Politics of Christianity and Hindu Nationalists

South Asia Analysis Group

Paper no. 292

10. 08. 2001

POLITICS OF Christianity and Hindu Nationalists

by R. Upadhyay

Advent of Christianity in India: Though, the history of Christianity in India dates back to first century AD, the aggressive assault of this alien faith on the indigenous people of this country started with the arrival of Vasco De Gama in western coast in the year 1498 and subsequently in 1502. When Goa became the colony of Portugal, its king sent St. Francis Xavier in 1541 who converted thousands of the local inhabitants with the support of the colonial power.

Since the politics of conversion became a part of colonial rule in India, it gave birth to a never ending Hindu-Christian confrontation in the last 500 years. In post-colonial India this issue has turned into a strong political force. If we look back to the history of Hindu-Christian encounters, it appears to be more a political issue than a spiritual one. Hindu nationalists have all along viewed proselytisation by Christian missionaries in India as a threat to the safety, security, integrity and freedom of their country. M.S.Golwalkar, second Sar Sanghchalak of RSS in a statement said, “Conversion of Hindus into other religions is dangerous to the security of nation and the country. It is therefore necessary to put a stop to it” (M.S. Golwalkar: Bunch of thoughts). Historical experience shows that over one thousand year old politics of conversion in the case of Islam and five hundred-year-old in case of Christianity created tremendous impact in Indian society and adversely affected its social and cultural heritage.

India had faced the challenge of foreign invaders even before the advent of Islam and Christianity but they were gradually assimilated in Hindu traditions and thereby did not pose any threat to the cultural heritage of Hindu society. But in case of Islam and Christianity, the Persio-Arabic and western cultures were imposed on the people of the region. This became a matter of serious concern for the Hindu nationalists, and the issue of Hindu-Muslim and Hindu-Christian confrontation became a permanent feature of Indian polity in course of time.

British Role in Chritianisation of Indian mindset: Taking advantage of the political supremacy of western powers particularly during the period of British rule, the Christian management played an active role in Christianisation of the mindset of Indian society through western pattern of education and governance. Lord Macaulay, a Law member in British India, who formulated the education policy for the Indian dominion of the British crown in a letter to his father in 1836 wrote that: -“It is my own belief that if our plans of education are followed up, there will not be a single idolater among the respectable classes in Bengal thirty years hence.” (Rise of Christian Power in India by Major B.D.Basu, Volume V, page 24)

Unfortunately, the western powers, while ignoring the history – developed a chauvinist attitude towards the Asians and judged them by the criteria of their own Biblical civilisation. The British ascendancy to power helped the Christian institutions in creating a revolutionary civilisational impact based on Biblical order on all levels of Hindu society. By converting the poor and illiterate aboriginal and other people belonging to lower castes, they created a loyal group of Indians for the British crown. De-Indianisation of the Indians was the sole objective of the Christian Missionaries, who were first a proselytiser and last a philanthropist.

Recognising the role of Christian missionaries, the British Prime Minister Lord Palmerstone had publicly said after two years of Sepoy Mutiny in 1857:   “It is not only our duty but in our own interest to promote the diffusion of Christianity as far as possible throughout the length and breadth of India.” ( Niyogi Committee Report page 40, published by Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1956.)   The report also quoted the Secretary of States Lord Halifax’s statement: “Every additional Christian is an additional bond of Union with the country and an additional source of strength to the Empire.” Thus the strategy of the Christian Missionaries was to spot the oppressed sections of society, allure them with economic aid and proselytize them with an objective to prop them up as a force in support of the colonial power.

An observation of Karl Marx shows that till the first quarter of twentieth century Chritianity and Communism were in opposite camps. Karl Marx had observed: “England had a double mission in India: one destructive, the other regenerating – the annihilation of old Asiatic society and laying of the materialistic foundation of western society in Asia.” ( Karl Marx Articles on India by R.P.Datta – Peoples Publishing House, Bombay, 1951 – page 12 ). But ironically, the post-World War concept of Liberation Theology propounded by World Council of Churches and International Christian Council for liberation of oppressed class all over the world attracted the communists towards them. Contrary to the conceptual and ideological difference between the Christian management and Communists, the latter supported the Liberation Theology without understanding the real intention of the western powers, which adopted this strategy to contain communism through this concept.

