Becoming a Christian

[Guest guest]

Dear Divine Rick,

Your thoughts were so well composed that I don't know if anyone could

'add' to those. Your words did stir up some thoughts and feelings, which

I share below-

I was born in a Hindu family and educated in a Convent school in India.

As a fifth grader, when the Sisters urged us to pray in the chapel,

prior to major exams, something within me revolted. I asked myself, "Am

I not praying in the temple? Is my mother not blessing me before the

exams? Why should I go to the chapel? Does God not listen to me in the

temple?"

Then a major incident tokok place, which scarred me for quite some time.

I was accused of stealing small thing in school - pencils, erazers,

chocolate, fruits etc. I was crushed! It turned out that a poor Catholic

girl had been stealing them, but this was never brought to light. I

suffered this indignity for many years.

As I grew up, I began to realize the subtle ways in which the Christians

(In India all denominations are bunched up as 'Christians!) used

education, housing, medical care etc. to 'lure' people into converting.

All these events helped smoulder a kind of 'anger' deep within me. To

this day, even though I have begun to realize how great Jesus truly was,

I have quite a bit of anger against the so called missionaries who try

to convert others.

It is sheer arrogance to think that one's religion is superior to those

of others. Can we confine God to only one culture, language or time in

history? As you rightly pointed out, God has been, is, and will be there

eons after this creation has passed. Can the puny human mind ever have

the capacity to fathom the depth and breadth of this CREATOR? A la

Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, it is akin to a salt doll plumming the depths of

the ocean!

This brings me to the next point - the Theory of Evolution and

Reincarnation. Regardless of religious beliefs, does Nature expect

humans to evolve within a span of 6,8 or even 60 or eighty years? If we

accept the concept of Reincarnation, is it not possible that a soul

journeys through various cultures, languages, time zones and belief

systems? Does it not glean something from each experience and thereby

evolve to a higher level, whereby it transcends all religious bounds and

finally enters the spiritual realm, stripped of all dogmas and

prejudices?

I recall a clip from one of Amma's videos, where, Swami

AmritaGitanandaji says, "Amma taught me how not to be a Hindu!" I think

that one sentence sums it up.

So, dear brother Rick, after one realizes within oneself, the underlying

principles of all religious beliefs, to confine oneself to a single

belief system would be akin to enrolling in a high school, after one has

obtained a doctorate! I do not mean this in an egotistical manner, but

just an an innate understanding of the potentials as well as the

limitations of each faith.

I have begun to realize that to express a healthy anger is permissible

and doing so will not hinder our spiritual growth!

Jai Ma!

Chandrika