The caste system is the unique feature of Hinduism. It was invented to keep the monopoly of some. It’s main intention was to keep some people lower so that they will serve freely and will never ask their rights (appropriate wages) and dignity. The caste system broke the people into many divisions. Caste system was imposed on people in the name of divinity, so that no one would dare to question its authority. But God has seen the misries of His people as He did in the time of Egyptian slavery. The Light of Truth has reached to the villages and cities of our country. The Truth shall uproot the evil of our society and will free those who will apply it in their daily life.

“Casteism is enslaving because it rests on a lie that God created us unequal from the birth. We are different from each other because we are unique, just as each child in a family is unique and different.Being different in our aptitudes, abilities, interests, and motivations does not make us unequal. Just as wise and sensitive parents invest more of their love , affection, time and resources in a child who is weak, we too must invest in caring for those who need greater support.”*

We need to be a voice of the voiceless. We need to represent the oppressed in the media and other places wherever it is necessary. The Lord Jesus was very much interested in the people who were seprated by the false traditions, presuppositions, false philosophies and false values of his time.

Jesus sat beside the lepers, He touched them, talked to them and listened to them. Jesus also talked to the people called Samaritans. Jesus also broke the walls between clean and uncleans. He made it clear that there is no one lord and no one servant but we all need to be servant of each other to serve.

He said He has come to heal the (physical, spiritual, social and religious)sick. Jesus paid attention to the people in need. And He gave this same commision to the Apostles to carry it to the nations.

We, as Christ followrs need to do the same in our time. We can not be lover of God if can not be lover of his people. The people for whom He died and rose again.

Dear friends its time to pray, to identify, to serve oppressed with our gifts and resources. May God bless each of us to serve the needy, the oppressed (Dalits).

Jesus shall say to you…whatever you did to them…….you did it to me.

*Dr. V. Mangalwadi

Raj

Opposition is not new to Christian faith. The prophets of God were criticized by the people and the wicked kings for speaking against the sins of the people. The Prophets sided with truth of God. They criticized the people for not behaving according to God’s law. They preached against sexual sins, stealing, oppression of poor and injustices. Many repented after hearing the message but others refused and instead of turning to God and to the path of rightousness they turned against God and persecuted the men of God for speaking against them.

When Jesus came preaching truth and healing people, he too face the similar people in His time. They did not like Him for teaching the Truth and for identifying with the sinners, lepers, the samaritans, outcastes, the prostitutes etc. But He did not stopped His mission but continued it even in temptations and trails. And just before His death, He gave that mission to the Apostles and disciples to carry it to the suffring people in the world and to liberate them from all kinds of bondages.

Jesus’ believers carried that same message of God to the nations. One of His Apostle came to India too. And many followed him in the course of time inspite of sickness, death, persecution, the work of God continues, because, the men of God love the oppressed and people in sinful condition.

While people might be hating us for many reasons, Christian service is hated in India because it is a greater threat to the Hindu social order than the phony ones.

Consider this scenario:

 Kallu grazes his landlord’s cattle. He is an illitrate, landless, poor, “untouchable” peasent who dresses in rags and goes barefoot. He gets a little cut on his dirty feet. which turns septic. He goes to the village doctor who sells him an ointment. The oitment is good, but ineffective without proper washing, badaging and shoes. kallu has little sense of hygene and the upper caste doctor isn’t going to wash a Shudra’s feet. The infection ulcerates and spreads. Kallu is not able to keep his job, his family is not able pay for his treatement, so he is thrown out on the streets of Kolkatta to beg and die. His family loves him, but is unable to cope with a white elephant whose “karma” is taking him to an early death. His caste may be sad for him, but the rest dont care.

A mother Teresa (or a Graham Staines) comes along and interrupts Kallu’s “karmic suffering. The misionary is scandalized that a family and a culture can discard a human being with such indignity. She washes the “untouchable”s feet with her own hands. She not merely treat him but also appeal to generous Western donors to hel feed him. The misisonary belives that she is simply obeying Jesus’ command to love her neighbor as herself. she dies not have the faintest idea that in fact she is stirring up a revolution. She has thrown down a gauntlet at a three thousand year old worldview and religious system. kallu is shocked to discover that he is not an ‘untouchable’, that he is in fact precoius. Why? The misionary says that she loves him because God does and because he commanded us to love our neighbor. “How do you know God loves me?” “I know because He sent his Son to take your sin upon himself. Jesus shed his blood as the sacrificial lamb of God to save you from eternal death in hell.” Kallu can not belive anyone loves him, let alone that someone would love him enough to die for him. But the missionary is irrfutable evidence that someone does love him and holds him precious.
 
Kallu is attracted to the missioanry’s belief system. His family is overjoyed by the new life that has been given to him freely. They want to convert to new faith; in fact, their whole caste has become interested in exploring a worlview that affirms their dignity. 

 The upper caste in their village are infuriated that their slaves want to escape their slavery. Weren’t these folk born to serve us because of their bad “karma”? Do they now want to become our equals? Will these misionaries educate these sub-humans and make them officers- our doctors, inspecters and judges?

