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The following is the Statement of a Workshop on "The Issues in
Hindu-Christian Relationship" held in Madurai, (19-11 October 1995)
Introduction
1. We, a group of Hindus and Christians, gathered for a Workshop of
Hindu-Christian Relationships, Madurai Kamaraj University,
Department of Inter religious Relations' wish to share the fruits
of our prayerful reflections with our Hindu and Christian friends
and also with all people of goodwill.
2. We are gladdened by the fact that this Workshop was organized
jointly by the University department and the National Council of
Churches of India ( NCCI) Nagpur, and the World Council of Churches
(WCC) Geneva. It is definitely a source of strength to both the
'secular' and the 'religious' that there takes place a
collaboration between the two. We may hopefully look forward to
many other religious bodies joining hands with the department.
3. We are also glad to see that the Workshop focused only on the
area of relations between two major religious traditions: the
Christian and the Hindu. It not only enabled us to draw on the
experience of those people who have actually been committed to
dialogue in their particular faith context but also it helped us to
concentrate on more specific "guidelines" for promoting harmonious
relationships between followers of the two religions. Here also
one may expect that many more workshops may be organized to promote
bilateral relations.
Hopes
4. As citizens of India, we realize that whatever our religion, we
have to work together to make our country a truly just, egalitarian
and secular nation. Despite our differences in professing of faith,
we will work for a better humanity, drawing from the well-springs
of our respective sources.
5. The. collaboration will be possible and fruitful if the
relationship between Hindu and Christian improves. it becomes all
the more urgent as we see how narrow approaches car. lead to
tensions and even tragic violence.
6. Our collaboration will grow through ongoing interfaith dialogue,
which itself is our response to God's dialogue with humanity. It is
through dialogue that we become aware that we are fellow pilgrims
in search of truth and justice. The purpose of our dialogue
therefore is to understand the other and review our own experience
and belief in its content and expression. Dialogue takes a variety
of forms: in daily life, in common social action, in shared prayer
and theological reflection.
Challenges
7. Our experience of dialogue makes us aware of some of the issues
that make Hindu-Christian fellowship difficult and at times even
impossible. The Hindus find the absolute claims made for the
Church, for Jesus, the traditional methods of missionary activity
and the labelling on non-Christians as sinners etc., very
offensive. There are also such accusations as extraterritorial
loyalties, deculturalization, etc. already levelled against Indian
Christians.
8. The Christians are uncomfortable with the tendency of their
Hindu friends to minimize the differences that exist between
religious traditions and make Hinduism as an all-inclusive umbrella
of truth. Likewise, they find it difficult to understand the
Hindu's proclivity to down-play the reality of suffering,
oppression and discrimination by reducing them all to Karma and
fate. The ago-old problem of Untouchability, socio-economic
exploitation, and gender injustice still persists in the name of
religious sanctions.
9. The Workshop identified the need to study these and other issues
so that our dialogue helps us to grow in genuine religiosity,
promoting human dignity and solidarity. We hope that our future
meetings will enable us to clarify these areas, and also to
identify concerns such as social justice which call for sustained
co-operation and collaboration.
Some Guiding Principles
10. Both Christians and Hindus should realize that both the
communities are basically human communities belonging to a single
household of God.
11. The integral development of human person, both as an individual
and also in the social and environmental context, is the point of
departure and the goal to be realized by all religious. Hence, all
forms of oppression and discrimination in terms of gender, colour,
caste and class that have been provided religious legitimization
must be identified and firmly rejected.
12. Human persons and, therefore, their religious belief and
practice shape and are shaped by history. Hence, an honest
acceptance and critical assessment of history in all its aspects is
vital for authentic Hindu-Christian relationship.
13. Both communities must realize that most of the divisions among
them have not really been religious, as is usually made out to be,
but rather the result of racial, cultural, economic, political and
historical influences. So it is also important to accept honestly
and assess critically these historical factors and thereby purify
truly religious beliefs and practices.
14. If necessary, religious beliefs and practices in both
traditions, need to be interpreted afresh in the light of their
encounter so that they become meaningful to people of our times,
especially the youth who seem to be immersed in a deep crisis of
faith and in a search for sustainable values.
15. When understanding other's faith-tenets, we need to be
sensitive to the sensibility of peoples to their respective faith
traditions. For example, it is customary for Hindus to understand
Jesus Christ as one of the avatars. But they must understand that
Christian view of Incarnation is historical and so much more than
the mythological assuming of a form by God. Similarly, When
Christians easily dub Hindu idol worship as idolatry, they must
understand that not all Hindus are idolatrous in using idols in
their worship.
16. As God-is above all religions, and as religion is only a means
for human persons to become more and more human, followers of
religions retain their fundamental right to examine the faith they
received from their family and reconstruct its content and
expression or even accept another faith tradition, if they
sincerely find it to be more helpful for their spiritual journey.
17. Any form of manipulation or enticement to win over others to
one's own faith community is immoral and irreligious. So also to
use religion to gain economic political or any other form of favour
and advantage is equally immoral and irreligious.
