MAHATMA GANDHI ON CHRISTIANITY: ACCEPT THE TEACHING, BUT NEVER ACCEPT THE TEACHER!

Introduction

This paper will briefly search for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi account on Christianity. Many believed the conspiracy that Gandhi was a follower of Christ, others believed that he preferably gave higher regards on to the Bible as the very words of God, and some others still believe that he was a Christian. Even in Nepal, there are many Christian leaders who tend to make Gandhi a model for their leadership role in the church ministries. Why this conspiracy was propagated? So this paper will briefly analyze the fact that Gandhi was a kind of man who accepted some teachings of Christ, but never accepted Him as his Lord and savior. The source for this argument is based on MK Kuriakose's book.[1]

Mohandas Karmachand Gandhi (1869-1948) was know as MK Gandhi in his youth, and later part his life into politics in India, he was credited as Mahatma (person with a great soul). During the pick hours the independent movement his party-men also called him Bappu, meaning father. And particularly because of his means of non-violent approach of political agitation called Satyagrah, he attracted a high regard from the Christian expatriate missionaries and Indian national Christian leaders as well. Among them according to the collected sources of information by Kuriakose, C. F. Andrew openly wrote a sympathetic article supporting the freedom movement led by Gandhi.[2] In addition to that most of the Christian leaders in India had shown consensual support, they formally passed a statement congratulating Gandhi for a successful termination of his fasting.[3] But, was Mahatma Gandhi sympathetic towards the Christians? After careful studying the historical source materials collection in the book, one can say that in what extend Gandhi was intolerant towards Christianity. Following paragraphs will concisely highlight on what he believed indeed.

a.       One God and several paths to reach Him

A general rationale made by most of the socio-political leaders is that in answering to the question about deity they simply sum up all names of gods and tell you that there is only one God. According to them, those names just exist as different paths, which lead to the same destination. They take this side so no one would be offended by their speech and action. Perhaps Gandhi was the leading voice of this perception. He plainly denied that Jesus Christ is the only way, truth and the life, but added Him among so many other names. He argued, "If a man reaches the heart of his own religion, he has reached the heart of the others too. There is only one God, but there are many paths to Him."[4] This clearly shows that Gandhi never put his trust in Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.

b.       What conversion meant to Gandhi?

Mahatma Gandhi disbelieved in conversion. For him, conversion means to undermine and reject someone's faith. His understanding is that one can certainly become a better follower of his or her own faith. He fervently pursued teaching others to remain in the same faith and continually attempt to attain the truth within the faith or religion.[5] He never encouraged in propagation of Christian faith in particular.[6] Rather, he would obviously opposed evangelism and missionary efforts of the Christians. For him, Christian faith is just like any other religion, and to proselytization would ultimately drive away the peace from the world. His position was that all the great religions were fundamentally equal.[7]

  

c.       Superiority of the Bible and Christ's Deity denied

It is true that Mahatma Gandhi was a witty student of the New Testament Bible, he learnt a lot from Bible. And even his non-violent approach of political agitation, as believed by many was Jesus' model of victory-through-toleration as He said and did, turning another cheek to be slapped. Gandhi adapted most of the teachings of New Testament, especially from Jesus' sermon on mountain (Matthew 5-7 chapters), but he arrogantly rejected the teachers. He also deliberately denied Christ's deity. He credited Jesus as one of the great prophets. His account goes, "I cannot ascribe exclusive divinity to Jesus."[8]

d.       Western Christianity and Indian Nationalism

Why Mahatma Gandhi could not put his sincere faith in Christ? There could be speculated many answers to this question. It is possibly be an answer to this that he was skeptic towards the Western missionaries that they were not in favor to Indian Nationalism. He opposed those Indian nationals who partook "beef and brandy in the name of Jesus Christ."[9] He considered the Indian Christianity did nothing to help the Nation India get better. He saw Christianity had contributed negative towards the nationalism, and it appeared to him synonymous with materialistic civilization and imperialistic exploitation, which came along with the Christianity.[10]