Who will then graze our cattle? If upper caste landlords don’t prevent Kallu’s conversion, their economy, life-style and culture would indeed be ruined. Options open to the upper castes? a) To out do the misionary’s service. b) To condemn her, and forcefully prevent her from serving the likes of Kallu.But if they can’t get the govt. to throw the missionary out of the country then, they claim their only option is c) to murder her. The misisonaries try to show the love of God in practical ways to the needy and despised.1
 
Dr. Udit Raj says, “The upper caste Hindu oppose anything which impowers marginalized people. Newborn abandoned Dalit children can be eaten by dogs and animals, but if a Christian missionary gives the same child shelter in an orphanage, the RSS,-an outfit of Hindu fundamentalists- will attack the missionary saying he is forcibly converting the child.”2

Dr. S. Jayakumar quoted one source,  “The reson behind the persecution was, as mentioned earlier, that the gospel of Christ came on the one hand as a message of liberation to the poor and the oppressed, on the other hand as a threat to the Brahmins and caste Hindus.3

The missionaries obey their Lord to love their neighbor, the image of God. And they want to make the society and our courrpted culture better but some don’t like it for above mentioned reasons. Should misionaries stop this work No not at all. Jesus loves us and commanded us to serve God and his people till the end of the age as He will be with us there. So the work of God, transforming the lives, cultures and society and nations still continues…

The readers may join us in prayers for the Work.

The resources:

1. Mangalwadi Vishal, The Quest for Freedom and Dignity, Bibles for the World, CO, USA.
2. D’souza Joseph, Dalit freedom now and forever, DFN, CO, USA, pp154-155
3. Jayakumar Samuel, Dalit consciousness and Christian conversion, Mission Education Books, chennai, India, p.139

Almost every day there is news related to Dalit atrocities. On September 1 also, it was reported by  Indian Express Daily that in Danapur (Bihar), “ Steaming ‘dal’ was poured on a Dalit woman and her six-month-old daughter, while several others were beaten up for allowing their children to play in the premises of a temple here, police said on Saturday.”*1

These children of Dalit caste never knew that they will be punished for playing in the local temple premises. When a man belonging to Yadav caste saw this he “objected and roughed up the children”. Later on, the parents of these children came and spoke in favor of their children, which the Yadavas did not like. They made a decision to teach a lesson to the dalit women and children. So these ‘high caste’ man and his family members, later on on the same day evening, beaten the 3 women and their children, and not only that “ Steaming ‘dal’ (boiling soup of pulses) was poured on a Dalit woman and her six-month-old daughter.”

What a sad thing to read. Children who knew nothing about what was their fault, were punished. These children may not know that  they were “lower’ humans and not allowed to enter in the temple of their gods. Shame on our society, and on our system, where the educated people involve in such inhuman activities. The man, who involved in the crime was an educated one, retired from the Indian railways.

Yes, For these reasons, Dr. Ambedkar protested against the Caste system. And he literally burned the book called Manusmariti, publicly on 25th December- 1927, which divided the people into different sections, making them lower and higher. And on that same day Dr. Ambedkar asked his followers to take the following wows:

1. I do not believe on Chaturvarna based on birth.

2. I do not believe in caste distinctions.

3. I believe that untouchability is an anathema on Hinduism and I will honestly try my best to completely destroy it.

4. Considering that there is no inequality, I will not follow any restrictions about food and drink among at least all Hindus.

5. I believe that untouchables must have equal rights in temples, water sources, schools and other amenities.*2

Well, Dr. Ambedkar did his best to fight against the evil of societies in regards to caste system. And little has improved but mostly, it is same even today, as it was during the time of Dr. Ambedkar. He has been called ‘Messiah’ by the Dalits because of his love and contribution for his people.

Nothing is wrong in calling Dr. Ambedkar as Messiah, but let me point out that, ‘Messiah is the biblical term and has been used only for Jesus Christ, who loved his people, cared for them, fought for them against injustices and ill practices of then religious and social system.

Jesus Christ, the Messiah stood with the lepers, the outcaste, the unclean, the Samaritans (the untouchables), the tax-collectors and with the weaker section of the people. He became the voice for the voiceless. His love and work was  perfect and great for his people. The weaker section of the people, the womens, the sinners, the uncleans loved HIM and liked Him but the religious, social and political authrities hated him very much. But Jesus did not disassociate Himself from the service of the humanity. He said to the people, “I have come to serve and not to be served.” His teachings inspired his disciples to carry the misisons in the first century until now. He stands with with the people even now invisibly and speakes for them.

The Church today is Messiah’s agent to do the same for the weaker sections. Many people hate the Church and its teachings, not because they are wrong  or corrupt but because they attack the evil practices of the societies and brings dignity, equality, peace, freedom, liberation to the adhrents. The oppressers and the evil minded people can not bear that. They want a system which will protect their system of enequality and social injusctice.

The same loving  Messiah shouts for  Dalits (children) today, “Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for the kindom of God belongs to such as these.”  Jesus’ discples had thought, the children would disturb the function and meeting with Jesus but Jesus asked his disciples, not to stop the children from His presence. When children were brought to Him, He loved and  blessed them. What a love of the SAVIOUR! Many thanks to the Messiah of the oppressed and the lover of children.

Jesus teaches us a lesson to love the children, work for them and to do our best for them. The children ministry of the Church plays an important role in the eyes of their CREATOR.

All the children, women, and people are welcomed in the house of God (the Church). And there is no discrimination. If there is, then, those people do not know who Christ, the Messiah is and They are liars according to the Bible, though they claim to know God but they have no relation with HIM.

Will our poeple understand this?

*1.http://www.indianexpress.com/story/213973.html

*2. www.ambedkar.org