Violence in the name of religion and State Assembly election

L Luingam *

It is said that religion has been the cause of many wars on this planet. The largest number of wars in the world had been fought in the name of religion. So far as Christianity is concerned, the history of Christianity was written in blood. Soon after the crucification of Jesus Christ all His disciples and many of His followers were persecuted and killed –
Stephen was stoned to death, Matthew was slain in Ethopia, Mark dragged through the streets until dead,
Luke hanged, Peter and Simeon were crucified, Andrew tied to cross, James beheaded,
Phillip crucified and stoned, Bartholomew flayed alive, Thomas pierced with lances,
James the Less thrown from the Temple and beaten to death, Jude shot to death with arrows.

Mathias stoned to death and Paul beheaded, Ignitius was demanded by the emperor Trajan to make a public sacrifice to idols to prove his loyalty to Roman Government but when he refused to do, he was thrown to the wild beasts in the stadium for amusement of pagan crowd and Polycarp, a strong believer of Christ was ordered to curse Christ publicly.

He refused to do so though knowing fully well that this will cost him his life. He was burned alive on the spot for his faith in Jesus. Many Christians were persecuted and in their death, they were made a mockery. They were covered in the skin of wild animals, torn to death by dogs. Those Christians were being massacred not for public good but to satisfy the mania of Nero.

The Roman empire at that time was pagan. It was a religion not simply of the people but of the empire. It was an established religion, established by the law and supported by the Government. Whereas the religion of Christ being a religion not of this world, its founder gave no earthly head and no temporal power. It sought no establishment, no State or Government support.

Its adherents, however were taught to respect all civil laws and Government. More than one hundred years had gone by before all this has happened, this hard persecution by Judaism and Paganism continued for two more centuries.

Despite all these hard persecutions, Christianity spread into all Roman empire, Europe, Asia, Africa, England, Wales and about everywhere else where there is any civilization. Nevertheless, persecution on Christian never stopped that fifty millions Christians died of persecution during 120 years of what Christians called DARK AGES.

Violence and persecution against Christians around the world never ends till today. It surges globally like never before. How true it is that religious conflict and persecution is the deepest and the longest human hatred. According to the 2021 world watch list by Open Doors, 13 Christians killed every day in the world for their faith. Among the top 10 worst persecutors North Korea ranks one and India ranks ten.

India is also witnessing rise in attacks on Christians. According to a report by human right groups more than 300 attacks on Christians allegedly by right wing groups took place in the 1st month of 2021, including 32 in Karnataka.

The report found that of the total 305 incident of ant-Christian violence, four North India States registered as many as 169 of them : 66 in BJP–ruled Utter Pradesh, 47 in Congress–ruled Chattisgarh, 36 in tribal dominated Jharkhan and 30 in BJP–ruled Madhya Pradesh. And on the other hand, in Andhra Pradesh under a Christian Chief Minister Shri JM Redy, at least 205 incidents of attack on Hindu temples took place in 2019 alone, many idols were vandalised and temple pro- perties stolen.

TDP leader and former Union Minister P Ashok Gojapathi said that idol of Lord Rama was vandalised and goddess Sita’s idols desecrated in Andra Pradesh. Moreover, according to police report more than 25 Muslim Mosques were attacked in India. But the media showed only a part of the truth which led to a feeling in foreign countries that only Christians are unsafe in India.

It is vividly seen that all these uncivilized and unwarranted discrimination is meted out not only to Christians but also to Hindus, Muslims and others irrespective of the religions they belong and at the same time these were not being carried out by the political parties of India but by some individuals and religious fanatic groups for their personal interests and beliefs.

All people obviously want respect for their own religions but making efforts to spread religious enmity is a threat to liberal society. A man may call himself a Christian or a Hindu or a Muslim and he may strictly follow the rituals of his religion. But this will never save him from sins. You may proudly carry your religious label but you are still prey to this passion. You have little time to search for truth.

You are talking a lot about peace but your behavior proves otherwise. Religion does not consist in act of outward practices and ceremonies but true religion is the purification of inner-mind and love is the essence of every religion. Spirituality as expressed in love, forgiveness and compassion has no caste, no creed, no sects and division.

No one has the right to coerce another in the matter of religious conviction. It is a personal matter between a man and his creator. We all know, India is not a theocratic State but a secular State. Religious neutrality is the very basis of a secular State. Secularism implies profound respect for all religions.

For instance, rescheduling of polling date from 27th Feb. – 28th Feb., 2022 under the initiative of honorable Chief Minister of Manipur clearly indicates that BJP believes in secularism as enshrined in the Constitution of India and respects the sentiments of minority Christians.

In this age of Science as stated by NK Kundu, secularism has to be based on science of religion from which social, political and ethical value system should spontaneously flow in every sphere of life leading to peaceful and harmonious co-existence for mutual benefit. Let us also recall an Ashokan inscription which reads – Honour another religion, for in doing so strengthens both one’s own and the other.

As we live in a pluralistic society, issues of any sort there will always be all through the ages. We have issues like integration or disintegration and development, social welfare or economic sustenance and so on. Political freedom may be meaningless without economic upliftment of the people.

It would therefore, be discreet if we opt for holistic view that all aspects of people’s needs psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as whole. Soon we will be going to polling booths to choose and decide our future. A right choice on that day may make our future bright while a wrong choice may mar it.

It is true that for every deed there is a corresponding consequence. Today we are facing the consequences of yesteryear’s choices and tomorrow we will face the consequences of today’s choices. So, let us not choose to be poor. We should not be poor because poverty is the greatest enemy of mankind.

There are conflicts between Nations because of poverty, while on a personal level man hates each other so much that it seems the whole human race is causing man to despite and hate each other. Owing to poverty, joy of home life are shattered, sacred ties of domestic life are broken and with the breaking down of home life moral degradation takes place and it also fortifies falsehood.

Poverty robs most of the people of the will to struggle against adverse circumstances. Poverty causes discontentment-discontent against established order of society, discontent against God and discontent against one’s own life. In an under developed State like Manipur where vast majority of people are steeped in poverty, money power always reigns supreme in the elections and thus our electoral system becomes deteriorated.

Besides, poverty stricken family or society hampers the progress of children’s education and our future generation is doomed to collapse without proper foundation of education in the midst of confusion and chaos created within the society.

Education is the only key to the solution not only of our political problems but of our economic and social problems as well. Attorney General of USA Ransay Clark said bluntly in 1960 that poverty is the cause of crime. Former President of America Jimmy Carter echoed the same view-point when during his term in office, a power outage occurred in New York City and widespread looting took place.

President Jimmy Carter declared it was poverty that had driven people to loot. Let us therefore, be aware of purveyor of false propagandists. Let no one make effort to spread religious enmity. Let no one use the name of religion as a weapon to garner the votes of the innocent and unwary voters.

Let no one sow seeds of discord by telling only half truth of the incidents. Let no one spread unsubstantiated and fake propaganda to steal the hearts of common men and women and let no one try to harvest the valuable votes through coercion of any kind, so that the people of Manipur can get the Government they really deserve.