Macaulay’s legacy continued its impact on Indian public life even after Independence. It influenced the post-colonial Indian polity to adopt the legislative, administrative and judicial system, which were based on alien principles mostly derived from Christian tenets and practice. This could be possible because of the success of Christianisation of the mindset of the educated class of Indian society, which formed the major part of ruling class. The significant increase in the educational institutions run by Christian management, which were the nurseries for the ruling class is an indication that Indian people remained under compulsion to be governed by the people with an alien mindset. Emboldened with this situation the Christian Missionaries continued their activities even in post-colonial India. They misinterpreted the words “right to propagate” as envisaged in Article 25(I) of Indian constitution as right to conversion.

Opposition by Hindu Nationalists: Against the backdrop of the “dark spots” of Christian history, the Hindu nationalists particularly the RSS and other constituents of Sangh Parivar strongly opposed proselytisation of the depressed section of Hindu society in the garb of a philanthropist movement. The RSS, which emerged as a movement for the strong re-emergence of Hindu-civilisational ideals however, could not offer effective resistance against the Christian movement due to Christianised mindset of educated Hindus during British rule. Since the post-Independence political set-up adopted the Westminster system of governance the Christianised mindset of Indian people developed a Christian perspective, which usually “operates in the garb of ideologies such as progressivism, liberalism, humanism etc” (Centre for policy studies, March 1999). This made the task of the RSS more difficult. But they continued their resistance against the politics of conversion played by the Christian Missionaries.

At the instance of Hindu nationalists the people of the tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh strong opposed to the conversion of the illiterate and poor aboriginals. The state Government therefore, had to appoint “The Christian Missionaries Activities Enquiry Committee” in April 1954 under the chairmanship of Dr. M.B.Shankar Niyogi.

Niyogi Committee Report, which was submitted in 1956 gave a severe jolt to Christian Missionaries. The Report maintained that the bulk of foreign money received by Christian Missionaries ostensibly for maintaining educational and medical institutions was spent on proselytisation. Exposing their politics of conversion its findings revealed that: “Evangelisation in India appears to be a uniform world policy to revive Christiandom for re-establishing western supremacy and is not prompted by spiritual motives. The objective is apparently to create Christian minority pockets with a view to disrupt the solidarity of the non-Christian society and the mass conversion of a considerable section of Adivasis with this ulterior motive is fraught with danger to the security of state” ( Para 27, page 32 of the Report of the Christian Missionaries Activittees Enquiry Committee, Madhya Pradesh Government publication 1956 ). It, recommended a number of restrictions on the Christian management in India.

Though, the recommendations of Niyogi Committee Report were not implemented by Nehruvian Congress Government, it helped the forces of Hindutva to create a strong political force against the activities of Christian Missionaries in India. It compelled the state Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa to enact imposition of ban on conversion by fraudulent means. Even some Private Member’s Bills against conversion were introduced in Lok Sabha but could not be passed due to the resistance of Nehruvian Congress Government at centre.

Resistance from Sangh Parivar: The Sangh Parivar particularly Vanwasi Kalyan Ashram and the Vishva Hindu Parishad launched re-conversion programmes for the converted Christians. In their propaganda campaign, they accused the Christian Missionaries of providing the ambience that breeds separatism with a view to disintegrate the Hindu society. Considering conversion as violence against non-violent innocent people, the Hindu nationalists launched propaganda campaign against Christian Missionaries. They were of the view that in stead of guiding the community for their overall development, the Christian Missionaries looked at their various problems from the exclusive angle of their religious faith, that do not allow the innocent members of the community to have a secular and democratic outlook. Without understanding the complexity of Indian culture of unity in diversity they prefer to create an atmosphere of suspicion by widening the conceptual gulf between the individualism of west and social cohesion in India which has adversely affected the mutual trust between the two religious communities.

