Not My Church!

To my beloved Bhartiya family,

मेरी दिली इच्छा थी कि मैं यह लेख हिंदी में लिखूं, लेकिन मेरी लिखी हिंदी थोड़ी कमजोर है इसलिए मुझे अंग्रेजी में लिखना पड़ा। भविष्य में किसी समय मैं इस विषय पर एक हिंदी वीडियो बनाना चाहूंगा।   

I request my English-speaking family to kindly spread the message among all those who find it difficult to understand English. This article is primarily not meant for Christians but for all Indians. So if you are Christian reading this please spread the message.

I apologise for the length of this article, but I sincerely hope you will read it to the end. In fact, I request you to read it till the end. However, if it is not possible, I have highlighted important paragraphs please read those. 

I have made special efforts to quote neutral sources and have only referred to religious texts where they are extremely specific. I am open to comments and criticism, but just as I have quoted neutral sources who are not opinionated or biased, I expect you to adhere to this standard; otherwise, it would lead to a never-ending debate. 

• Introduction

As a Christian born and living in this country for more than 25 years, I am a proud Indian, i.e. Bhartiya. I have received nothing but love from my motherland. However, in recent times, Christianity has been defined by videos of funny pastors, "mere yeshu mere yeshu" funny reels, and churches being targeted based on fake conversion stories. I just wanted to say This is not my church! This is not what church is about; this is not something I believe in.

I talked with qualified people; it was hurtful to hear, but I realised that there were so many misconceptions about Christians, so much hidden pain and unsaid fears.

This article is my small attempt to clear some misconceptions. 

I. Not my Church: Things which look like Christianity but as we say in PK's language "यह wrong number है"

II. Why did Christianity spread?

III. Conclusion

I. Not my Church

Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray"

-Matthew 24:4‭-‬5 NRSV

Below are instances of what the church represents and what it does not represent:

1. Saint (संत) Culture and Humility: Every Christian who lives according to the will of God can be called a saint [further Study]. The problem is this title comes with a really heavy responsibility, and who am I, or for that matter, anyone else to judge whether a person has lived a Christ-like life or not? In the Catholic branch of Christianity, we go a step further and do not call a living person a saint. So if you have led a good life you will be in heaven (स्वर्ग) and hence only when there is some evidence that a person's soul is in heaven do we refer to him/her as a Saint [further study]. We need to look at who is giving out these titles like, "Prophets" "Angel" "Father's Son" "Saint" etc. If the preachers are doing it themselves then they are committing the mortal sin of Vanity/ Pride. If someone else is giving these titles, then ask yourself why would somebody else do it? What is their intention behind it? How are they benefitting from it? If you see anything like this then he/she is definitely the wrong number.
2. Dynasty (परिवारवाद): There is no place for a dynasty in preaching the word of God. Just because my father or my husband was a preacher does not give me the right to continue the legacy of making preaching a family business; this is wrong. It is clearly displayed in the life of Jesus himself he maintained his chastity, did not marry, and did not have kids to continue his legacy. The next preacher will be a student. The relationship between a preacher and a future preacher is more along the lines of गुरु शिष्य  [Further reading] [Further Reading]
3. Lifestyle and Humility: If you look at all the preachers in the entire Bible, there are two common features: First is humility, and Second is sacrifice. Look at the disciples, look at Jesus they left their sources of income, they left their families and lived humble lives as travelling preachers.  If preaching is the only source of income for a preacher and he/she is roaming in a Mercedes, if their children are studying abroad, if for every function they are sitting on a सिंहासन, if they are arriving on a helicopter if they are attached to material goods, then where is the sacrifice? where is the humility? They are still attached सांसारिक मोह माया. This is not what Christianity stands for, and THIS IS NOT MY CHURCH!
4. Miracles: Miracles do happen, but the question is whom do I attribute (श्रेय) them? With these miracles where do I lead the people? If a preacher says God has blessed me, "I have the power to perform miracles, come to my शिबिर" then he is attracting people to him and not to God. I will say these miracles are fake and need to be thoroughly investigated. THIS IS NOT MY CHURCH. Jesus speaks about such people in Matthew 24:4‭-‬5. A true disciple would never ask people to come to him. He would never attract attention. He would direct people to God, ask them to praise and worship him, and not take any credit for the same. An example of this is the humility and obedience displayed by Saint Padre Pio [Further Reading].
5. Rice bag Christians and on Conversion: The bible does not say to go and change the religion of people. As per my understanding of the Bible, all Christians are called to talk about Jesus, introduce him to people, do charity and lead exemplary lives. If by our life and testimony, someone is inspired to become a follower of Christ it is their free will. For more on this read Catechism of Catholic Church Part 3, Ch 2, Article 1, II (Conversion and Society) from 1886 to 1896. Christians indeed perform charitable acts like distributing food, running charitable institutions, etc. Someone might look at it and be impressed and follow Christ, but it is never a transaction where I will give you food and you should convert. If anyone offers anything/any service in exchange for conversion, it is wrong, condemnable and NOT MY CHURCH! 
6. For a deeper understanding of conversion click on these links: Man's capacity for self transcendence on conversion in Bernard Lonergan's method in theology, Evangelii Gaudium, Ad Gentes, Lumen Gentium, Redemptoris missio.
7. For a Christian, the easiest way to bring about a change in the life of people is to live by the motto "Wherever I am, however I am, let me be a reflection of Christ to the World". If you understand Marathi, check out this song   
     