18. All religions ;are expressions of the human spirit's yearning
for God. Therefore, we must look with respect at the religious
traditions of all people. As we are all pilgrims, our religious
traditions- however ancient they may be are limited and imperfect.
Hence, we can grow only by being enriched by the profound
religious experience of our brothers and sisters of other faith
traditions.
19. In this truth-pilgrimage the two faiths are indeed having the
same yearning to reach the ultimate just as two rivers are longing
to reach their destination. Yet, we must keep in mind that the two
religions are equally different, on account of their distinct
factors.
20. We should reject stereotyped and prejudicial descriptions of
other faith traditions and their followers. The unbecoming
behaviour of a few persons or even of a particular sect must be
identified as such, and not be imputed to the whole community.
2 l. We need to confront our co-religionists when they malign
people of other faiths. We must critically examine rumours that
are detrimental to inter religious amity.
Practical Guidelines At the level of school, college, university
22. The school Assembly must incorporate readings from different
religious Scriptures.
23. Joint prayer sessions should be part of the regular educational
programmes, especially on the occasion of major festivals of the
local religions.
24. A prayer hall with symbols and holy books of different
religions should be part of our educational institutions.
25. Arrangements may be made to include a subject "Religions" as
part of the curriculum. Suitable and graded text books for this
ought to be prepared by competent people who are conscious of the
multi-faith context of contemporary society and are committed to
interfaith dialogue.
26. Through the teacher, parent association and other gatherings,
the parents of the school children should be exposed to the riches
of the different religions of our land.
27. Research may be promoted on topics of inter religious concerns
in the recognized institutes and universities.
28. Inter religious live together and seminars, may be organized
periodically with a view to promoting cordial relations among
students and teachers.
30. Explorations may be made into the respective heritages with a
view to mutual enrichment, e.g. Eastern basis of Christianity on
the one hand, and Liberational thrust of Renascent Hinduism, on the
other.
At the level of village, town and city
31. Important religious festivals should become a community
celebration. The members of one community will positively
collaborate with the others when they celebrate a feast which is of
special significance to them.
32. Sharing in the celebrations of such socio-religious festivals
as Deepavali, Christmas and Pongal maybe promoted in villages so as
to express the joint journey of all compatriots towards the
ultimate goal of human life. Even in the specifically religious
festivals sharing may be done as a sign of solidarity.
33. Participation in pilgrimages and other forms of religious piety
of other communities will bring people closer to one another.
34. The Scriptures of the two communities may be used by one
another for their personal prayer and collective worship.
35. Acharyas and Sanyasis and ordained priests and renowned
preachers may be invited by both the communities in their
respective prayer meetings with a view to getting enriched by the
spiritual treasures of one another.
36. We request religious authorities to make their prayer houses
like the temples and churches available to people of other faiths
for their worship.
37. Religious functionaries like poojaries and priests should be
trained in interfaith contexts. Particularly, institutes training
religious workers in one community should have teachers obtained
from the other communities.
38. These religious leaders will grow in mutual appreciation and
understanding by periodically coming together to share their
religious experience and concerns.
39. Hindus and Christians, and also people of other faiths will
work together for the development of their locality and also to
help out in emergency situations.
40. If within a community some members indulge in unbecoming
behaviour towards people of other religions, a gesture of
reparation by their religious leaders will not only foster goodwill
among the offended
party but also educate the offenders.
41. A core group with members of different religious affiliations
should be created at different levels. It will serve as an
animating principle and also be a means of' reconciliation in
conflict situations.
National level
42. An inter religious National Forum consisting of leaders from
every major religion is the need of the hour. it may be patterned
after inter religious councils that function in countries like
Singapore, Malaysia and England.
43. A networking may be visualized among the various dialogue
centres which have. come up voluntarily in the various parts of the
country.
44. In our effort to grow in mutual understanding we will make a
greater use of the existing centres for dialogue. We also urge all
religious communities to have such centres which will not only
provide the facilities for dialogues but also train people to
organize and animate such gatherings.
45. In our dialogue meetings we need to make special efforts to
involve also the marginalized and silent sections of our
communities.
46. A greater use of the mass media must be made to disseminate
dialogue awareness among the people.
47. Through these media we need to educate people to critique and
reject the exploitation of religious loyalties by politicians and
other power mongers.
48. Through the dialogue centres as well as the mass media, we need
to educate the people how ignorance of the teachings of their
respective religions and inattention to their injunctions have led
our world to certain negative consequences, . such as ecological
crisis, which is also a problem of a moral kind.
49. It is appropriate and even necessary to arouse the awareness of
the public and especially of political leaders regarding ecological
responsibility and social justice.
50. Education on such basic issues as the human responsibility to
the habitat and the respect-for life, in the family, at school, by
the media and dialogue centres, would be a precious aid to the
present day humankind to foster a new solidarity and peace between
communities and nations. (csy..AIACHENL)
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