Ashoka the great once said "For He who does reverance to his own sect while disparaging the sects of other wholy from attachement to his own sect in reality inflicts, by such conduct , the severest injury on his own sect "
While driving to a Chinese restaurant on a week day I casually asked my colleague "Hey Aleck Whats up for Summer ?".He replied "Oh..I forgot to tell you I would be traveling to India with my Missionary ".It was just these words that triggered the argumentative skills as rightly pointed by Amartya Sen in the book Argumentative Indian.
I don't like the Missionaries coming to India in the pretext of helping the poor but end up influencing them for religious conversion .I had to express this feeling to my good friend Aleck and had to provide suffice reasons for that .Here is what my argument was.
My best buddy for about seven years is Ashok a Christian , my other friend Rimzath is a Muslim .India is a secular country in which we go beyond religious tolerance and follow acceptance.I used to go ashok's house for Christmas and visit Rimzath on ramzaan to wish him "ID Mubarak".We celebrate each others faith .
India has poor people , people who are affected by physical and mental conditions .Helping people in need is "Karma".Associating religion with deeds of kindness is not a good representation of any faith .Providing destitute food , education and care will help India grow , but reasoning that, following a paticular faith has given him prosperity brings the paticular faith no good.I feel that the tribal and poor people do not have the wisdom to make a judgment.Educating them is a positive step in their life but influencing them to make a religious decision is morally incorrect.
We need to like a person for what he is , him being a better person is more important to me than the faith which is making him better .The effect is more important than the cause .India which has to focus on development in various fields doesnot need any hindrance in the form of communal violence.
Youngsters of my age grow up with people of different religion caste and belief .They accept their friends for what they are and try to forget their differences and work towards the betterment of the society .
Religious influence of foreign missionaries disturb the balance of India and affects its peaceful exsistence
14 comments:
I agree with you on the issue of foreign missionaries. Religious beliefs are as personal as personal gets. I am secular and tolerant to the extent that my religious privacy and beliefsIis not violated. India today is secular only by name. Godhra and Dec6th incidents are proof enough. If you don't agree lets agree to disagree:-)
Anonymous said...
these foreign missionaries are big time %^&*#$......if i get a few of them in my hands, i will %^&*$%
@Lavanya
You are exactly correct we should agree to the fact that faith differs and you need to respect it
@@ anonoymous..
Sorry your comment had lot of profanity ..the need of the hour is to handle the situation with care ..hatred is not good for any community .Use of knowledge and convetional wisom is required to keep our country free of internal animosity .
Hi dude..
thnx for dropping by on ma blog...
well said mate...evn i grew up in circumstances similar to urs..n most of the times v even forget wat religion v belong to..xcpt for a nosy few,youth in our country have accepted a common religion,namely,Indian..in fact wit the advent of WWW,even the boundaries b/w nations hve become hazy..i kno all this sounds cliched but isnt it true??
machi ..semma post da. "bribing" people to change their religion is not healthy .
MHO - It should be like a free economy. Let anyone come..any missionary....it is left to the people to stick to what they want and choose.
Let's not forget the good work done by these missionaries as well.
man trust me., missionaries are ok.. check out the meetings of so-called-evangelists. Gosh., makes me feel so disgusting and embarassing that i'm a christian (atleast was)
Good post and rightly pointed out. The fact that several missionaries, i have heard of some Christian missionaries that tell some poor folks(non-Christians) to get converted saying that the church will feed them, take care of them etc. These poor people who are neither educated nor have the income to manage their family, think that if changing to anothe rreligion is going to feed some mouths, they would rather say Jesus instead of Rama or Krishna.
And many missionaries are fully aware of this and target those masses who would get converted and help popularize the church's mission.
@@ Vive
You are correct younger generation have no religious orientation ..which is in a way a good thing becoz it avoids confusion
@@Jagan
Bribing people to chnage reigion makes us feel low about that religion
@@ Narayanan
No questions about the good things done by missionaries , but the question is ethics behind change of faith ??
@@Joe
Its not about the christians in india or christianity its abt a selected few missionaries who tarnish the image.Be proud of who ever you are and what ever faith ou belong
@@Mitr
Targetting weaker section of society and luring them towards any faith showing materialistic benifits deosnot potray good will on part of that faith
@@Mitr_Bayarea
I tried to comment on this long time before... this topic is so controversial and subject to what a person belives that i couldnt come up with a general opinion :)
While for most, I agree with your reasoning except for your conclusion.
Associating religion with kindness is wrong.
Now, in your reasoning your missing one crucial factor, the people who are being converted.
The convert has tried everything to make a living. Lack of basic infrastructure/social programs/schools/employment converges to a point where they will be "faithful" to anyone who helps them in their needs.
I do not agree that missionaries dont provide education. I studied in a convent school in Yercaud and before that in Ooty. These insitutions came to India as missionaries. While the schools I studied in were for profit, they had some very sucessful programs for the poor. Yeah, they might persuade them to go to church, but at the end if the individual is going to be better than he was before, then I dont think anyone has the right to take away (read: the benefits of converting) what he might have received through the missionaries. Personally, I dont like the idea but I do not have the right to feel strongly about it unless I'm prepared to take the place of the missionary, give them the benefits and the freedom to choose the faith. I'm not in a position to do so, are you ?
It is very easy to form an opinion but its not justified. Can you be true to yourself and still think that the work of the missionaries must be stopped, fully knowing there might not be other organizations to continue their work ? and thereby depriving the "would be convert". Can you explain your idea to the people who are converting. What is he/she gonna tell you ... " Can you substitute what they are giving? ".
P.S. I'm a Hindu and a proud one. If there was a better way to improve the lives of people in remote areas of India where the govt. doesnt make an effort (Ex. North east), it would be great. As of now, there is not much. The missionaries are the lesser of the evils. Just taking a pragmatic look.
anon: Well., they should do their good work. But., not do business with religion. Like., 'you get these benefits if you convert' statement is very very bad. It makes the whole idea of faith into a business where you trade your fundamental faith for some monetary benefit. What it equates to is a general act of gathering mass., to show count-based strength. If the missionaries are going to do service based on only this., then it is not acceptable.
OTOH., service is an act of kindness which should be spontaneous. If fact that is the true spirit of religion (christianity/hinduism/islam/buddhism/*). Religion should teach its followers to indulge in acts of kindness without any partiality. When kindness is shown at the cost of fundamental faith., it is filthy. It destroys the idea.
@Joe
Very well said buddy
shiv: actually., to finish the devdas look., i'd need a dog.. not a guitar.. :P
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