; or, for that matter, like this tax gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all that I get”. But Lord Jesus was not inclined to justify the Pharisee! Mr. John Dayal says he is a practicing Christian! Though I lived 79 years as a Christian, even now unfortunately I do not know who is a practicing Christian and what are the identity marks of a practicing Christian?
Our lord Jesus in his last sermon on the eve of his crucifixion told the disciples. “This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this, which a man should lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you.”(John15:12)
The present controversy started with a speech of Justice K T Thomas at Cochin regarding the involvement of RSS in the murder of the Father of the Nation. He also wrote an article in “Kala kaumidhi” explaining in detail the basis of his stand. Any right minded person who with an open mind studies Ganghiji’s Murder Case will agree that RSS as an organization did not involve in the murder. Mr. John Dayal seems to be very ardent in pinning the crime on RSS. As a “practising Christian” and “as a self styled champion of Christian cause in India” he fancies that the Christians would receive enthusiastically his fabrication of truth.
As a student of history I met many such self styled champions of the “Christian cause” on the corridors of church history. The Roman Catholic Church hunted Jews as the murderers of Jesus Christ through many centuries.
Jesus was a Jew. All his disciples were Jews. Jesus or Apostles never denounced Jewish law except criticizing the priests for their ungodly acts.
Jesus was condemned to death by the Romans on political reasons. If at all any institution or people were to be blamed for the murder of Jesus it was Roman Empire and the Romans. One may wonder why Romans were exonerated from the crime and imposed it on Jews. This was a part of the church politics. Roman Emperor adopted Christian religion as state religion in 4th century and established the head quarters in Rome. The early Popes were all Romans and they wanted to distort the history so as to shift the blame from Romans to Jews.
Necessary theology was developed for this purpose. There have been decisions of synods to persecute Jews, after 2000 years the Pope John Paul II apologized to the Jews for this crime against them. Yes, all those who distorted history to blame Jews as murderers of Jesus might have been indeed ‘practising Christians’. They conveniently forgot the commandment of Jesus, ‘love each other, even your enemies’. The so called “practicing Christians” every day repeat many times the prayer taught by Jesus “and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us” (Mathew 6:12) but they never practice it.
During 11th, 12th and 13th centuries many so called ‘practising Christians’ fired with enthusiasm to protect the ‘Christian cause’, declared Crusades against Muslims. The campaign of hatred in the name of Jesus, threw over board the commandment of Jesus to love even the enemies.
Thousands were killed in the name of Jesus to protect Jesus. The blood stain is still on the walls of Vatican.
While I was young, we had a devotional month dedicated to St. Mary, the mother of Jesus. During this month along with the evening prayers we used to read a book called “Vanakka Masa Pusthakam”, a book of devotion. In this book there were stories (fictitious?) of the intervention of Mary for the protection of Christians. In most of the stories the Villains were Mohammedans or ‘Thulukkans’ (a very derogatory name used by those Christians for the Muslims.) Muslim traders used to visit our home. As a young boy I was so afraid of Muslims and Prayed to St. Mary for her protection against possible atrocities of the Muslims traders. These fictitious stories were all written by monks who were all ‘practising Catholics’.
There are criminals among Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. Mr. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike the prime minister of Sree Lanka was murdered by a Buddhist monk. Nobody classifies Buddhist as a class of criminals.
What was the provocation of Mr. John Dayal to exhume the old reports to “open the eyes’ of Justice Thomas? He wants to parade himself as the sole Catholic Leader for ‘Christian cause’ in India especially in the fight against RSS and other Hindu organizations. He is keen on pleasing ecclesiastical hierarchs who have not yet forgotten the “great harm” Justice K. T. Tomas did to their authority in declaring that, state laws alone is valid in declaring a catholic marriage null and void. Recently Justice Thomas favored a state law to administer the properties of the churches. Today all the wealth of the Catholic Church in India are administered according to a law framed in Rome. This is in violation of constitution of India.
Again the question has to be answered who is a practising Christian? He who is accepted by others as honest and impartial in his opinion and actions is a practising Christian, not the one who claims it.
