PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF CHRISTIAN EXISTENCE IN INDIA
India is a cradle of multy religious, cultural, and linguistic aspects and thus sometimes this ‘multi’ causes problems and conflicts in the country than enriching our country with plurality. Though the conflicts are unavoidable; they should not persuade or promote the elements of dehumanizing and destruction of human life. Human life is precious and divine, so we need to respect human dignity and life. Today we are facing so many conflicts that are threat to the human dignity and life among which the religious fundamentalism and politicization of religion.
We are living among the plurality of religions. Each religion claims to be true in possessing the truth of salvation. Thus the religious fundamentalism leads to conflicts in the society. We all witnessed the recent happenings in Orissa, Karnataka, Chennai, kerala and other places where Christians were persecuted, the churches were burned and houses were destroyed. It is not right from our part to blame the other religions totally because they claim that the Christians also committed the same mistakes in the past by imposing religious conversion.
Today we are called to forgive each other and forget the past event for the good of our country. We need to interact and understand each religion and seek the goodness in each religion and promote the love of god and love of neighbor. In order to establish the kingdom of god on this earth, we need to accept other religions as they are and move with them as copartners.
In order to do our mission successfully in these conflicting situations we need to be salt, and light. It also is possible through inter-religious dialogue which leads to mutual understanding of each other’s motives and goodness. To have fruitful dialogue we need to be opened to new realities, like accepting the other, learning something good, analyzing and correlating to our faith experience. This will bring solidarity and peace in our country.
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