The propaganda war launched by the Sangh Parivar against the Christian missionaries had a demoralising affect on Christian Movement in the country. Even with the advantage of the political supremacy of western super powers, the Christian Missionaries failed to increase the number of their followers more than three percent of Indian population. During the visit of Pope to India in 1964, his deputy Cardinal Gracia had bemoaned, “It is a matter of grave concern for us that hardly three percent of local population in India could so far be drawn to receive the grace of Christ over the last several centuries”.( Christianity: An Imperialist Ideology). This however, was taken as a challenge by the followers of Pope as observed by a senior RSS functionary: “ Just before Pope’s visit to our country in 1964, Bishop William Gomes said in IEC bulletin of 27^th June 1964 that the spread of Christ kingdom was necessary for the salvation of Hindu society”(Christian Mission in Bharat by H.V.Sheshadri, , page 5).

The constitutional validity of the Acts against conversion enacted by the state Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa were challenged by several members of Christian community, which were taken up together by the Supreme Court of India. Rejecting the contentions of the Christian community, the Supreme Court in its decision in January 1977 observed that: “The right to ‘propagate’, in Article 25(I), gives to each member of every religion the right to spread or disseminate the tenets to his religion (say by advocacy or preaching), but it would not include the right to convert another, because each man has the same freedom of ‘conscience' guaranteed by that very provision [Art.25(I)], the Christians relied”.

Pope and Proselytisation: “ In June of 1995 the Chicago Tribune reported that Pope John Paul II had urged the Roman Catholic Church to seize the “particular propitious” occasion of the new millenium to recognize the dark side of its history”(The Dark Side Of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe in Preface).

In the background of the design of Christian missionaries the RSS and its constituents launched aggressive agitation against Pope’s visit to India in 1986 and 1999. In october,1999 the Vishva Hindu Parishad under the aegis of Sanskriti Raksha Manch launched a march from Goa, which concluded at Delhi before the arrival of Pope in November. This was a part of people’s awakening programme against the design of the Christian management for “Christianisation” of India. The Pope however, ignoring the sentiments of Hindu nationalists and made his intention clear through statement during Papal High Mass in India on November 8,1999. The statement said, “The first millennium saw the Cross planted in the soil of Europe and the second in America and Africa. May the third millennium witness a great harvest of faith on this vast and vital continent”.

The statement of Pope was viewed by Hindu nationalists as a plan of Christian management to convert the Hindus and Budahists of Asian countries in third millennium. Despite alertness on the part of the Hindu nationalists, the Christian Movement with the support of the followers of Macauley legacy in India is growing day by day. “The indirect impact of Christianity on Indian society cannot be measured easily. Nearly15 percent of the school children in India today study in Christian schools and 10 percent of the university students study in Christian colleges. In a similar way, 14 percent of the health services in the country is under Christian management Against 29 high schools and 15 colleges run by Catholic management in 1900 AD, the number grew to 2485 and 278 respectively by 1990”(Centre for policy studies, March 1999)

The Christian management is never prepared to practise the conceptual equality of all the religions ( Sarva Dharma Sambhav ) as its scriptures do not sanction such philosophy. It will therefore continue its cultural intrusion with huge amounts of foreign funds under its disposal and support of the larger section of educated Hindus with christianised mindset. The Hindu nationalists on the other hand, are not prepared to compromise with the forces detrimental to their national interest. The BJP, as a leader of coalition Government and due to compulsion of coalition politics is therefore in a dilemma. In view of its commitment to the concept of one nation, one people and one culture, it will never support proselytisation. The party in its 1998 election manifesto maintained: “Our national vision is not merely bound by the geographical or political identity of Bharat but it is referred by our timeless cultural heritage”

Keeping in view the confrontational stand of the Hindu Nationalists and Christian management discussed above, the possibility of a resolution of the on going Hindu- Christian confrontation for the last 500 years is very remote.

(The analysis is based on historical developments and the personal perception of the writer. E-mail : ramashray60@ yahoo.com)

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