Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Citizens of a new eternal country
Accepting Jesus as our Savior and then expecting a one way ticket to heaven no matter how we live our life is definitely not what the Bible says about Christian life. It's like an immigrant to a new country. Just getting the entry permit and being allowed to enter the country does not make one a citizen. One has to learn a new language, a new way of life, change of previous attitudes, and adapt to new ways of thinking. One has to get a better education to get a better job. If one does not adapt to one's adopted country and decides not to follow the laws of the land, they're definitely going to land themselves in jail or even risk deportation. A person must spend time communing with God and learning the laws of this new way of life on a daily basis by reading the Word of God. We must allow the Lord to transform us daily and to correct and edit out the garbage we may have accumulated in our old life. We cannot say we are citizens of this eternal kingdom and be unwilling to part with the ways of the flesh and this world. If we are to experience true victory and the peace and joy promised by the Lord we must have an attitude of "Lord not my will, but Thine. If there are ways in me that need change, change me Lord. I trust You to know the best for me. I give myself into the Potter's Hand."
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The kind of people God is looking for
God is looking for people who will obey Him despite being called troublemakers like Paul, people who have the courage to change their names to "Father of a multitude" despite being childless like Abraham, people unafraid to build an ark without a single cloud in sight like Noah, people who would rather be put in a furnace than bow before false gods like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, people unashamed to collect empty vessels from neighbors who knew their desperate condition like Elijah's widow at the word of the prophet, people who declared the truth of God's Word in the face of a hostile multitude who would stone them to death like Stephen, people who never stopped praying to the true God in spite of a political curfew against it like Daniel thus risking being cast into a den of lions. He is looking for people who will put Him above all fear of death, starvation, persecution, ridicule, isolation, people who "count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Monday, December 07, 2009
Thoughts on competition in the body of Christ
There will be no competition among believers when we realize that we each have our unique purpose and pathway in life. There will be no competition when we acknowledge God as the source of all we are and all we have and that He gives to each person according to His desire and purpose. We aren’t meant to be striving against each other but working together in our different gifts, grace and functions towards a single common purpose. It is teamwork and not a competition. We are like members on one team rather than individual teams in and of ourselves.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Putting God in a preconceived box
We are so full of preconceived ideas about God a lot of which cannot be further than the truth. The only way to know God is through His Word illuminated by His Spirit exemplified in the life of Jesus. If He did not chose to reveal Himself through the ages and finally in His Son Jesus we could have never comprehended Him. For as high as the heavens are above the earth so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. Is 55:9. Lord open my eyes to know You in truth and deliver me from my preconceived thoughts and ideas about You that deceive me and blind my eyes. May I know you better everyday and through my life may the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Christ waft everywhere. Our own hearts are deceitful and are not unprejudiced and unbiased. It takes a long process of cutting off dependence on our own experience, knowledge and wordly wisdom to depend completely on God and His Word in quiet unquestioning obedience even when it doesn’t make sense to our rational and logical minds.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
WHY I WANT A CAREER IN JOURNALISM
I have always dreamt about pursuing a career in journalism, at first because the written word has always been a passion for me whether by burying my head in books or in seeing my own ideas and opinions conceived in my head being given form and shape on a piece of paper. The quirks of life had me take up a career as a dentist which then swerved into an entirely new direction as an editor in the medical transcription field. This field had its particular appeal to me because it was a unique combination of my two favourite subjects: Medicine and English. Eight years as an editor has honed my skills of an eagle eye precision for punctuation, grammar and spelling. Journalism became a long lost dream locked away in a chest in the corner of a dusty attic in my mind that I would periodically open and sigh over in moments of soul searching.
The one thing that had me seriously come back to my first love was watching Dr. Talwar’s case bitten and scratched over by various media houses. The couple who had lost their only child to murder had also to deal with the various speculations being brought up by the media. All of a sudden, people were so engrossed in their 9 o’clock news that TRPs of various Hindi soaps went for a toss dramatically. I realized the kind of power the media had in forming the opinions of a nation and how with great power comes great responsibility. The media needs to be absolutely unbiased and unprejudiced in any way if it is to stand above politics and corruption. It must take on the role of a conscience in this nation where morality and integrity seems to have been completely forgotten in the race for vote banks and communal politics. This is exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.