There was a dispute in the court regarding the appointment of the High priest in Sabarimala, perhaps the second largest Temple in south India. Case went up to Supreme Court. There were four parties involved in the case. On a suggestion by Supreme Court the four parties to the case agreed upon mediation. All four parties agreed on Justice K T Thomas, a Christian as the Mediator and the long lasting dispute was amicably settled. It came in the newspapers that he donated the entire remuneration (eight lacs of rupees) which he got from that mediation for creating an endowment to meet the educational expenses of children belonging to non-affluent families. One becomes a true practising Christian only by his deeds, not by claiming through emails.
I wish Mr. John Dayal all success in his effort to please ecclesiastical hierarchs. But he should remember that a campaign of hatred is not the Christian way.
In his response Mr. John Dayal tries to exhume many skeletons of reports to prove that RSS are all criminals and are against the minorities. RSS is also blamed for opposing the so called conversion in North India.
I have always wondered why these missionaries go to Adivasis who are illiterate to preach the Gospel and win their souls. Two thirds of Kerala population are non Christians, yet no attempt is made to convert them.
When I read the History of the so called Christian conversions in India I strongly feel that the stand of RSS or other Hindu Organizations are justified.
The Christian missionaries of the west came to India to convert Indians along with the colonial expansion of the West. The first move for conversion of Indians started after the arrival of Portuguese and their fleet. One of the first missionaries was St Francis Xavier. When I read through his letters to the King of Portugal I felt so ashamed of the aims and motives behind the so called conversion. He writes to John III the King of Portugal
“My Lord: I earnestly desire that Your Highness would keep in mind and reflect upon the fact that God our Lord has granted the rule over these Indies primarily to Your Highness, preferring you to all other Christian princes, so that he might try you and discover the fidelity with which you fulfill the task which has been entrusted to you, and the sentiments of gratitude with which you respond to the benefits that have been conferred upon you”. (The Letters and Instructions of FRANCIS XAVIER page: 107 )
He further requests the King to divide temporal spoils between the King and the missionaries. He writes “your Highness should begin to make a full and exact accounting of all the fruits and temporal grains which you, through the grace of God, obtain from these Indies. Deduct from this what you spend here on the service of God and the support of the faith. And then after you have made a prudent judgment about all this, divide these revenues between your earthly kingdom and God and his heavenly kingdom as you ……… (The Letters and Instructions of FRANCIS XAVIER page109-110)
Even the pioneer leader of conversion Francis Xavier aims at the division of colonial loot in India between King and the Church (God)
In 1599 the missionary Bishop Alexis Menasis Arch Bishop of Goa convened a synod of the Christians of the Malabar. His aim was to bring the ancient Christians (Nasranis) under the protection of the King of Portugal. Synodal decree is given below.
“The Synod having taken into consideration the manifold injustices, oppressions and grievances wherewith infidel kings and governors do often treat the Christians of this bishopric; and that out of enmity to our holy catholic faith, and observing the necessity they are in of defence and protection, doth with great instance desire, that his Majesty the King of Portugal would be graciously pleased to take all the Christians of this bishopric under his favour and protection, he being the only Christian king or lord in all these oriental parts; and the Christians of this diocese shall on their parts be ready at all times to sacrifice their lives to their holy catholic faith, the preservation of Christianity, and the defence of Christians, which they shall be always prepared to do with their lives and fortunes; beseeching the most reverend Metropolitan, President of this Synod, to present this their petition to his majesty, and to let him know how ready all the Christians of this bishopric are to serve him.” (THE ACTS AND DECREES OF THE SYNOD OF DIAMPER, DECREE XXIV: page 213)
The aim of the missionaries was to uproot the Indians from their cultural soil and baptize them under the rule of the colonial masters. Even today conversion is a ruse to perpetuate the colonial stance of west, hence this so called conversion are being opposed by the right minded Indians. It must be noted that the first legal act against conversion was enacted by the Congress government, not by RSS or BJP.
How true is the warning of Jesus to Pharisees “Hypocrites! Yes, woe upon you hypocrites. For you go to all lengths to make one convert, and then turn him into twice the son of hell you are yourselves.”(Mathew 23:15)The missionaries are bent up on baptizing the ignorant Adivasis in to their churches not to Christ. They fight against each other for the souls of Adivasis. Indians have no hesitation in accepting Jesus. Even Swamy Vivekanda and Gadhiji accepted the teachings of Jesus. Now the churches preach not the Gospel, but “Churchianity”.
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e-mail : josephpulikunnel@gmail.com
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