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Does Indian Christianity Allow Untouchability?

Posted September 28, 2005
Laura Kelly (laurakelly@rediffmail.com)
Journalist and Christian Historian
Christian Hendersen
Anthropological Documentary producer
Kunta Runta
The Artic
Finland

We have been reading with great interest letters from readers, that followed after publication of the article “Ensuring equal rights to all Dalits”, by Archbishop A.M. Chinnappa and A. Philomin Raj, The Hindu, Sep 22, 2005.With some trepidation it is necessary that we have to point out, vital points have been left out on this important issue,hence this critique.

The Privy Council (UK) as early as 1936 had ruled out that there is no “Scheduled caste in Indian Christianity”. To ‘Cast the Nets to the Marginalized Side’ and the argument again and again in new terminology “Dalits” is untenable both legally and morally. Dalit Openness ‘to Gods unknown’ comes with a price tag – loss of ‘self’ and Identity’. Dalits with their Spirituality and life style are now protected and needs enhanced fencing. The rituals and ceremonies of the Dalits mirror the space that their men and women occupy in the society and the values they cherish. The spontaneous out burst against the utterances of the Tamil Movie star Kushboo is a case in point, that values are still too precious. Dalits have both men and women as priests and priestess to talk and mediate with their Deity and to offer sacrifices.

Theodore Wilber Elmore in his ‘Dravidian Gods in Modern Hinduism: A Study of the Local and Village Deities of Southern India’ identifies some of such ceremonies. These rituals are well integrated into the religious life of Hindus. Neem, Banyan and other trees are held sacred. The worship of nature resulted itself in the preservation of the nature. Thus the Dalit religion is eco-friendly. Clarence Clark, in his Talks on an Indian Village, describes this phenomenon to children in the West in following sentences,”. . . there were evil spirits all around him (a Dalit) living in trees and streams and large stones, and they would do him a great harm if he is not careful.” Thus Dalit religion is eco-friendly.

Victor Premasagar, “The Gods of Our Fathers – Towards A Theology of Indian Religious and Cultural Heritage”, has called for a sensitive, critical and inclusive appraisal of Dalit religions in the process of our theologizing. He wonders of how capable they were in sustaining for thousands of years the life of the communities that were always under the threat of extinction. Abraham Ayrookuzhiel did study the Dalit religiosity but had remained a social scientist and never attempted to allow Christian ‘god-talk’ to dialogue with Dalit cultural resources. V. Devasahayam in his “Outside the Camp” has made a deliberate attempt to utilize the cultural resources of Dalits in interpreting the Biblical texts.

Dalit religion could discern the divine in natural objects and the presence of supernatural in natural forces. Western christian writers, whose twin mission was to subjugate other cultures and to mutilate the Nature, had called this world-view as ‘animism’ (P.Y. Luke and John B. Carman, Village Christians and Hindu Culture (London: Lutterworth Press, 1968)

Does Indian Christianity allow untouchablility?

The Synod of Diamper held 1599 at Diamper (Udiamperur, Kerala ), India; pressure was brought on Syrian Christians temporarily to accept Roman Church as Malabar Uniate Church, clearly recognized and endorsed the Indian caste system within the Roman Catholic Church. This is held intact even today with the Doctrines of the Roman Church, even though the constitution of India has abolished untouchablility within Hinduism. It is surprising both the authors of the article have skirted the key issue.

Roberto De Nobili, Francis Xavier and John Britto all practiced untouchability.Jesuits like Nobili claimed himself to be a Brahmin from Rome and administered the Eucharist on a long pole to the new “untouchable converts”.(sic)

In a reply to a question are not Christians entitled to combat untouchablility, Mahatma Gandhi said, “Not only are the Christians entitled, but it is their duty to combat untouchablility in their own midst. But if the question is that Christians should combat untouchablility in Hinduism my answer is that they simply cannot do it because untouchablility of Hinduism should not be untouchablility of Christians. The anti-untouchablility movement means weaning Hindus from their error. This cannot be effectively done by non-Hindus, even as Hindus cannot bring about religious reform among Christians and Mussalmans. If the question means that Christian should combat untouchablility among Hindus by converting untouchables to Christianity they do not advance the cause in any shape or form; the cause being reform among caste Hindus. If the latter repented their sin the Harijans would be delivered from the yoke of untouchablility in a moment. Conversion can never do it. It can only add to the prevailing bitterness and introduce a disturbing factor in a situation which is already bad”.

Most Pakistani Christians today still do the same work as their untouchable ancestors: sweeping the streets and doing other menial jobs deemed ritually or literally unclean by higher-caste Hindus. (The Untouchables’ Church despite a Catholic bishop’s protest suicide in 1998, Christians holds little hope for repeal of blasphemy law, Ethan Casey in Pakistan. Christianity Today Magazine.)

