Why Pope follows two ways in the name of God

Globalization of “division” / “denomination”and “caste”!

 

By VEDAPRAKASH

 

Introduction: The call of the head of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches on the North American Christian family made to “engage in some house cleaning” as divisions within the Church and lack of collaboration for God’s mission continue to plague the Body of Christ” last month (September 2007) is interesting. It is not known why their houses are so dirty to be cleaned. If at all dirty, how that dirt has come and by whom, it has been deposited in their houses is not clear. To what extent, the “House cleaning” can go, as it “plagues the body of Christ”!

 

 

 

The speeches of Christians, Christian leaders, writers and others and also that of Pope from time to time appears to be very strange, intriguing and contradicting. The following is the news item which criticizes the “divisions’ among the Christians of USA and Canada, both are very advanced nations on the earth with all comforts and wealth. God has showered and provided them with everything, but why the “division” should come?

 

 

Christian `House Cleaning’ Needed Amid Divisions, Says Global Church Leader

 

By

 

Eric Young

 

Christian Post Reporter

 

Mon, Sep. 17 2007 09:46 AM ET

 

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070917/29333_Christian_’House_Cleaning’_Needed_Amid_Divisions,_Says_Global_Church_Leader.htm

 

The head of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches called on the North American Christian family to “engage in some house cleaning” as divisions within the Church and lack of collaboration for God’s mission continue to plague the Body of Christ.

 

WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi said that when Reformed churches heal divisions in their own families and commit themselves to engage in mission in unity with other Christians, they are fulfilling an essential Reformed call.

 

“It is a shame that there are so many divisions within the Christian family – especially within the Reformed family,” he added in a presentation Friday marking the 150th anniversary of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in North America. “This shameful tendency calls us as Reformed Christians to engage in some house cleaning within our own family.”

 

The Dutch Reformed churches in the Netherlands, where the CRC traces its roots to, have a long history of mergers and schisms, and the CRC has not escaped these. The CRC split from the Reformed Church in America in an 1857 Secession, which was in part the result of a theological dispute that originated in the Netherlands. Some other denominations later merged with the CRC, most notably the True Protestant Dutch Reformed Church in 1890. Other churches later split from the CRC, including the Protestant Reformed Church in the mid 1920s, the Orthodox Christian Reformed Church in 1988, and the United Reformed Churches in North America in 1996.

 

 

 

 

“Anti-Dalitness”: Believers have to respect their “beliefs” in the name of their “God”. “In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond / slave nor free, male or female; for ye / you are all one in Jesus / Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3.28). This is very often quoted for the Christian equity, Jesus justice, ecclesiastic equality, Gender equality and so on. But why there has been social segregation and discrimination?

 

 

 

“    John Sentamu, became the Britain’s first Black Archbishop (June 2005), he brought out one book in which he says that the Church of England is “institutionally racist”. Immediately, the “Daily Telegraph” (September 2005) dismissed this as nonsense quoting St Paul that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. They said that St Paul might have added that are there black or white archbishops, merely good and bad ones.

 

“    That is they try to interpret theologically, in the appointment of Archbishops, there is no discrimination based on colour!

 

“    Of course, UK blacks pointed out that MacPherson inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence introduced them to the uncomfortable concept of institutional racism in the Police.

 

“    They point out that racism goes beyond individual attitudes and experience to their collective experience of fairness and justice and noted the discrimination in Katrina relief in USA. In the land of individual freedom and opportunity it was poor Black people Hurricane Katrina left stranded in New Orleans suffered heavily.

 

 

 

The CRC and DRC are definitely racist Churches. The DRC divides African Christians – Whites, Blacks and Coloured / Browns and allows three Churches accordingly. Whether DRC merges with CRC or otherwise, the white dominated Churches always treat the non-whites inferior. For them, it is black, brown, etc is irrelevant. This is further aggravated by their theological positions and rivalries. When a non-white comes to higher position, immediately, the whites oppose one way or the other. Maximum, they can have the postings of Bishop and Cardinal, but can they have a Black or Brown as Pope? Can they have woman as Pope? Therefore, the “anti-Dalitness” or the oppressive, suppressive, repressive, tyrannical, despotic and exploitative authority is accepted, justified and concretized theologically. [Note, the word “dalit” is a misnomer and it does not connote any exclusive group as writers and journalist try to imply].

 

 

 

Besides, theology, money, material benefits and other factors join the race. In the western world, the bishops, priests, theologians, and other religious functionaries have not been religious but material enjoying the life. More spirit flows into their mouth than the coming out Spirituality of God. Their affluent, opulent, status of both combined take them as the most privileged at higher-higher level.

 

 

 

So the sharing of material benefits affect their theology reflected in theology and refracted through race and other ethnic factors ultimately percolated as hardened divisions in the society. Jesus or Christ, Joseph or Jehovah, Mary or Mary Magdalene, the apostles, saints, who is responsible?

