Vincent Kundukulam
It is interesting to observe that whenever happen catastrophes – either in nature like earthquake, tempest, drought etc., or in the social realm like epidemics, communal conflicts and wars – there shall emerge preachers of prophetic nature in the religious communities. Some of these preachers who are, for diverse reasons, succumbed to pessimistic attitudes focus their discourses on preparing people for the end of time which they think is very imminent. Their speeches create feelings of fear and despair in ordinary people and some of them turn out to be introverts and socially inactive. Yet the harm they do to society is not massive.
But there are some others who, under the guise of prophecy, sow the seeds of animosity among people when there exist social or economic issues between communities. They communicate untruths and half-truths on the basis of data which seem to be at first glance founded but unproven scientifically. Such kind of venomous narratives affect adversely people without right discernment. Consequently, suspicion and hatred increase among the concerned sections of people and there prepares a conducive climate for communal conflicts.
We have examples for similar type of social situation in the Old Testament, for example, in the book of Jeremiah. When Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, conquered Israel and made Jews captives there arose certain false prophets among Israelites. They gave incorrect promise that God would bring the exiles back in a short time, and to achieve that goal they instigated them to go for a ‘holy war’ against Babylon. In this context, Jeremiah warns the false prophets like Ahab and Zedekiah (v.21-23) and irresponsible priests like Shemaiah (v,32). Jeremiah reminds exiles not to listen those prophets who tell lies but listen to the prophets whom God sends. The answers given by the false prophets, diviners and dreamers are not worth of listening because Jeremiah says, Lord has not sent them through intermediaries.
Unfortunately, people under tyrannies are vulnerable to dreams manufactured by human plots. Often it happens that leaders with vested interests make use of muddled water to catch the fish. It is really true in the present-day Kerala scenario where hatred is nurtured between creeds and jatis through digital groups, fabricated under pseudo names. Not only adults but also adolescents, and even children, are terribly affected by the communal spirit that is disseminated through fake ids in social media. The faith formators can play a vital role at this crucial moment by propagating stories, events and religious doctrines that can neutralize the parochial thoughts. As Jesus reconstructed the concepts of God, salvation, neighbour, etc. at his time, we have to explain the credential of faith so as to develop universal and inclusive attitudes in the faithful.
Instead of investing time, energy and resources for divisive ends, the concerned sections of people must be advised by the Church leaders to make use of the lockdown-period to renew the ways of being Christian within and outside Church. The way-out Jeremiah proposed at his time was to settle down in the exilic land and lead usual life. ‘Build’, ‘plant’, ‘produce’, ‘marry’ and ‘multiply’ are the verbs repeatedly used by the prophet. All these verbs point towards investing the talents and possibilities pro-actively and creatively for the well-being of the Jews and Babylonians. According to exegetes, the Jews in exile were placed together with other exiled groups in the work of rebuilding the regions which had been devastated by the wars between Assyria and Babylon in the previous century. Settling the land and helping the king Nebuchadnezzar in constructing the region may appear to us ridicule at first glance but Jeremiah considers it, on the one hand, as the prudent way to achieve peace and thus avoid repression from Nebuchadnezzar, and on the other hand, the way to divert the skill and energy of the exiles into positive realms and creative projects. Christians in India have much to learn from the attitude of the prophet Ezekiel. Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Mt. 10:16).
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