its future depends on the choice it makes today
The atmosphere is heavy, the mood solemn, the occasion pious.
You can hear the humming strains of the 'Om' chant. A priest, wearing a rudraksha with a chandan tilak on his forehead is in a state of meditation. A coconut is placed before an idol. A diya illuminates the sacred gathering. The place of worship is a church, the idol is that of Virgin Mary and the priest a reverend. The point is not to be surprised but to take note of Indianisation of the Church.
The Church is trying to reinvent itself and it is trying to come close to local customs and culture. 'Om' is no longer a patent of Hindu spiritualism. Christian priests have embraced it with an open heart. You will find various churches in different parts of country who don't ask the bride and the groom to kiss each other at their wedding. Instead, the bride wears a mangalsutra around her neck and the church itself looks more like a Hindu temple.
John Dayal, secretary general, All India Christian Council, explains the phenomenon to TSI: “When Christian missionaries came to India (precisely during St. Thomas' arrival in the country in the 4th century A.D.), the Christianity they propagated was more in tune with the Christian faith in Turkey and Ethiopia. Their Christ and Mary were conceptually different from those of Europe. The European brand of Christianity arrived in India with the Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama. Another important issue is thatr of 'inculturation'. The Indian people fall into several castes and sub-castes. Regional variations are also present. In order to spread the faith, it was necessary to accept this reality of India. This perhaps explains why Christmas is celebrated in Jorhat is an entirely different manner than in Goa or Tamil Nadu,” he comments.
Catholic Christian ashrams and priests who adopted Hindu customs and rituals have become so popular in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh that about a decade back, local Hindu organisations publicly felicitated the Christian priests. In the last two decades, many such Catholic Churches have been established. Patrick D'Souza, a bishop in one such church in Varanasi, says: “We want to show that we are not different. And rather, we are very much a part of the vibrant local traditions of Varanasi.”
However, early attempts at bringing in Hindu and Indian customs and traditions into the Church were random in nature. However, this process got organised after the Second Vatican Council meeting in 1965. What was a haphazard experiment has now become a deliberate strategy. John Dayal says, “This Vatican Council liberated the Church from the tyranny of Italian culture.” In South India, there are many churches which are built according to the Gopuram architectural style. Priests there wear angvastram and not robes.
Problems started surfacing when a certain section of the Catholic clergy went so far as to resorting to Hindu literature, astrology and palmistry. Jesus was portrayed as a Brahmin with the sacred thread which raised conservative Christian eyebrows. Dalit Christians tried to portray many Hindu characters from the Shastras and the Puranas as Biblical characters. This infuriated purists in the religion.
This growing influence of Hinduism has a section of Christians worried. In Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya where the Baptist Church is dominant, people are not in favour of this growing Hinduisation of Christianity. Protestants are particularly vocal against this trend. “To a certain extent, Indianisation is acceptable as long as it is not at odds with the fundamentals of Christianity. But if Jesus wears the Brahmin's sacred thread, I will oppose it,” says John Dayal.
Dalit Christian leader R.L. Francis terms this process as a gimmick to fool people. He tells TSI, “The Church should be desi from the soul and it should not be confined to mere symbolism. Instead, it should go for structural changes in its administration. The Church should not be dependent on the Vatican for election of bishops. They should be elected by the community people.”
A former member of the National Minority Commission, James Massi, is against Brahminisation of the Church in the name of Indianisation. Dalit Christians fear that if the Church tilts towards Brahminism, they will have to look for other options. It is not that the Church is unaware of these critical issues. Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishop Conference of India, tells TSI, “I agree with these observations. However, if the Church has to grow in North India, these things cannot be avoided.”
The process of inculturation is not completely new. The credit should go to Robert De Nobili three centuries ago. Upon his arrival in India, he soon realised that it would be very difficult to convert Indians into Christians as the Hindu society was divided and subdivided into various castes. He started living like a Brahmin and studied the Vedas to interpret Christianity in an Indian way. He convinced 1 lakh Hindus to convert. He even portrayed the Bible as the Fifth Veda. However, after his death and the subsequent advent of the Portuguese, these experiments were abandoned by the Catholic Church. “This is when the Roman and Gothic-style churches came into existence. These styles were totally alien to local people. This hampered the spread of Christianity in the country. So suddenly, the De Nobili way has become fashionable, more than 300 years after they were introduced.
The Catholic clergy, now, at least accept that inculturation has a profound meaning while evangelisation has a wider meaning. “Now, they have realised that insistence on the European-style of Christianity will only create aversion in the minds of common people. People also did not like the blatant criticism of Hinduism by the missionaries,” explains John Dayal.
However, those who converted into Christianity in the hope of salvation and to escape the oppressive Hindu caste system have become suspicious of the designs of the Church. R. L Francis terms this as a situation of utter confusion. The general Hindu reaction to inculturation has been quite restrained in accordance with the Hindu philosophy of 'Sarvadharmasambhava'. However, right-wing leaders such as Acharya Giriraj Kishore have expressed concern that this will create more confusion in the minds of the illiterate and poor people.
The Catholic Church in the country is at a strange crossroads where it has to choose between the Vatican and India. Its future depends much on the choice it makes today.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
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IIPM Lucknow – News article in Economic Times and Times of India
The atmosphere is heavy, the mood solemn, the occasion pious.