I have always dreamt about pursuing a career in journalism, at first because the written word has always been a passion for me whether by burying my head in books or in seeing my own ideas and opinions conceived in my head being given form and shape on a piece of paper. The quirks of life had me take up a career as a dentist which then swerved into an entirely new direction as an editor in the medical transcription field. This field had its particular appeal to me because it was a unique combination of my two favourite subjects: Medicine and English. Eight years as an editor has honed my skills of an eagle eye precision for punctuation, grammar and spelling. Journalism became a long lost dream locked away in a chest in the corner of a dusty attic in my mind that I would periodically open and sigh over in moments of soul searching.
The one thing that had me seriously come back to my first love was watching Dr. Talwar’s case bitten and scratched over by various media houses. The couple who had lost their only child to murder had also to deal with the various speculations being brought up by the media. All of a sudden, people were so engrossed in their 9 o’clock news that TRPs of various Hindi soaps went for a toss dramatically. I realized the kind of power the media had in forming the opinions of a nation and how with great power comes great responsibility. The media needs to be absolutely unbiased and unprejudiced in any way if it is to stand above politics and corruption. It must take on the role of a conscience in this nation where morality and integrity seems to have been completely forgotten in the race for vote banks and communal politics. This is exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The violence against Christians in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and now in Karnataka should be seen at various levels — from the economy of conversion to the historical roots and real meaning of conversion.
First, funding. Nobody seems to know exactly how much money the VHP receives from abroad. The only figure we have is $1.7 million from the India Development and Relief Fund (IDRF) that raises money from individuals and corporations in the United States (including Cisco and Sun Microsystems) to distribute them among a plethora of Sangh parivar agencies, some of whom work for ‘tribal welfare’.
On the Christian side, thanks to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act, the Home Ministry is in possession of the Annual Report on Foreign Contributions for 2005-06. It lays out in minute detail the funds received by churches and Christian organisations in India. We know, for example, that the top donors are church-based or Christian-inspired organisations from the US, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. We also know that a greater part of the funds — Rs 7,785 crore — goes to mainly Christian and church-based organisations in India. According to the Home Ministry’s analysis, the major part of the fund are spent on disaster relief and establishment costs. Welfare of scheduled tribes gets only Rs 25 crore and welfare of scheduled Castes only Rs 9 crore. The rest of the money goes into social work — building of schools, colleges, hospitals, etc. Nowhere is the word proselytisation mentioned. There are also no records of mass conversions.
Hence, the Sangh parivar’s argument that Christian charitable and social work is a disguise to convert ‘innocent, illiterate’ tribals and Dalits is a lie — at least as far as the records go. The Home Ministry report also tells us that the bulk of the money is spent in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi — not in Orissa or Gujarat.
Now to come to the violence at Kandhmal in Orissa. The man, Laxmananda Saraswati, whose murder had sparked off the latest round of violence, was a VHP sant who was at the forefront of the VHP’s ghar wapasi (‘home coming’) movement that consisted of reconverting tribals and Dalits who had been converted by the Christian missionaries.
At one level, the violence that followed Saraswati’s death was a result of a century-old conflict between the tribal Kandhs and the Dalit Pano. The former accuse the latter of stealing their land, aided by missionaries who, on their part, continue to occupy land that belongs to the state. The Panos who have converted to Christianity in large numbers are clamouring for Scheduled Tribe status because their conversion has not mitigated the effects of caste prejudice against them. As a Scheduled Tribe the Panos hope to preserve their religious identity and also be eligible for reserved government jobs. This infuriates the Kandhs as well as the VHP.
Conversion has two dimensions to it. In the first place, it is an intensely personal affair. It is this individual realisation occurring over a period of time that makes the conversion of entire communities a slow, painstaking and laborious process. It is also this individual repudiation of Hinduism that rattles the VHP beyond measure. It means that the tribal or the Dalit in question is no longer bound by any fate or destiny, but is, in fact, a free agent who can transform his life by changing his value and belief system.
