Question: Jacob Mathew 

How should the Christians in India live and act in the hate filled atmosphere prevalent today?

Answer: Jacob Parappally MSFS

Divisive forces are at work in all societies at all times. However, they may not always succeed to divide the society in the name of religion, caste, ethnicity etc. Thanks to the alertness of some of the rulers who have the welfare of the entire society the divisive and criminal forces are often subdued using various agencies of administration under their control. But there are also rulers who support, encourage and even tacitly approve the nefarious and criminal activities of those who divide the society for their own advantage. They not only use all the means at their disposal to secure power but also use the same tactics to divide people and create tension and turmoil in the society to hold on to their power.

All dictators and tyrants in the past had a group of people who supported them either out of fear or for currying favour from them. Every now and then we find the rise and fall of dictatorships. The rise of dictators may have many reasons. But one of the most important reasons is the discontentment of a large number of a people in a country. There may be many reasons for such a discontentment among the people. It could be socio-economic and political disempowerment of a large majority of a people by a dispensation that is corrupt, oppressive, exploitative and unjust. People lose hope to live a secure and relatively comfortable life in such situations. Then there comes a charismatic leader with a messianic character who can evoke a new hope in the people for a glorious future for the society and for the nation. Such leaders use their rhetorical skills to play with the emotions of the disgruntled people who have strong hatred towards those whom they think are the cause of their misery. The propaganda machinery of such leaders works hard to spread lies and half-truths to reinforce the unfounded fears of the people. When leaders with dictatorial mind-set come to power either by democratic election or by brute force they would not govern the country with values that are considered sacred by any civilized society. Instead of cooperation among the people of different cultures and religions, languages and ethnicities in a country, political leaders unleash conflicts so that they can continue with their agenda of promoting themselves, their hold on power and their narrow-minded and inhuman ideology. In the twentieth-century we have seen the tragic consequences of fascist ideologies and the brutalities that reigned destroying nations and civilizations. Many dictators themselves had their tragic ends. In the twenty-first century we find the rise of right radicalism and the ethnic group against the minority living in the same society or country. In India today we find that political leaders and parties use religion as a means to divide people and spread hatred towards the other for short-term political gains but in the process they sow the seeds of suspicion and long-term enmity among the people of different religions, ethnic groups, languages and so on. It is easy to evoke what is evil and base in humans than to bring out best in humans.

Hatred begets Hatred
We may wonder what is happening to our beloved country when people are losing their sense of being good human beings to one another. Since a few years we find a lot of crimes against innocent people happening in our country. Some are lynched on suspicion that they don’t believe what the majority believes, some eat food that is considered forbidden by a few, or because they don’t share the political ideology of others; some are called anti-nationals or labelled as terrorists because they have a different understanding of nationhood than those who wield power directly or by their association with those in power. The social media is misused to spread rumours and hatred. Words which are considered to be offensive, indecent and inflammatory are hurled at the so called enemies or imagined enemies. Fake news or blatant lies are spread to incite hatred for people who think differently, believe differently, dress differently, eat different food. The list can go on. The weak and the vulnerable are made to feel strong when they hate others of different religions and ideologies other than their own. History repeats itself. Humankind never learns from history that hatred begets hatred and humans lose their humanity and become less humans in the process.

In this situation of the country where people are killed in the name of religion or ultra-nationalistic ideology the feeling of insecurity grows and fear grips the people to such an extent that they lose their capacity to think rightly and act nobly. However, in a situation of gloom and apparent hopelessness there are a lot of people of good will belonging to all religions coming together to stand up for human rights and humanity. Make-beliefs and lies and false promises by political or religious leaders cannot deceive even the gullible for a long time. All people cannot be deceived for all times.

Christian Response to Growing Hatred
The book of Proverbs says: “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses” (Prov 10:12) It is the Christian faith-affirmation that only love can overcome hatred. Only the form of hatred that is permissible is to hate what is evil. Paul says, “ Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honour… Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them… Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all…If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:9-21). In the context of wide-spread suspicion about people other religions and ideologies and rumours and fake news fuelling fear, Christians should be in the forefront to reconcile people of different religions and ideologies bringing the good news of love, peace, harmony and solidarity.

In solidarity with the people of good will from all religions, we Christians are to condemn violence of all sorts and reach out to the victims of hatred and bigotry. The Christian leaders need to exercise their prophetic ministry condemning religious and ideological fundamentalism and exclusivism both within the Churches and outside of it. They need to take initiative in entering into dialogue with the leaders of other religions in working for harmony and fraternity among the people of all religions. All Christian institutions must teach the values enshrined in the Constitution of India especially the preamble of the Constitution.

The present situation of India where religious fundamentalism, exclusivism, ultra-nationalism and division among people are encouraged, there may be groups of Christians who think that they too should assert their identity in opposition to others and resurrect the traditional claim of exclusivism and uniqueness. It is a great temptation to show to others that we are superior to them. What is required of us Christians is shed all kinds of inherited claims of superiority and triumphalism and become more kenotic and self-emptying like Jesus, our Lord and Master.

A tendency of some of the Christians of India today appears to be fundamentalist. A temptation to see people of other faith and ideologies as opposed to us does not belong to the core Christian values. “He who is not against you is for you.” All other humans are my sisters and brothers in Christ. Therefore, the need of the hour is to wake up to the reality of our Christian vocation to be reconcilers. Paul says, “…In Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (II Corinthians 5:19). The role of the Church to proclaim the good news of reconciliation is to become a credible witness of reconciliation and unity by living the same values within the Church and among the Churches. Unfortunately, the Church in India appears to the people of other religions and ideologies as a divided house. The challenge therefore is to put the house of God in order so that the entire “household of God” become truly a communion of humans with values that make everyone a better a human being!