Conclusion

Above account gathered enlisted by Kuriakose sets forth the facts that Mahatma Gandhi was not a Christian as some of the Nepali Christian leaders still believe. The author has heard the leaders openly acknowledging that Gandhi was the man of true understanding and practices of the New Testament. But now, after reading Kuriakose's source materials on Gandhi, every reader would truly recognize who he was in reality. He accepted the New Testament teachings and used them to influence the modern Hindus, atheists, and political freedom fighters. He also cleverly attracted most influential western Christian missionaries and also the national Indian Christian leaders by the disguised Biblical characters.  He earned favor of everybody by his life of simplicity, but he lost his own life by denying Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Why Gandhi heartily accepted the New Testament teachings and rejected the Teacher? One clue is to be noticed that he would always longing to embrace the Nationalism as Indian national. Perhaps, he misguided himself by mistakenly setting an equal standard to all religious scriptures with the Bible and all great men of the founding a religion with Jesus Christ. But what he personally experienced in the British Western empire, which also was supposedly a Christendom, and what he noticed the Indian church's position towards the emerging Nationalistic movement were the ones that driven away him from truly following the Christian faith. He witnessed the war, hatred, poverty, crime and discriminations even within the church, which might have distracted him from receiving Christian faith for his life.[11]

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[1]MK Kuriakose, History of Christianity in India: Source Materials. New Delhi, The ISPCK, 1982 (4^th reprint 2011), pp 321-323, 330-332, 343-344, 362-363, 368-369, 374.

[2]C. F. Andrews on India Independence (1921). pp326-330.

[3]Resolutions of the All-India Conference of India Christians (1943), p374.

[4]Gandhi's attitude to Christianity: Polak Interview (c.1920), p321.

[5]Gandhi on Conversion and Indigenous Identity of Indian Christians (1925), p332; and Gandhi's Dialogue with J.R. Mott (1929), p344; also with C.F. Andrew (1936), p362-363

[6]Gandhi on Conversion and Indigenous Identity of Indian Christians (1925), p332

[7]Ibid, p363.

[8]Mahatma Gandhi on Christianity (1937), p368.

[9]Ibid, p332.

[10]Gandhi on the contribution of Christianity to the National Life (1929), p343.

[11]Gandhi's Attitude to Christianity: Polak Interview (1920), p322.

TESTIMONIAL INFORMATION

I was born in a Hindu religious Brahmin family. My father and forefathers known as Hindu Priests. Being an eldest son in the family my father consecrated me to Hindu gods when I was unconscious child. He used to teach me some Vaidik scriptures. His greatest desire was to teach me more about the Hindu scriptures and equipped me to be a priest like him.
After completion of a basic priesthood degree I found nothing true about the gods except their boasting fighting for power. I could not sense the love and personal relationship with the gods except threat of being punished if I failed to please them. I become badly frustrated. So I did not continue my priestly job but join in an underground political movement of a communist party. There, I progressed as a local leader.
My nature was to see all things critically; I simply did not obey anything without a thorough judgement. I was atheist but my inner heart was always lean to seek an Almighty Creator of the whole Universe, because I could not be convinced and satisfied by the Marxism Philosophy about the Creation. I was eager to know the truth so begun to search everything to read and find it. Even though my 'comrades' was to criticize me, I did not give up to read the Bible, when I first found it.
I became devoted student of the Bible from 1986, and I was reading with a critical point of view until the Words of God began to break my concept about life and eternity. Finally, I opened my heart to God! The Word compelled me to confess my sins, and consequently, I decided to be in Jesus Christ accepting Him my personal Savior and Lord in 1991.
After Democracy reformed in Nepal (1991), I came Kathmandu, to have higher education. I left my role in the political party and became a hidden Christian there. I met a brother, who was Christian like me. In 1992, we together started to pray and worship God. I took water baptism with total commitment to follow Him. Our prayer and our zeal to share Gospel begun to bear some fruits, about 20 new believers were gathered within a short period of our fellowship began. And soon it was identified as Christian Church! I am serving The Lord as an elder and associate pastor in the same Church - The Lord's Assembly in Kathmandu, Nepal. I used to write some articles for the local newspaper from my childhood. And now, I am totally convinced that God has given me the gift of writing, so I am doing with my best for this field. I served for the secular Journalism sector as well as the Christian literatures. I have authored three books and some books are under publication.