Mahatma
Gandhi’s view on Christianity…
Gandhi’s view on Christianity…
Why I didn’t become a follower of
Christ?
If not
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Indian Independence struggle would have taken
longer with more bloodshed, division and war.
When
senior leaders of the Hindu political groups urged Gandhi to respond ‚violence
with violence‘ and ’sword with sword‘, he opposed insisting and exhorting the
path of non–violence and peace, which was Gandhi’s biggest sword to combat the
trained and fully equipped forces.
For sure
this great man is one of the most respected leaders of modern history, for not
only his life, but also his ideals and his message to the people.
Although
Hindu, Gandhi had a very close connection with Christianity and admired Jesus
very much, often quoting from his favourite ‚Sermon on the Mount‘ chapter in
Mathew 5–7.
When the
missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Gandhi he asked him,
„Mr.
Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so
adamantly reject becoming his follower?“
Gandhi
replied,
„Oh, I
don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are
so unlike Christ.“
don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are
so unlike Christ.“
“If
Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in
the Bible, all of India would be Christian today,” he added.
Gandhi’s closeness with Christianity began when he was a
young man practicing law in South Africa. Apart from being attached with the
Christian faith, he intently studied the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, and
was also seriously exploring becoming a Christian, which led him to his
discovery of a small church gathering in his locality.
These
strongly entrenched Biblical teachings have always acted a panacea to many of
India’s problems during its freedom struggle.
After
deciding to attend the church service in South Africa, he came across a racial
barrier, the church barred his way at the door.
„Where do
you think you’re going, kaffir?“ an English man asked Gandhi in a belligerent
tone.
Gandhi
replied,
„I’d like
to attend worship here.“
to attend worship here.“
The church
elder snarled at him, „There’s no room for kaffirs in this church. Get out of
here or I’ll have my assistants throw you down the steps.“
This
infamous incident forced Gandhi to never again consider being a Christian, but
rather adopt what he found in Christianity and its founder Jesus
Christ.
In a
speech to Women Missionaries in 28 July 1925, he said, “…although I am myself
not a Christian, as an humble student of the Bible, who approaches it with faith
and reverence, I wish respectfully to place before you the essence of the Sermon
on the Mount…There are thousands of men and women today who, though they may
not have heard about the Bible or Jesus have more faith and are more god fearing
than Christians who know the Bible and who talk of its Ten
Commandments…“
To a
Christian missionary Gandhi once said,
“To live the gospel is the
most effective way most effective in the beginning, in the middle and in the
end. …Not just preach but live the life according to the light…. If,
therefore, you go on serving people and ask them also to serve, they would
understand.
most effective way most effective in the beginning, in the middle and in the
end. …Not just preach but live the life according to the light…. If,
therefore, you go on serving people and ask them also to serve, they would
understand.
But you quote instead John
3:16 and ask them to believe it and that has no appeal to me, and I am sure
people will not understand it…the Gospel will be more powerful when practiced
and preached.”
“A rose
does not need to preach. It simply spreads its fragrance. The fragrance is its
own sermon…the fragrance of religious and spiritual life is much finer and
subtler than that of the rose.”
In many ways Gandhi was right, the intense proselytizationby Christian missionaries in India through force and allurement forced him to
make many scathing statements against Christian missionaries, which several
times inspired them to retrospect and change the way of approach in
‘Evangelism’.
„If Jesus
came to earth again. He would disown many things that are being done in the name
of Christianity,“
Gandhi
said during his meeting with an English missioner.
Here I am
remembered of Sadhu Sundar Singh who is said to have done more to „indigenize“
the churches of India than any figures in the twentieth century.
„You have
offered us Christianity in a Western cup… Give it to us in an Eastern bowl and
we will drink of it,“ is a famous statement by Singh, who converted from Sikhism
to Christianity after his personal experience with Jesus, who appeared in his
room on one morning in the year 1905, when he was just fifteen years
old.
Stanley
Jones once asked Gandhi:
“How can
we make Christianity naturalized in India, not a foreign thing, identified with
a foreign government and a foreign people, but a part of the national life of
India and contributing its power to India’s uplift?“
we make Christianity naturalized in India, not a foreign thing, identified with
a foreign government and a foreign people, but a part of the national life of
India and contributing its power to India’s uplift?“
Gandhi responded with great clarity, „First, I
would suggest that all Christians, missionaries begin to live more like Jesus
Christ.
Second, practice it without adulterating it or toning
it down.
Third,
emphasize love and make it your working force, for love is central in
Christianity.
Fourth,
study the non–Christian religions more sympathetically to find the good
that is within them, in order to have a more sympathetic approach to the
people.“
„Therefore it is very
important for christians to practise christianity among the non-believers so
that they can know the real love of lord jesus“
Übermittelt von ICAN – Indian Christian Activist Network, 21.06.2014