You can hear the humming strains of the 'Om' chant. A priest, wearing a rudraksha with a chandan tilak on his forehead is in a state of meditation. A coconut is placed before an idol. A diya illuminates the sacred gathering. The place of worship is a church, the idol is that of Virgin Mary and the priest a reverend. The point is not to be surprised but to take note of Indianisation of the Church.The Church is trying to reinvent itself and it is trying to come close to local customs and culture. 'Om' is no longer a patent of Hindu spiritualism. Christian priests have embraced it with an open heart. You will find various churches in different parts of country who don't ask the bride and the groom to kiss each other at their wedding. Instead, the bride wears a mangalsutra around her neck and the church itself looks more like a Hindu temple.
John Dayal, secretary general, All India Christian Council, explains the phenomenon to TSI: “When Christian missionaries came to India (precisely during St. Thomas' arrival in the country in the 4th century A.D.), the Christianity they propagated was more in tune with the Christian faith in Turkey and Ethiopia. Their Christ and Mary were conceptually different from those of Europe. The European brand of Christianity arrived in India with the Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama. Another important issue is thatr of 'inculturation'. The Indian people fall into several castes and sub-castes. Regional variations are also present. In order to spread the faith, it was necessary to accept this reality of India. This perhaps explains why Christmas is celebrated in Jorhat is an entirely different manner than in Goa or Tamil Nadu,” he comments.
Catholic Christian ashrams and priests who adopted Hindu customs and rituals have become so popular in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh that about a decade back, local Hindu organisations publicly felicitated the Christian priests. In the last two decades, many such Catholic Churches have been established. Patrick D'Souza, a bishop in one such church in Varanasi, says: “We want to show that we are not different. And rather, we are very much a part of the vibrant local traditions of Varanasi.”
However, early attempts at bringing in Hindu and Indian customs and traditions into the Church were random in nature. However, this process got organised after the Second Vatican Council meeting in 1965. What was a haphazard experiment has now become a deliberate strategy. John Dayal says, “This Vatican Council liberated the Church from the tyranny of Italian culture.” In South India, there are many churches which are built according to the Gopuram architectural style. Priests there wear angvastram and not robes.
Problems started surfacing when a certain section of the Catholic clergy went so far as to resorting to Hindu literature, astrology and palmistry. Jesus was portrayed as a Brahmin with the sacred thread which raised conservative Christian eyebrows. Dalit Christians tried to portray many Hindu characters from the Shastras and the Puranas as Biblical characters. This infuriated purists in the religion.
This growing influence of Hinduism has a section of Christians worried. In Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya where the Baptist Church is dominant, people are not in favour of this growing Hinduisation of Christianity. Protestants are particularly vocal against this trend. “To a certain extent, Indianisation is acceptable as long as it is not at odds with the fundamentals of Christianity. But if Jesus wears the Brahmin's sacred thread, I will oppose it,” says John Dayal.
Dalit Christian leader R.L. Francis terms this process as a gimmick to fool people. He tells TSI, “The Church should be desi from the soul and it should not be confined to mere symbolism. Instead, it should go for structural changes in its administration. The Church should not be dependent on the Vatican for election of bishops. They should be elected by the community people.”
A former member of the National Minority Commission, James Massi, is against Brahminisation of the Church in the name of Indianisation. Dalit Christians fear that if the Church tilts towards Brahminism, they will have to look for other options. It is not that the Church is unaware of these critical issues. Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishop Conference of India, tells TSI, “I agree with these observations. However, if the Church has to grow in North India, these things cannot be avoided.”
The process of inculturation is not completely new. The credit should go to Robert De Nobili three centuries ago. Upon his arrival in India, he soon realised that it would be very difficult to convert Indians into Christians as the Hindu society was divided and subdivided into various castes. He started living like a Brahmin and studied the Vedas to interpret Christianity in an Indian way. He convinced 1 lakh Hindus to convert. He even portrayed the Bible as the Fifth Veda. However, after his death and the subsequent advent of the Portuguese, these experiments were abandoned by the Catholic Church. “This is when the Roman and Gothic-style churches came into existence. These styles were totally alien to local people. This hampered the spread of Christianity in the country. So suddenly, the De Nobili way has become fashionable, more than 300 years after they were introduced.
The Catholic clergy, now, at least accept that inculturation has a profound meaning while evangelisation has a wider meaning. “Now, they have realised that insistence on the European-style of Christianity will only create aversion in the minds of common people. People also did not like the blatant criticism of Hinduism by the missionaries,” explains John Dayal.
However, those who converted into Christianity in the hope of salvation and to escape the oppressive Hindu caste system have become suspicious of the designs of the Church. R. L Francis terms this as a situation of utter confusion. The general Hindu reaction to inculturation has been quite restrained in accordance with the Hindu philosophy of 'Sarvadharmasambhava'. However, right-wing leaders such as Acharya Giriraj Kishore have expressed concern that this will create more confusion in the minds of the illiterate and poor people.
The Catholic Church in the country is at a strange crossroads where it has to choose between the Vatican and India. Its future depends much on the choice it makes today.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
IIPM BBA MBA B-School: Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize To Irom Chanu Sharmila
GIDF Club of IIPM Lucknow Organizes Blood Donation Camp
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
IIPM Lucknow – News article in Economic Times and Times of India
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