Author: M.V. Kamath
Publication: www.india.com
Date: November 24, 2000
Should Amitabh Bachchan
ever be gasping for want of suitable questions to ask on his Kaun Banega
Crorepathi show, here's one that he can try out. What happens when an irresistable
force acts upon an immoveable body? Here are four possible answers: (a)
Nothing. There's a stalemate. (b) An explosion (c) Laughter all round and
(d) Bitterness on the part of both.
Consider what has happened
in recent times, ever since, His Holiness the Pope was given a ceremonial
welcome in Delhi and treated with respect in every possible way that no
government in India has ever extended to a Jagadguru Shankaracharya. And
it is BJP Government in Delhi. What did India get in return?
It is Roman Catholic
communalism
His Holiness said that
he expects to "harvest" -- it is his word -- Indian (read Hindu) souls
for Christianity. A more resounding slap on Hindu faces could not have
been delivered. Did the BJP government wince at this arrogant assault on
Hinduism; there was no public indication. Our secular press stayed even
more dumb and voiceless. To criticise the Pope for what he said would have
been considered by our secular media as an example of communalism. That
this is an example of Roman Catholic communalism would not have occurred
to our secularists.
Hardly had the ripples
made by the Pope subsided, came the millennium World Peace Summit at the
United Nations where most religions were represented except the Roman Catholic
Church which looked down its nose on the gathering and refused to participate
in it on the ground that it was opposed to relativist theories and did
not wish to treat others as its equals. Worse, it published a 36-pages
document called Dominus Jesus under the authority of the Pope that claims
that salvation can come to mankind only through the redemptive power of
Jesus Christ and that 'the fullness of means to salvation' can be found
only in the Catholic Church.
When Cardinal Ratzinger
signatory to the Vatican document was asked whether it did not smack of
"fundamentalism" and whether with such an attitude a dialogue between the
Catholic Church and others is possible, his reply was that a dialogue should
not be a "substitute for missionary activity and for the urgency of an
appeal to conversion". He further reiterated the Church's opposition to
any "false idea of tolerance" which allows respect for other beliefs because
it rejects the possibility of any objective truth. What under the circumstances
is possible? That the Catholic Church can be intolerant but other can't
and shouldn't fight it?
Myths about Christians
There are several myths
about Christianity that are prevalent and which bear examination. One,
that Christianity is a minority in India, two, that it is two thousand
years old in India, three, that Christians have contributed substantially
to the freedom movement and four, the most ridiculous, that it alone can
provide salvation to all.
Christians may be numerically
a minority in India but it has the backing of the Vatican and the entire
Christian Church in the world. Even the international media (Reuters, Associated
Press, United Press, Agence France Presse, Deutsche fresse Agentur) is
controlled by Christians. The minority argument is a hoax that needs to
be exposed.
Yes, Christianity is
thousand years old (it came with St. Thomas) but it was confined to a small
area in Kerala and southern India. Roman Catholicism came in a big way
to Goa with the Portuguese barbarians and their equally murderous priests
who demolished temples and practised cruelties of Inquisition for two hundred
years.
The next Christian assault
against Hindus came from the Protestant missionaries in India in the nineteenth
century. Between 1851 and 1890 the Christian missionaries under British
imperialist patronage converted people to such an extent that their numbers
increased from 91,092 to 5,51,661. In 1890 there were more Christians in
India than there were Sikhs, for a full report on Christian assault on
Hinduism one must read Antony Copley' book: Religions in Conflict: Ideology,
Cultural Contact and Conversion in Late Colonial India (Oxford University
Press) . Copley, incidentally, is not a RSS worker but a very British Reader
in Modern History at the University of Kent at Canterbury.
The Catholics in India
are in a dilemma. Their contribution to the Indian freedom movement is
negligible. Indeed, the contribution of Christians in general to that movement
is insignificant. Percentage-wise, how many Christians of all denominations
suffered imprisonment? The Catholics are numerically in a minority in India.
They have to live amidst Hindus.
All these years the Hindus
suffered the insults heaped upon them by missionaries patiently and with
great forbearance for at least two reasons. One, they were living under
the British and two, they were disunited. Now they are getting united.
The Hindu middle class is larger than the entire population of Europe.
And it is getting out
of the secular mould in which it was imprisoned by Nehruvian concepts.
And it is no longer in a mood to accept insults from the Pope or whoever.
And it is remembering past injustices.
The Pope is seen as a
white outsider who is imposing his views on Indian Christians. Catholics
can't afford to alienate their fellow Indian Hindus. At the same time they
dare not challenge the Pope and the Vatican. The word of the Pope is final.
In theological matters he is infallible. They can't criticise the Pope
even in private conversation. The Catholic fundamentalism is unchallengeable.
The Catholics have no
use even for Protestants or Anglicans - and may it be remembered that those
who sneer at our caste system are more divided among themselves that it
is no longer funny. Brahmins and Vaishyas or, for that matter, Shudras,
have not fought wars against each other. Catholics and Protestants have.
U.S. Ambassador to India Robert Celeste, before be goes complaining to
Bangaru Laxman, must go to the Vatican and tell it to be more respectful
of Hinduism. It is not Sudarshan who fired the first shot. It is the Vatican
-- and this must be clearly understood.
Nobody is questioning
the patriotism of Roman Catholics; what's regretted is the arrogance, the
insensitivity, the thoughtlessness and the claims of spiritual superiority
that the Vatican has been exhibiting, which is highly disturbing. Many
Hindus are now coming to resist it strongly. The Church may consider itself
irresistible, but Hinduism is immoveable and the onus for good behaviour
is on the Church, both Protestant and Catholic. It is the Vatican, which
is stirring passion and hatred and not the RSS. Sudarshan, as any Hindu,
has the right to warn the Vatican that it to crossing the Laxman Rekha
with its intemperate doctrinal arrogance. The Vatican is doing no service
to Catholics in India, nor to true Christianity. It is representative of
white Christian imperialism at its worst and Celeste should not be surprised
if it is resisted. Somebody should tell him the truth.
