The True Indian Christians are the need of the hour

Indian Christians must become a true model for a billion populations. RSS mouthpiece article on Christians further gives an insight into this. Especially a true Indian Christians are the need of the hour; because they have direct influence on a billion people, who accounts for more than 1/6th of the world population.

Writing in the 'Organizer' (July 29, 2007) the Mouthpiece of the Hindu nationalist – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mr. M.S.N Menon questioned a violent Christianity he allegedly said are presented by today's Western world and Indian Christians must wake up to present the true Christianity to the world. Some of his writings are insightful but missed the vital points on many counts what Christianity really represents. Such intellectuals have tried to understand how the world is shaped up by Christians' world view from time to time. And they seem to understand well in certain points but have totally misunderstood on the root of sins and the subsequent forgiveness offered by Christ.

India is one of the countries in the world whose Christianity is as old as the very religion itself as St. Thomas – the very disciple of Jesus came to India, whose body was even buried in India. But Christianity is still treated as an outside and foreign religion by majority Indians who are Hindus. And if someone speaks of being a Christian, he or she is attributed with having loose character, an alcoholic, dressing without any norms, anti–nationalism, etc. So, who is to be blamed for such misconception and misunderstanding of what a true Christian should be? If majority non–Christian Indians continue to have such perception on Christians can we blame them? Even in many Bollywood movies, most of the negative roles are played using Christian names like Judy, Julie, John, Peter, etc. This kind of negative portrayal of Christian names on movies do influence a lot on the audience, who are likely to think that people with such names are a bunch of hopeless people with no values.

So, who is to be blamed for this? The blame should be on Indian Christians. They had lived like that for many years, if not all, at least some. We have lakhs of so–called Christians who do not practice their faith except having the privilege of being able to attend a good convent schools, attending Masses and Sunday services. If one doesn't have faith the truth is that participating in those Christian activities will become just another social activity. It doesn't really show in their lives. When they are not in the Church, their outside life is the same or even worse than others because they are so free, they behaved like who had been set free but are misusing such grace of God they considered to have received.

There is no point allowing people to become Christians just to benefit something in their physical lives. Before anyone can become a Christian, one's basic faith must be set up first so that their lives will be free from the social evils of this world. Are we baptizing many people just to show others that we gained many new believers? Such practices have really given a bad image to Christianity in this country; simply because no changes whatsoever are seen in their lives as Christ would have intended.

So, in short what Christians have failed so far is presenting what a true Christians' identity should be! We must have a trembling hearts what if we too have to listen to, "I do not know you, you have not done what I told you to do, and you have never lived according to the Scripture I gave you," from the judgment throne on the last day. Christians' mission to this country would be hailed as a failure as we allowed many to head to hell due to our own ignorance and laziness in following what Christ preached and commanded us to do the same.

Today, we do not simply need a large number of Christians who are not living by the word, but we need true believers, true Christians who can live according to the word. Those believers will live by faith and such believers have power; they will surely increase immensely under threats and pressure as it has always been in the history. The growth of Christianity may be impressive but the growth of the quality could well be a headache for the Almighty God. It is difficult to understand when thousands of people who were converted to Christianity in mass function were reconverted to their previous religion on the very following day. Did these kinds of converts if not reconverted to their religion could be considered believers? It is such an arduous task to answer.

And what if there are no true Christians inside a true Church? What is the use? It is time to retrospect and set the basic things straight and right. The need of the hour is a true Christians. There are many Christians but non–Christians in the country have not seen the true Christians. It is time we overcome denominational differences and start living by his word. Attending the masses, the rosaries, the Sunday services, confessions, etc alone will not be enough. Christians must be Christians in whatever they do, wherever they go.

It will not be necessary for us to clarify our stands and what Christianity is to our non–Christian friends, when all Indian Christians live by what Christianity stands for, the dying souls will be saved without much efforts as others will definitely be impressed with such lives which they will also want to live with.

So, the need of the hour is the true Christians, especially the true Indian Christians whose lives directly impact a billion people.