 

 

 

Racism, racialism and Christianity: Racism and Christianity in American and European political and social regulations, controls and immigration laws have been implicit acting at different levels. The White males openly vent out their feelings of Racism through Christian fundamentalism. The Christian politicians of the west have never hidden their hatred, as many times, they have been explicit in mannerism and body language. Remember, in August 2007 how Indians were beaten up brutally by the German racists? If one goes by colour, the beaten-up Indians appear white only. Why then the Germans attacked? So for them, it would be easy to thrust on their brethren, as “caste” has already been there in India, with due courtesy of the “Portuguese invention”!

 

 

But, why Christians still practice such shameful “divisions” much against the wishes of the Pope? The assertion that, “The divisions which exist among Christians are a scandal to the world,” appears to be applicable globally, as he points specifically. How it could amount to disgrace, dishonour, humiliation, outrage or indignity, they have to explain.

 

 

 

 

Pope: Christian Divisions a ‘Scandal’

 

By

 

Brian Murphy

 

AP Religion Writer

 

Thu, Nov. 30 2006 09:38 AM ET

 

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – Pope Benedict XVI called divisions among Christians a “scandal to the world” at a joint ceremony Thursday with the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christian church, which split from Catholicism nearly 1,000 years ago.

 

 

 

 

“The divisions which exist among Christians are a scandal to the world,” the pope said after joining Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to mark the feast day of St. Andrew, who preached across Asia Minor and who is believed to have ordained the first bishop of Constantinople, now Istanbul.

 

 

 

Sin, scandal or sanctified? For Christians, sin is a “moral defection”, but every “moral defection” is subjected to interpretation theologically and they can only decide whether it is really defective morally or otherwise. So “sins” are sinning and sinned and no botheration. As it has been fail-safe, fool-proof and above all, infallible, none can ask about it also. Scandal, oh, it is theological again. It is not ordinary scandal for gossiping, gimmick for comments or fraud to be questioned. So if it is sanctified, no discussion in the name of God. This is very tricky in the theological context.

 

·        Paul exhorts the church in Rome to be gentle and accommodating, not quarrelsome, `for the sake of the weaker members’. Don’t judge each other but live and die for the Lord so that you will know that under the judgement of God we are all found wanting. To know your own weakness helps you to be tolerant of others.

 

·        Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”

 

·        Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18.21-22).

 

·        It is also quoted: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”. “Do as you would be done by”.

 

·        It amounts to enslaving a person again after his release, as someone is responsible for his release! And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.

 

·        So their heavenly Father will also do to every one of them, if they do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart. (Matthew 18.35).

 

·        So Indian Christians can escape theologically for oppressing and suppressing their brethren putting blame on Supreme Court, Indian Constitution, Hindu religion and so on!

 

 

 

Indian Christians and Theology: Of course, in India, our Christian friends too debate about the rights of “Dalit Christians”! It is evident that the “Dalit Christians” do not fit into Indian Christian social entity or Global Christian status. While they debate about divisions and denominations, here, they are perplexed about the –

 

 

 

·        “division within division” or

 

·        “denomination within denomination” or

 

·        “division among the denomination” or

 

·        “denomination within the division” and so on!

 

 

 

Ultimately, every theologian would laugh to know that what is going on in India is better than the ones happening in USA, Europe and African countries.

 

 

 

After all, their “God” is same only, whether he is prayed at USA, European countries or India, but why the divisions are shame? If there is no caste for Christianity or Christian God, then, it should be applicable to Indian Christians also, as Christianity and Christian God cannot be different for them. Suppose, if they have to accept caste and untouchability, then, their Christianity and God become redundant, because Christianity become unsuccessful and God too failed utterly in their case. They can no longer claim that “Jesus never fails”, as already “Christ” has gone with the “caste”!

 

 

 

Pope, Caste and India: The “Dalit Christians” give memorandum to the Pope accusing the Casteist Hierarchical Church Authorities in India with copies to the Cardinal Secretary of State of Vatican, Italy, the Apostolic Nuncio to India, New Delhi and various Councils / Congregation / Commissions of Cardinals and Bishops in Vatican. So they in turn bring pressure on the government to cover up their “divisions”, “denominations”, “congregations” etc., working in segregation, racism, racialism and superiority complex. But, who perpetuate caste in India?

 

 

 

·        Pope Gregory XV (1621-1623) formally sanctioned caste divisions in the Indian Church. This papal bull confirmed earlier decisions of the local Church hierarchy in 1599 and 1606.

 

·        The Bull “Bulla Romanae Sodis Antistitis” dated January 31, 1623 accedes to the requests of the missionaries to accommodate themselves to certain caste practices and usages of the new converts.

 

·        The Bull of Pope Gregory XV, “Bulla Romanae Sedis Antistitis”, dated 31 January 1623, accedes to the requests of the missionaries to accommodate themselves to certain caste practices and usages of the new converts.  The Pope was granting this permission only as a provisional and conditional measure.

 

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