I have many friends (and one family member) who take pride telling me how they have started a new Church for the "newly born" and converted Christians. They have painstakingly established new churches, written the liturgy in the local languages, inducted many more "non-Christians" into Christianity.
BRAVO. I appreciate the huge efforts to get something like this happening. There is a huge spiritual awakening that these "modern day missionaries" have brought onto our societies.
On the other hand, consider the huge division they have made in the church which Christ built. Let me start by stating that during the early history of the Christianity, there were no Catholics or Protestants. The early followers followed the simple rules laid down by the Apostles. It was only when the church grew in size and politics started to grow within, that the divisions became inevitable. Knowingly or unknowingly, many of the early church-leaders started to think selfish and instead of doing what was good for the church, actually harmed it by dividing it for their own benefit.
Many of you would argue, what is wrong with building a church for the many Hindus (read "non-Christians"), who could otherwise not join any regular church. I agree with this logic.
But the solution is never to build a new division or sect in the church. No one tried to rectify the root cause. Everyone just tried to take the easier way out and make a new group (independent of the other). No objection or harm done to the existing churches.
I clearly disapprove this logic because I am sure that Jesus never wanted this to happen.
Christianity (and for that matter any other religions) teach equality and unity. There must never be a division because that is something which GOD never wanted. If you are a missionary (whether with sense of noble cause or a selfish cause) and has made another split in the church, then you have sinned "big-time" in the sight of GOD.
One simple thing to ask here is whether in the long run, differences between these sects would grow or would they fade away. I think that the differences would only grow. In the end, it would be Jesus who has failed in preserving the right philosophy of Christianity. And the blame comes upon modern day missionaries like some of my friends and one of my family member.
If you are unable to unite the people, at least refrain from dividing them. What these friends of mine actually consider HOLY work and a Christian's Mission; is rather a sin for which they could be punished.
I do not have a road-map or plan to unite all denominations of Christianity, but at least, I am not trying to make a new denomination just to prove my point of view.
I am sorry; I am born with a special skill of understanding the other side of every coin. While many of you consider somethings good and close your eyes to the other evil side of those, I usually start by looking at the dark side first.
Love, NVG
2 comments:
A thinking man is a danger to himself and to others, when he thinks he is god. The process of reducing something or someone to gain control has been the tool to master others and nature. The vast number of civilization that slaved one race and distroyed plants/animals by creating a reduced value of the opressed was sucessful becasue of corporations and religion.
Early settler in America took land from the American Indians by making them as savages. The wild beast that had good fur, was made dangerouos. The many wilderness that was cleared to farm and graze cattles.
The madness of man goes uncheck until someone standup for someone elses freedom. It took men like Gandhi, Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. to battle the establish practices of unequality. While the church and temples recognized all men are created in the likeness of God, we all ignored the cries of our brothers.
We can see the same sense of injustice in mass production of all kinds of meats. The animals that are pumped up with drugs, DNA manuplated and tortured all it's life.
The true religion as Jesus said, is 'love".
Thanks Anonymous for that comment. I agree with you; but I want to extend to what you have said.
The true religion is much more than just LOVE.
It is HUMANITY. Whether it is humane behaivour towards other fellow humans or towards the animals.
Humanity is a complete word (Actually I am impressed with the South Africal - ZULU word "UBUNTU" which envisages many attributes of Humanity).
The purpose of Jesus assuming the body of human is a sign that Jesus came to bring Humanity into Humans.
Love is just one aspect (but very powerful aspect). But Love alone is most of the time misintrepreted by others.
Once a shopkeeper teasingly asked me (when he came to know that I am a Chirstian) whether it is OK to LOVE any women in Christianity. For him love meant lust and he was sarcastic with me because of the liberal views about love, among Christians.
Humanity is the thread which binds us together and that is the ultimate religion. We do not need to worship any GOD for that. We just need to respect each living being amongst us and do good unto others as we want them to do unto us.
Love, NVG
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