The American Southern Baptist Convention’s prayer on the eve of Diwali, for Hindus to ‘become aware of the darkness in their hearts’, drew protest from a wide cross–section of NRIs, including the Indian Catholic clergy

On the eve of the Pope’s visit to India, the clamouring of Hindu communalist and fanatic groups within the country was matched by a statement issued by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) on the eve of Diwali, praying for the deliverance of Hindus from all sin. Protests against this statement were made by both Indian secular groups, members of the Indian Catholic clergy and groups of non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the USA. Here is the text of one such statement issued by the Forum of Indian Leftists (FOIL), USA:

"On Tuesday, October 19, 1999, the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) released a statement instructing their followers to "pray that the world’s Hindus might be convicted of sin and see Jesus is the Light of the World" (www.sbc.net/bpDownload.asp).

This statement has been timed to coincide with one of the most popular festivals celebrated by Hindus, Deepawali or Diwali (Festival of Lights). Supporting this statement is a nine–page prayer booklet, ‘Diwali: festival of Lights. Prayer for Hindus’, that aids those who wish to pray for Hindus during Diwali celebrations (www.imb.org/frontpage.htm). Along similar lines, the SBC booklet, ‘Days of Awe: Prayers for Jews’, also calls on Christians to pray for Jews from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur, while a third pamphlet, ‘Ramadhan Prayer Guide: Prayers for Muslims’, which calls for Christians to pray for Muslims will be re–released during the coming month of Ramadhan (Ramzaan). Yet another pamphlet, directed towards Buddhists is also planned by the SBC.

We, the signatories to this letter, are a collective of various individuals and groups committed to the promotion of secular, democratic and egalitarian principles in the social, economic and political life of South Asians. We believe that the SBC pamphlets promote ignorance, divisiveness and intolerance and concur with Keith Parks, the former president of the SBC’s International Mission Board, when he criticises the campaign for "launching a new crusade that is confrontative and abrasive," and underscores the importance of not caricaturing other religions, insisting that it is "essential that a Christian’s descriptions of other faiths be acceptable to members of those faiths".

It is worth recalling the fact that the SBC argued in the 1950s that racial integration was a sinful idea since "the Good Lord set up customs and practices of segregation" (in the words of John Buchanan of Birmingham). Even as recently as last year, the SBC at their convention amended their statement of beliefs to include a declaration that a woman should "submit herself graciously" to her husband’s leadership and her husband should "provide for, protect and lead his family."

We call upon the SBC leadership to re–evaluate its position on other religions, as well as its position on women’s subordination, in the same spirit that led the SBC to adopt a 1995 resolution repudiating its past advocacy of slavery and lack of support for civil rights. Many of us come from diverse backgrounds and were raised as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Jains, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, etcetera, and have a secular commitment to equal treatment of, and respect for members of all religious communities. We wish to affirm religious diversity and tolerance as important strengths of South Asian society and cultures. The current government of India, whose complicity in the attacks against Muslims, Christians and Dalits has been well–documented, is steadily undermining these values. Despite this climate of intolerance, there have been many dialogues between followers of different faiths. We support the efforts of the citizens of India who continue to affirm tolerance for different religious and cultural practices.

Just as we cannot condone the call by Hindu fundamentalist organisations to "reconvert" Christians and Muslims to Hinduism in India, we cannot condone the Baptist call to "pray" for Hindus, Muslims, Jews or Buddhists to convert to Christianity in the U.S. While prayer for another person or groups of people may be commendable, attempts to clothe bigotry and ignorance with a veneer of theological and cultural analysis is not.

The SBC ‘Prayer for Hindus’ booklet does not show any comprehension of the complex nature of the different theological and philosophical schools that have come to be known as Hinduism. More troubling is the authors’ use of Hindu fundamentalist interpretations of history to suit their own needs. Thus they uncritically accept and reproduce the mythology of a ‘Hindu’ resistance led by the Maratha ruler Shivaji against ‘Islamic’ Mughal rulers of India in the seventeenth century even while calling for active conversions of the Hindu Marathas.

The booklet sometimes veers toward the absurd; for instance, while describing Bangalore "the Silicon Valley of Asia", it calls upon Southern Baptists to pray that all educated Indian computer scientists become "open to the Truth." Moreover, there is not even a pretence of an understanding of, or respect for the cultural context of Indian Christianity.

Nor does the booklet display any knowledge of the historical diversity of Christianity in India, which includes Roman Catholics, Syrian Christians, Anglicans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, Presbyterians, and other Protestant denominations. Indians of all faiths and creeds have historically been tolerant and accepting of Christianity in India. It is not Hinduism that has led to attacks on Indian Christians but the communal practices of the Hindu fundamentalist organisations and political parties, which have been well documented by human rights organisations.

Ironically, the SBC pamphlets resonate with the increasingly intolerant practices and policies of the Hindu rightwing government and its cohorts in India. In this context, the response of many Indian Christians who have distanced themselves from the SBC literature is to be applauded. At the end of the millennium, we challenge leaders of religious institutions and progressive people of all faiths to propagate words and deeds that will end and not perpetuate hatred and ignorance". n

 ‘Offensive prayer book does not represent all Christians’

The prayer book recently released by the Southern Baptists in the United states asking its followers to "pray that the Hindus…become aware of the darkness in their hearts…", is not only insensitive, but downright hurtful.

One of the great texts of the Upanishads reads thus:

"From the unreal, lead me to the REAL

From darkness, lead me to LIGHT

From death, lead me to IMMORTALITY".

This in essence, captures the relentless search of a Hindu for the Truth and the Light. The great Hindu festivals of Holi, Dussehra and Diwali are symbolic of the triumph of good over evil and of darkness over light.

Mainline Christianity has come a long way and the general understanding is that Jesus would, in no uncertain terms, condemn the "self-righteous" – just as he condemned the "holy men" the scribes and the Pharisees, of his times. Today, there is a greater appreciation of the value system inherent in different religions and cultures.

In a message to Hindus entitled, ‘Christian and Hindu Pilgrims in Dialogue for the Good of All’, on the occasion of Diwali this year, Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter–religious Dialogue, asserts: "The Hindu tradition strives to answer the restless searching of the human heart by proposing ways which include teachings, rules of life, and sacred ceremonies."

What is imperative — and this is what Jesus would expect from his followers — is that each one breaks down the walls of prejudice and hate — and work together to establish a Kingdom on the Gospel values of justice, hope, love, peace and universal brotherhood.

Fundamentalist and fringe groups exist in every society — and perhaps in every religion — some even bordering on fascism. Whilst it is evidently clear that most Christians in India will not generalise and say that Hindu fundamentalists represent most Hindus, it should be equally clear that the offensive prayer–book is not the opinion of most Christians.

What most Christians would pray for, today, is a greater openness to the Transcendent: to be able to dialogue respectfully in that relentless search for Life, Truth and Immortality! Anything different would indeed be a betrayal of Christ and of all that he stood for.

In his concluding statement in the above mentioned message, Cardinal Arinze states: "May Diwali this year, be an anticipation of what God wants the history of humanity to be: a fraternal journey in which we accompany one another towards the transcendent goal which God himself puts before us…"

A true follower of Jesus let’s his light shine…In deed!n