The Term Dalit Christian is a misnomer. Mr.V. T. Rajshekhar, editor of “Dalit Voice” had very aptly described the Unchristian side of the Indian Church. In his article of above name published in “Dalit Voice” some years ago, he had commented that the missionaries are educating the children of oppressors, who tomorrow will come to power and see that these very schools, where they obtained first lessons of alphabets, be closed. It is like feeding milk to the serpents’ offsprings. He had also suggested that at least 50% of seats in all Christian convents must be given only to SCs and STs at no charge, and the deficit be made good by charging double fees from the children of oppressors. I do not think that article made any dent on missionaries; they are following their own ways says Dr. K. Jamanadas in his Dalit Identity.

On May 9, 2001, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) sent its first open letter to the Rev. Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, the superior general of the Jesuit order in Rome, about the expulsion from the order of Fr. Pallath J. Joseph of the Kerala Province of Jesuits in India. This article continues the series of open letters that have ensued to the superior general about Fr. Pallath’s case. Because each letter begins with the same introduction stating the facts of the case, these have been omitted after the fifth letter below. For further details about the expulsion of Fr. Pallath from the Jesuit order, see the web site created by AHRC athttp://jjpallath.ahrchk.net.}

Mr.P.N.Benjamin wrote for the Deccan Herald on the eve of the Synod said, “The Church has sinned more than others in perpetuating social injustices against Dalit Christians. In Indian Christian communities, caste discrimination takes many forms. There are some churches built for separate groups. These places of worship even today retain their caste identity. Another example of casteist practice is allotting separate places in churches. Usually, the Christians of Scheduled Caste origins occupy the rear of the church. A glaring instance of caste distinction is found among the dead. The dead of the Dalit communities are buried in separate cemeteries.”

There is rampant casteist mentality in Christianity that takes pride in the egalitarian nature of its society. Its missionaries sell dignity to the underclasses in the Hindu society but forget about it after their conversion to Christianity. The Hindu society at least throws up periodically reformers who champion the cause of Dalits who are useful to Christianity only to swell its flock. Only two years ago, the Catholic bishops meeting at Varanasi resolved to bury casteism among Christians.

The appointment of India’s first “Dalit”(low caste) archbishop evoked mixed reactions among church community in Andhra Pradesh. The Vatican came under attack for ignoring “ground realities” in transferring Bishop Marampudi Joji of Vijayawada to Hyderabad, while others said his promotion as the state’s metropolitan archbishop will bring “new life” to the million-strong Andhra church. Expressing shock over the appointment, outgoing Archbishop Samineni Arulappa of Hyderabad said, “Rome is being taken for a ride. Rome does not know the ground realities.” He belongs to the upper caste Naidu community.

Out of 156 Catholic bishops in India, 150 bishops belong to the upper castes. Only six bishops are Dalits. Out of 12,500 Catholic priests, only 600 are from Dalit community. Though Dalits constitute 75 per cent of the Indian Christian community, the control over church is in the hands of 25 per cent upper caste Christians. (Outlook Magazine Aug ,30 )

It is not as though the problems of Dalit Christians have not received attention from the government. Several commissions appointed by the government have referred to the disabilities Dalits suffered in Christian society. Kaka Kalelkar, chairman of the Backward Classes Commission of 1955, said, “We discovered with deep pain and sorrow that untouchablility did obtain in the extreme south among Indian Christians, and Indian Christians were prepared in many places to assert that they were still guided by caste, not only in the matter of untouchablility, but in social hierarchy of high and low. While the Harijans among the Hindus, classified as scheduled castes stand a fair chance of bettering their condition under the Indian government’s reservation policy, their Christian counterparts stand twice discriminated.”

On the eve of Pope John Paul’s visit to India in November of 1999, Dr Mary John, president of Dalit Christian Liberation Movement, wrote: “Since the powers, authority, official posts, organizations and financial resources are all in the absolute hold of the caste-priests, nuns, bishops and the religious, the Dalit Christians are not able to get an equal share for them in education, employment opportunities, welfare and development schemes available in the church. This has hindered the progress of Dalit Christians for long and has forced them to the situation of fighting for their rights. But the church authorities are least worried about this.”

About ten million Dalit Christians of India feel cheated by the church that converted them to Christianity with the assurance that they would be given equal rights and status in the community.

Benjamin quotes some interesting statistics: A study of all the landed properties of churches in India put together shows that the church is the second biggest landlord in the country, next only to the Government. In addition, the Church institutions and Church or Christians-led NGOs receive foreign financial support amounting to over Rs. 2500 crores per year. There is no transparency with regard to these funds as well as the massive income accruing from the elite schools, colleges and hospitals and also shopping complexes built all over the major cities in the country. The poor Dalit Christian does not even get the crumbs, leave alone participation in Church matters. There seems to be a vested interest in keeping the Dalit Christians where they are to maintain the status quo in the church.

But now Dalit Christians are more untouchable in Christianity than they were in their original faith, according to Francis. “Swadeshi Church could be a solution to this problem as the management of our organizations will come into our hands. Today we have to look to World Council of Churches (WCC) and Vatican for every little effort to better our community. This is a fact that the church organizations are not “Dalit Christians’ friend”, said Francis in New Delhi recently.