The second dimension of conversion is that it is a political act. When, over a period of time, an entire community is converted, it has revolutionary implications. What does it mean for a Dalit to convert to Christianity? To know that, one has to understand where the Dalit is coming from. He lives beyond the pale of ‘caste Hindu’ society — even his shadow is considered polluting in some regions of this country; the jobs that he does are considered the most filthy — dealing with animal hides (chamars), disposing of the corpse after cremation (doms) and cleaning the night soil (bhangis). He does not have the right to use a mechanised transport, wear nice clothes, or jewellery. His house is frequently burned, his women are routinely raped. He lives in a night without end.
Then, he finds a God who, like him, suffered excruciating pain, who chose his disciples among the poor and the wretched and gave his own life so that others could find salvation through his suffering. The Dalit also understands that, in the light of Jesus’ story, the Hindus do not seem to have a moral order, that the only thing that counts for them is ritual purity and impurity. Instead of good and evil, Hinduism deals in the categories of ritual cleanliness and uncleanliness. The community, fortified by its realisation that the Hindu world view is only one among many others and not even of the most superior kind, gradually revolts and crosses over to Christianity.
Thus what began as a conversion of an individual ends as a collective revolt against the oppression, the brutality and the inhuman humiliations of caste society. That is what the VHP and the Sangh parivar do not want. They want to crush this revolt.
First, funding. Nobody seems to know exactly how much money the VHP receives from abroad. The only figure we have is $1.7 million from the India Development and Relief Fund (IDRF) that raises money from individuals and corporations in the United States (including Cisco and Sun Microsystems) to distribute them among a plethora of Sangh parivar agencies, some of whom work for ‘tribal welfare’.
On the Christian side, thanks to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act, the Home Ministry is in possession of the Annual Report on Foreign Contributions for 2005-06. It lays out in minute detail the funds received by churches and Christian organisations in India. We know, for example, that the top donors are church-based or Christian-inspired organisations from the US, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. We also know that a greater part of the funds — Rs 7,785 crore — goes to mainly Christian and church-based organisations in India. According to the Home Ministry’s analysis, the major part of the fund are spent on disaster relief and establishment costs. Welfare of scheduled tribes gets only Rs 25 crore and welfare of scheduled Castes only Rs 9 crore. The rest of the money goes into social work — building of schools, colleges, hospitals, etc. Nowhere is the word proselytisation mentioned. There are also no records of mass conversions.
Hence, the Sangh parivar’s argument that Christian charitable and social work is a disguise to convert ‘innocent, illiterate’ tribals and Dalits is a lie — at least as far as the records go. The Home Ministry report also tells us that the bulk of the money is spent in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi — not in Orissa or Gujarat.
Now to come to the violence at Kandhmal in Orissa. The man, Laxmananda Saraswati, whose murder had sparked off the latest round of violence, was a VHP sant who was at the forefront of the VHP’s ghar wapasi (‘home coming’) movement that consisted of reconverting tribals and Dalits who had been converted by the Christian missionaries.
At one level, the violence that followed Saraswati’s death was a result of a century-old conflict between the tribal Kandhs and the Dalit Pano. The former accuse the latter of stealing their land, aided by missionaries who, on their part, continue to occupy land that belongs to the state. The Panos who have converted to Christianity in large numbers are clamouring for Scheduled Tribe status because their conversion has not mitigated the effects of caste prejudice against them. As a Scheduled Tribe the Panos hope to preserve their religious identity and also be eligible for reserved government jobs. This infuriates the Kandhs as well as the VHP.
Conversion has two dimensions to it. In the first place, it is an intensely personal affair. It is this individual realisation occurring over a period of time that makes the conversion of entire communities a slow, painstaking and laborious process. It is also this individual repudiation of Hinduism that rattles the VHP beyond measure. It means that the tribal or the Dalit in question is no longer bound by any fate or destiny, but is, in fact, a free agent who can transform his life by changing his value and belief system.
