Even when BJP had one or two MPs and RSS was but an outlawed outfit, the Christian Padres warned their wards of the impending danger to Christians if BJP were to ever come to power in India. Except those who have some direct connection with Sangh pariwar, not many Hindus would’ve known much about RSS as late as late 70s and early 80s. But I, as a Christian child raised in a hardcore evangelical church had a earful about RSS and how it was an army of Satan. If there was any kind of resistance to any church activities, the first question asked was, “are RSS people behind this?”
Christians saw both BJP and RSS as a threat to their existence in India simply because they were and are afraid that these entities have a potential to make Hindus come together with some “organizational” structure. Christians know more than anyone else that the biggest weakness of Hindus is that they can never organize themselves into any coherent group without political patronage or an organization like RSS providing leadership and guidance. Today the thumping of floors, wailing and weeping and beating of chests by both Muslims and Christians that BJP and RSS are turning the nation into a “fascist” land is not because they are afraid that Hinduism is now going to be more palatable to a commoner in India to turn them away from Islam and Christianity but because they are terrified that this combo of BJP and RSS is capable of invoking “missionary zeal” among Hindus to go on a rampage to convert and reconvert all and sundry into Hindu faith.
Whether BJP and RSS really have such a vision and mission is a matter that we can debate later but the case in point is that both Islam and Christianity are religious that are spread using an organizational structure and they are terrified if they see any semblance of organization that can bring Hindus together.
The “missionary zeal” cannot be inculcated when people sit in their houses and meditate as individuals or go on a pilgrimage to all the holy places. It will be inculcated only when people gather as a group and are inspired by speakers who with their passionate talks and speeches woo the crowd and call on them to act. Even a million plus devotees spending Shivarathri in an auspicious setting cannot achieve what a group of 50 Christians sitting in a remote church can achieve to hatch a plan to bring people into their faith because what is missing in a gathering of million plus people is a “call to act.” Please note that I have nothing against a million people coming together on Shivarathri night 🙏 As a matter of fact, I long to be part of that group one day if Ishwara wills.
My point here is that what we are missing today in the space of Hindu spiritualism is spiritual leaders’ call of actions to their followers to go and work to spread Hinduism. Today most of the messages that the spiritual leaders are giving are for individual betterment and not necessarily to make people act cohesively as a group to protect the very thread that holds many tenets of Hinduism as one body of knowledge. Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation, saving rivers, saving Temples and reviving Samkritham are all good and needed. All of these will form into a beautiful garland to go around the neck of Maa Bharat only if they all are stringed together with a thread called Hinduism. In the absence of this thread, these are just mere beads which are lying around loosely only to be stolen, lost and eventually destroyed. As precious as these beads may be, they will either be lost or gather dust in keepsakes instead of being the living entities that they should be adorning Maa Bharat. So, we need Hindu leadership to call on its people to spread “Hinduism” and not some individual aspects of Hinduism.
Beat this calling if you can, “ Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel and Lo, I am with you always.”
For those who are not familiar, this is the call to evangelize the whole world a Christian hears one way or the other just before he disperses from the congregation of believers he spent time with. The congregation can be 2 people or 2 million people but the message is loud and clear.
Here is a Christian hymn that I cannot shake off from my head that almost every Christian child knows from memory simply because the child has heard it so many times.
//Far, far away, in heathen darkness dwelling,
Millions of souls forever may be lost;
Who, who will go, salvation’s story telling,
Looking to Jesus, heeding not the cost?
Chorus:
“All power is given unto Me,
All power is given unto Me,
Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel,
And lo, I am with you always.”
See o’er the world wide open doors inviting,
Soldiers of Christ, arise and enter in!
Christians, awake! your forces all uniting,
Send forth the Gospel, break the chains of sin.
“Why will you die?” the voice of God is calling.
“Why will you die?” re-echo in His Name;
Jesus has died to save from death appalling,
Life and salvation, therefore go proclaim.
God speed the day, when those of every nation
“Glory to God!” triumphantly shall sing.
Ransomed, redeemed, rejoicing in salvation,
Shout “Hallelujah, for the Lord is King.”//
If you live in US, go to a nearby Baptist church on what is called as a “Mission Filed Day.” A small video of famished and undernourished kids and women picking food from the dumpsters competing with pigs and dogs from India or some African country is first played. Then someone who professes to have done some “missionary” work among these people trying to save these souls gives his account. If the church is lucky, they will have an Indian “pastor” who will give his account in broken English (this is more of a design as the fellow for all you know may be fluent in English). Then the local church pastor gives a passionate sermon calling on people to act. Then the above song is played and the choir stands up to sing as baskets are passed around where people put their checks, cash and pledges. The whole atmosphere is so emotionally charged that you yourself will inadvertently look to see if you have some money in your pocket to put it in the basket when the ushers come to you. The money that is collected that day is all pledged to be sent to a church in “India” or some other “heathen” country. I was in one such service few years ago and the money collected and pledged was counted then and there and the pastor announced that a little more than a million dollars was pledged on that particular day.
It is not just money that people are asked to part with. There is also a call for people to “commit” themselves to the cause of the gospel and join the mission field work force if they heard “still and quiet ” voice of god knocking on their hearts’ door calling on them to serve the lord in the mission fields during this service. On a lucky day, the local church can recruit a dozen young people to go as “missionaries” to save the perishing. My dear friends, this is the method that is used to create“missionary zeal.”
This hopefully will be my last post for this Gregorian year of 2019. Will see you all on the other side of 2020 sharing whatever I know to call my people to ACT!!!
For those that can’t wait till Bharatiya New Years, A very Happy New Year 2020. May the Force be with us all🙏
The Journey of an Ex-Christian 