The Complexities of Reaching Hindus

- by Keith Carey

How do you define a religion that has so many misconceptions? What we call Hinduism is actually a cluster of religious beliefs that came from the Aryan invasions of 1,500 BC and the Dravidian peoples who already lived in the (H)Indus Valley. Some would say that Hinduism was beginning to develop as many as 5,000 years ago! But the term "Hinduism" was coined about 200 years ago by British colonialists who were trying to put a label on the religious beliefs of the people they encountered in the Subcontinent.

There is no founder to Hinduism; that much we can all agree upon. Many scholars agree that Hinduism began with the first Vedic writings. These Vedic writings and the caste system are important elements of traditional Hinduism.

About 600BC, belief in reincarnation became more common among Hindus. One could attain a better re-birth or a worse re-birth depending on how well one had conducted one's self in this life. Gradually Hindus began to want to become free from the endless cycle of re-births. As time when on, many Hindus began to believe that animal sacrifices brought bad karma, or fate, and this practice became less popular. Today some Hindus still practice animal sacrifices while others find blood sacrifice to be revolting.

Around 300BC Hindus began to worship new gods who didn't require animal sacrifices. Though they had already been worshipping Brahma, their supreme god, they added Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Now there were three main gods, but many incarnations, or variations of these three spirit beings. Some Hindus worship only one god, while others worship many. There are millions of gods in this diverse and flexible religious system.

Hinduism is Forced to Change
Various Muslim empires began to carve up and dominate parts of India beginning in the 8th century. Many of them raised Hindu temples, destroyed idols and made converts to Islam. Needless to say, Hindus greatly resented their presence.

By the late 1700s, the powerful Mogul kingdom was becoming less powerful, and the British saw their chance to advance their empire. By the mid 1800s, England controlled almost all of what is now called India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Hindus resented the Christian mission efforts that followed, seeing them as a variation of the Muslims efforts to destroy their religion.

These Christians from England brought with them schools and hospitals that catered to the needs of the "untouchables" who had been rejected by the Hindu establishment for centuries. For the first time, those who had known nothing but oppression under Hinduism had a chance to find a better life. Even today, many of these peoples still flee Hinduism and embrace Christianity. The question is, are they embracing Jesus Christ, or a different religion than that of their oppressors?

An unexpected consequence was a reform movement within Hinduism. Even many high caste Hindus like Mahatma Gandhi, favored modernization within Hinduism. Rational thought, humanism, egalitarianism, and a universalized form of religion became the norm. Gandhi changed the name "untouchable" to "harijans" meaning "children of god." (They are now known as dalits). Many, including Gandhi, went so far as to reject the caste system and call it a curse.

The Rise of Militant Hinduism
Other caste Hindus were not so accommodating. In 1948, Hindu militants assassinated Gandhi, mainly because of his willingness to accommodate members of other religions in the newly-independent India. They believed that foreigners and foreign religions had dominated their land for centuries. It was now time to take back control. Non-Hindus should be converted or be expelled from India just like Hindus were ejected from Pakistan in 1947. Today the main political party of militant Hindus is the BJP, and their more forceful ally is the RSS. (Both names spell out in long Hindi words that we don't need to mention.)

These militants view Hinduism in similar terms as Islamic militants view Islam. To them, religion is integrally tied in with a political system. Militants do not see religion as a means to change the heart; rather it is a means to bring about political control. They would not understand Jesus' words to Pilate that "the Kingdom of God is within."

One of their accusations is that Christians are not patriotic. Untouchables that converted to Christianity during colonial days did not whole-heartedly join the independence movement, and the stigma remains after more than 50 years. If anything, they saw the British as their protectors, say the militants. And why do Christians dress differently and change their names after they convert? Why don't they play India's national anthem at church events?

Questions Left Unanswered
Today there is an ongoing conflict in India's northeastern tribal belt. Many of the Christian tribal peoples in this region feel marginalized. According to Herbert Hoefer in a 2001 edition of the International Journal of Frontier Missions, "American Baptists [missionaries] have publicly urged their [Northeastern Indian] church members to fight hard to preserve their faith and culture. But some local tribal leaders, deeply resentful and suspicious of their longtime mainland oppressors, have moved beyond that and called for outright secession."

Hoefer went on to say, "The mission work had sown seeds of social revolution. Those in economic power in the land had reasons to oppose the spread of this 'dangerous' thinking. With political elections, conversions were no longer just a religious matter. Conversions changed constituencies. A convert from Hinduism would be far less likely to accept his previous Hindu political leaders.… They had political reasons-though couched in religious terms-for inhibiting conversions as much as possible."

Then there is the issue of caste. In his 1984 article, "Breaking Caste Barriers in India," former missionary to India, Vern Middleton tells us, "For the high-caste Hindu of India the good news of Jesus Christ is regarded as the bad news about caste. From the beginning of the Protestant Era of missions, caste has been recognized as the prime barrier to the advance of the gospel and the extension of the Kingdom of God. The missionary educational methodologies developed in India were expressly designed to destroy caste." He went on to say, "Church leadership in India vigorously opposes anything to do with caste. These leaders are of the opinion that the church is above caste."

It's true that caste has it's roots in the Hindu religious system, and it's a repressive system. But the problem is that a high caste Hindu believes that he is one reincarnation away from nirvana, and Christians tell him that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. If he converts, he must give up his hopes as a religious Hindu, his political power and his status in his family. It is no surprise that high caste Hindus have always rejected Christianity!

But seen another way, caste is a social grouping, though it has been promoted by the Hindu scriptures. Is any Brahmin going to attend a church led by dalits? And will any dalit-led church leaders want Brahmins to join, posing the threat of taking control of the only thing that the dalit controls? Neither group wants to mix. For that reason, some believe that it would be best to have separate fellowships for different caste groups.

Some believers would say that Christian efforts unnecessarily turned people away from Hindu culture when they turned away from Hindu religion. They call for an "insider movement" that would make it possible for people who come from a Hindu background to retain Hindu culture, while turning their allegiance to Christ alone.

Believers in Christ may never agree on what is cultural and what is religious Hinduism. Even something as simple as the dot used on a Hindu woman's forehead is interpreted by some as a beauty mark, while others call it a religious symbol. To some, it is imperative that a new believer in Christ no longer has a Hindu name because he no longer gives his allegiance to a Hindu god. To others, a rose by any other name smells as sweet.

But we all agree that it is the work of the Holy Spirit that draws sinners to Christ. Let us pray that despite cultural and political hurdles, members of all Hindu sectors will hear of and turn their allegiance to Jesus Christ as lord.