The second dimension of conversion is that it is a political act. When, over a period of time, an entire community is converted, it has revolutionary implications. What does it mean for a Dalit to convert to Christianity? To know that, one has to understand where the Dalit is coming from. He lives beyond the pale of ‘caste Hindu’ society — even his shadow is considered polluting in some regions of this country; the jobs that he does are considered the most filthy — dealing with animal hides (chamars), disposing of the corpse after cremation (doms) and cleaning the night soil (bhangis). He does not have the right to use a mechanised transport, wear nice clothes, or jewellery. His house is frequently burned, his women are routinely raped. He lives in a night without end.
Then, he finds a God who, like him, suffered excruciating pain, who chose his disciples among the poor and the wretched and gave his own life so that others could find salvation through his suffering. The Dalit also understands that, in the light of Jesus’ story, the Hindus do not seem to have a moral order, that the only thing that counts for them is ritual purity and impurity. Instead of good and evil, Hinduism deals in the categories of ritual cleanliness and uncleanliness. The community, fortified by its realisation that the Hindu world view is only one among many others and not even of the most superior kind, gradually revolts and crosses over to Christianity.
Thus what began as a conversion of an individual ends as a collective revolt against the oppression, the brutality and the inhuman humiliations of caste society. That is what the VHP and the Sangh parivar do not want. They want to crush this revolt.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Trapped in between worlds
Boy do I need to update my blog! I'm just waiting for my muse...he/she just doesnt seem to be cooperating! Anyway as soon as inspiration hits me AND i get the time....will be pouring out my soul on electronic paper.
I do have one thought though...watched The Namesake...and kinda identified with Gogol. Feeling torn between different identities isn't something new to NRI kids/adults. We're neither wholly Indian nor wholly anything else...seriously the word "home" makes us pause and think...where do we really belong? Our upbringing dictates one lifestyle but our thoughts and minds are restless birds beating their wings against a cage...longing for something else we dont even have a name for. We dont completely identify with one single culture..too broad minded for Indian values, too narrow minded for Western values. Standing outside each world we're looking in wistfully wishing we could identify with something, anything...ghosts trapped in between two dimensions forever damned to roam the netherworld. The only place we feel completely ourselves is with other people just like us who know where we're coming from and actually get our jokes! That's the only time we feel part of a clan, a tribe, a species. What a feeling that is..having spent our entire lives never really belonging anywhere....more on this later...this really needs a lot of thought and reflection for more profound revelations..hah.
I do have one thought though...watched The Namesake...and kinda identified with Gogol. Feeling torn between different identities isn't something new to NRI kids/adults. We're neither wholly Indian nor wholly anything else...seriously the word "home" makes us pause and think...where do we really belong? Our upbringing dictates one lifestyle but our thoughts and minds are restless birds beating their wings against a cage...longing for something else we dont even have a name for. We dont completely identify with one single culture..too broad minded for Indian values, too narrow minded for Western values. Standing outside each world we're looking in wistfully wishing we could identify with something, anything...ghosts trapped in between two dimensions forever damned to roam the netherworld. The only place we feel completely ourselves is with other people just like us who know where we're coming from and actually get our jokes! That's the only time we feel part of a clan, a tribe, a species. What a feeling that is..having spent our entire lives never really belonging anywhere....more on this later...this really needs a lot of thought and reflection for more profound revelations..hah.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Inspiration
Pain fuels a writer's soul. In a way, we are a tortured lot. People react to pain in different ways. Some cry endlessly, some shop endlessly. Some grin and bear it. Some get so mad and let the whole world know too. We write. We hurl our feelings onto paper. We let that piece of paper have it all. We rant and rave in written form. In silent screams and soundless howls from the depths of our souls that prose is in fact our salvation.
A writer's passions and experiences are the source for the torrents of creativity that gush from his spirit. If we were never to suffer the agony of lost love, if we never bristled against injustice, if we had no compassion for the wounded soul great works of literature would have never been birthed.
And finally, writing is cathartic. It soothes the wild beast raging in our breasts. At last, all is at peace like the sea after a violent storm.
A writer's passions and experiences are the source for the torrents of creativity that gush from his spirit. If we were never to suffer the agony of lost love, if we never bristled against injustice, if we had no compassion for the wounded soul great works of literature would have never been birthed.
And finally, writing is cathartic. It soothes the wild beast raging in our breasts. At last, all is at peace like the sea after a violent storm.
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