The White Hindu
Yes, missionaries in India use lying, trickery, deception, and bribes to make people Christian. That’s a fact. They target vulnerable people who need the promises they are making (whether true or not).
But now the question I have is why are these people vulnerable?
Why are we Hindus not taking care of their needs?
By the time we’re complaining about the disgusting tactics of missionaries, it’s already too late. So what can we do to subvert their attempts at forced and manipulated conversion?
Two things. One for the vulnerable members of society and one for those who have never seriously considered their faith.
ONE
We can show the value of Hinduism in our actions.
People become vulnerable to conversion attempts when they are not getting the support they need form the community they already have. Hindus should be at the forefront of feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, showing the love of God in our actions because we have God within us and we have the capacity to love the whole universe.
It’s up to us to be the best of what Sanatana Dharma can be.
Look at the communities that missionaries target and figure out what you can do to meet their needs as a Hindu. I think most of the time what they need is for someone to care about their lives, to take their struggles seriously. If we dismiss people for being lower caste, then those people are going to run to a religion that doesn’t discriminate based on caste. If we dismiss someone’s poverty because it’s their karma to deserve it, those people are going to take food from Christians who offer it with the condition of joining their religion. Someone’s life situation is about the past, but here in the present we can help them get over that past into a much brighter future.
Hinduism’s greatest promise is that you don’t have to beg for salvation. Your salvation is within yourself and you are capable of accessing it yourself. But most of us need some help along the way and we owe our fellow Hindus that help!
Hinduism does not make you beg, grovel, or demean yourself. It says that you are already perfect and you just need help seeing that truth.
TWO
Another reason people might leave Hinduism for Christianity or Islam is that they haven’t been given a reason why Hinduism will help them. The proselytizing religions are ready to answer that. They give you a problem and a solution together just like any slick salesman.
They tell you about a problem you didn’t know you had: the potential of going to hell. They sell you on this idea that you are in grave danger and you’ve been ignoring the solution (even though it’s a danger they made up, but they don’t tell you that part!) And then they tell you that they have the solution and you can have it right now today for free. All you have to do is agree to join their religion. And beg God to forgive you.
If someone asks them why should I be a Christian or why should I be a Muslim then they will say because the one true god commanded it. They will tell you about all the good things you’ll get for becoming their religion.
And then we complain and decry.
I think we need to be positive and proactive. Let’s think about what our reasons are. What does Hinduism offer? Why should people want to be Hindu? Let’s give them solid reasons!
Give people a reason to be Hindu.
I think many people growing up Hindu don’t really know why they are. They just do it because their parents do it and their grandparents do it and that’s a reason but not a very solid one. If someone comes along and says “Why are you Hindu? You should be ____ religion” then they think maybe that person is right. Because they don’t know why they are Hindu.
So instead of complaining that young people don’t value Hinduism enough, I would like to voice all the reasons why people should want to be Hindu.
That’s the purpose behind my #WhyILoveHinduism hashtag.
When a missionary approaches a Hindu young person and says “Aren’t you afraid of going to hell?” That young person should be able to say, “No, my religion doesn’t believe in an eternal hell. We don’t think that God punishes people forever based on a single lifetime.” They should have an answer already. They should know what they believe so they aren’t vulnerable to these kinds of attacks.
So that’s two things you can do starting today to make Hinduism safer from attack:
1) Take care of the parts of society that are struggling the most. Help take away their fears and meet their material needs so they have a chance to learn why their native faith has had the strength to survive thousands of years.
2) Learn and then teach your children, your grandchildren, and your family why we do the things we do. What does prayer do for us? What does meditation do for us? Why do we chant? Why do we make offerings? What do the sages have to say about the purpose of life? We should know the answers to these questions and pass them on.
MISSIONARIES PREYING ON TSUNAMI SURVIVORS
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