Every Christian in India is a 'Hindu'

All this unnecessary furore over burning churches, buildings and bridges! It really is a battle of semantics because when you get down to it, neither Hinduism nor Christianity are religions — both are lifestyles.

The word Hindu comes from Sindu, which is the name for the River Indus. All those living east of the River Sindu were called Hindus. So the word Hindu is a geographical term, not a religious one. The actual religion of the Hindus is the Sanathana Dharma, which means ‘the ancient way of life’ — a combination of faith, duties and one’s vocation. Hindus are required to find their purpose in life and pursue it forever. So in the strict sense of the term, as long as one lives in India and follows any religion of one’s choice, one is still a Hindu.

People genuinely search for god, and when they cannot find god, they seek after gurus who will lead them to god. The word guru refers to a person who brings people from darkness to light. When a person talks about “knowing Christ” (not knowing about Christ), it is a deep and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, accepting Him as Saviour and living life according to His principles, which centre around love and forgiveness. The process has little in common with evident Christianity with its buildings, rites and rituals. To burn a church is a tragic act, however, it does not injure Christ.

Further, it is possible to be a Christian and not know Christ; it is equally possible to be a Hindu and know Christ. Ultimately, who is the true follower of Christ — the Hindu or the Christian? There are thousands of Indians who know Christ but do no want to be known as Christians because of the ‘excess baggage’ that accompanies the term, the pain of the past and the indignities that were imposed on human beings in India by people who called themselves Christian.

In fact, Mahatma Gandhi, when once asked to convert to Christianity, said, “To me, to be a good Hindu also means that I am a good Christian. There is no need for me to join your creed to be a believer in the beauty and teachings of Christ.”

And yet, while it is apparent that most Christians have failed to deliver the gospel message as god intended them to, Christ does not depend on Christians to manifest His divine glory and power. Spiritual people need to believe in Christ and accept Him for what He has done for them and not on what Christians do or do not do.

The genuine follower of Christ in today’s turbulent times in India will not meet the hostility through aggression or through a martyr complex, but will try to undo the damage of the past by living and manifesting the message of the gospel, which when translated into everyday life, is the message of love.

Meanwhile, every Hindu can also realise that responding to the gospel is not a contradiction to the Hindu search for truth because Jesus is the fulfilment of god, of seekers of the Truth right from ancient Vedic times:

Asatoma sat gamaya (Bring me from the unreal to the truth). Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life”;

Tamasoma jyotir gamaya (Bring me from darkness to light). Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”;

Mrityorma amritam gamaya (Bring me from mortality to immortality). Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

"Every Christian in India is a 'Hindu'"
By Ingrid Albuquerque appeared in the Deccan Herald on the 19th of September 2008.