I must say I am a bit surprised by the shrill tone of the responses of
Professors Cook and Rosser to the conversion issue in India. I daresay
their own language of "insidious", "subversive", "predatory" actions of
the Southern Baptist prayer guide is not less inflammatory than the
metaphors in the aforementioned prayer guide. The language used by the
Baptists is no more radical than that used by Jesus himself, nor is it
unique or exclusive to Christians. Rather, all religions have an
element of this, although it might not be as visible as this one
document has become. The Christians, in order to be true to their own
commitments, are obliged to view the world as Jesus did. That includes
conversion. The Dalai Lama himself has stated that his mission in the
west is to convert Westerners to the Dharma. Should we protest this
also?
I must say I am also quite confused as to why Professor Rosser in
particular is so upset by the idea of Bangladeshi Hindus converting.
Perhaps it is because of the very issues that she mentions that they
find hope in the Christian gospel. Might it be that the
anti-Christian/conversion dialogue itself is no more than a political
issue shrewdly manufactured by the RSS and BJP in order to shore up its
own majority in a machiavellian fashion. The issue of conversion has
certainly not destabilized any element of Indian society as far as I can
see. The number of Christians in India is still so tiny that they pose
no threat to the Hindu majority. If one reads the excerpts fromt he
prayer guide that is reprinted on the web page Professor Rosser posted,
one cannot but notice that there is no evil intent on the part of the
Southern Baptists. Rather, they are trying to provoke love and
compassion for Indians, calling attention to the issues of endemic
poverty, disease, and poverty among these groups, within the context of
their own faith. It is a prayer guide, not a military strategy! If
only we could get peoples of the world to pray for one another, we might
have more peace, not less. It seems to me that this issue has already
provoked far more passion among H-Asia readers than the violent,
unconscionable murder of the Australian missionary Graham Staines and
his two sons, who had dedicated his life in ministry to lepers.
Ultimately, a religion is a world view, with a set of ethics, values,
etc. I cannot accept any argument, particularly from Westerners, who
argue that these worldviews should not be subject to critical scrutiny,
even from outsiders. Just as I am not offended when Lee Kuan Yew
criticizes American views of democracy, I don't see why academics should
be offended when Christians critique the values and worldviews of
others, and invite the same kind of scrutiny. It is particularly
perplexing when the converts themselves are seen as some sort of
helpless pawns in a great power game between religions, who must be
protected by those of us with greater wisdom. If the missionaries
provide options, and the converts choose them, what harm does that do to
the world? The prayer booklet specifically states that "the Hindus
worship deities that are not Gods," hence, darkness. It is a truth
claim, subject to debate. Why should Western academics seek to stifle
that debate?
I also wonder why Professor Rosser is concerned about the Christians
among Muslims in nations where conversion is prohibited. Should she not
be more concerned about the use of state force to enforce religious
belief, than the incredibly small number of Christians who seek to
provide an alternative understanding of God?
Randy Kluver
Asian Studies Program/Communication Studies
Oklahoma City University
2501 N. Blackwelder, OKC, OK 73106 USA
(405) 521-5096 phone (405) 557-6001 fax
rkluver@frodo.okcu.edu
Ed. note: I too have wondered about the degree to which sensitivities
about critiques of one religious tradition against another appear to
be concerned to criticize some critiques and not speak to others. From a
position of looking at the world system, I would imagine that the
Southern Baptists would find themselves rather closely aligned with
many Hindus and Muslims in relation to the secular capitalist world
popular culture. One H-ASIA member who asked to not have his views
posted to the list asked me if some of us really had problems with
our relations to religion in the West, rather than the East? To that
I had no ready reply.
F.F.C.
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