II. Why did Christianity spread?

1. Origin of Christianity in India: Christianity is an invader's religion! The British used it to spread their empire! Christianity is an agenda of colonisers! sounds extremely good to spread hatred, but the reality is quite different: Christianity in India dates back to Saint Thomas one of Jesus' 12 chosen disciples came down to India after Jesus' resurrection in 52 AD. [Check out this detailed Video]. Saint Francis Xavier landed on Indian shores on May 6, 1542. The first Britishers landed on Indian shores in Surat on August 24, 1608. Please understand that " All Britishers are Christians, but not all Christians are Britishers". Even Raavan came for Sita's haran in the form of a Saadhu, so would you call all Saadhus evil? Then why question the integrity of Indian Christians? People like Nityananda, Raavan, Afzal Khan [Hindi Video], Osama Bin Laden, Matthew Hopkins, and certain crusaders [The positives, negatives and intention of crusade deserve an article of its own, that is not for today, but I stand firm in my opinion that all Crusades were not evil], and certain pastors have used religion for their selfish goals. They have done brutal cruelty in the name of religion but no religion teaches cruelty. "Evil people use religion to fulfil their agenda, but no religion asks you to kill others or destroy their places of worship". 
2. Caste-based conversions: While one side of the story is that victims of caste discrimination found solace in the teachings of Christ, it is partially true. But caste discrimination, being a social disease, thrived despite their conversion, and they are the greatest victims today because by following Christianit,y they lose out on all the social benefit schemes and yet continue to be looked down upon. So the question is what gives them the strength to pursue Christianity?      The other part of this story is it even influential Brahmins and other prominent people adopted Christianity. We take pride in Bhagini Nivedita, but how can we forget the missionary works of Pandita Ramabai Saraswati, Narayan Waman Tilak (A relative of Bal Gangadhar Tilak), Krishna Mohan Banerjee, Sister Nirmala Joshi, and Krishna Pal? The truth is, over the centuries, the life of Christ has attracted so many noble souls that it cannot be just dismissed by saying that people turn to Christianity just to escape caste discrimination. There have even been queens like Queen Helena, and politicians like Bobby Jindal [Read this article by Quint], Barack Obama [Read this article by Reuters], and renowned writer Rabi Maharaj, who have not only accepted Christianity but have propagated it in their own way.[Do not get back to me with a list of people who have left Christianity. The names I have mentioned are not merely people who have adopted Christianity, but have actively promoted it throughout their lives.
3. Blood of Martyrs: Every religion talks about sacrificing our lives for our faith but the difference lies in the methodology. Every major religion talks about defence and has its own version of zionists, but currently, Christianity and Catholics in particular have none. The core of the Christian belief system i.e. "39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well" - Matthew 5:39-‬41 NRSV laid the foundation for the concept of Satyagraha. It is these selfless and forgiving sacrifices made without taking up arms that keep the Christian flame burning and keep attracting new devotees. Below are examples of some of these people: Gonzalo Garcia: Born in Vasai and selflessly gave up his life in Japan, Sister Rani Maria: Her family pardoned the killers who stabbed her to death, Maria Goretti; An innocent 11-year-old girl, stabbed to death for resisting rape, forgave her sinner at the deathbed. Sir Thomas More: Author, High Chancellor, and Ambassador, gave the English language the word "Utopia". Happily martyred for his faith. His last words were "The king’s good servant and God’s first". Last but not least, José Sánchez del Río; a 14-year-old, refused to denounce his faith brutally killed by the Mexican Government. 

III. Conclusion

1. No religion teaches you to hate others 
2. The people who exchange freebies and ask you to convert do not represent the church but are either power-hungry pastors or misdirected people who don't understand the church. This is very different from charitable organisations, which give out help and expect nothing.
3. Miracles are an exception and not the norm, and to add to this, "Vanity is the Devil's favourite sin" If a person is taking credit for miracles, then he is definitely not a follower of Christ. 
4. It is a lie to say that all people who adopted Christianity did so to escape caste discrimination. People for generations have been inspired by the life and message of Jesus and Christians and have become devotees.  

Yours with love,

Prajval Albuquerque