Hmmmmm

About ten years ago I had a conversation with some guys about travel and what not - just very nice coffee shop chat.  And one of them - very Evangelical (only an Evangelical will truly know what that means!), and very sincere I'm sure - was talking about a report he got at church about missionaries in India being chased out of a village by rubber hose-wielding Hindus who did not like the fact these they had come from the US to covert the locals, and had been living among them for this purpose.  These missionaries had been doing this clandestinely, through the support of their home church and the support of the denomination to which they belonged (let's say, Presbyterian).   And through the success of a convert or two (maybe more), word had gotten around.  One of the guys at the coffee shop blurted out, "Can you believe that?!"

I thought about my visit to India, books I've read and people of different faiths (and no faiths) I've encountered over the years - abroad, here in the states, in my family, old friends, strangers.  I realized that Hindus - certain ones - were just as tribal as Christians.  It's about my team, my group, the truth.  And yet I knew that while some Hindus were very dogmatic and absolutely certain about that truth (à la fundamentalist Christians and Muslims), others were more moderate, or even, shall I say it, liberal (à la Sufi Muslims or Episcopal).  Then I thought about nationalism, and what "drives that home" - the often blind allegiance and heartfelt devotion to country.  I learned that Indians, not surprisingly, are very nationalistic, and that this nationalism, for those die-hards especially, goes hand-in-hand with  a certain faith - in their case, Hinduism.  "To be Indian is to be Hindu!"  Or if you have ever heard, "America is a Christian country", then you get it.

That report coming from the missionaries in India made me wonder:  What if a small group of young, friendly, attractive Indian twentysomethings arrived in a small Alabama town and settled there?  I mean, super-nice, educated, smiling from ear-to-ear and interested in all things Americana?  And pretty quickly, they befriended the local youth, who were as equally excited about them?  Let's just imagine that all was good.  They were there, enjoying the local culture, cuisine, even showing interest in church activities.  A bit of time passed, though, and at some point, when asked (by the youth) what made them so happy and what got them going every day, the Indian guests mentioned their Hindu faith and the role it played in their lives.  Although surprised to hear this, the impressionable and curious youth remained in their orbit long enough to desire to know a bit more.  Yet these kids, who knew how devout and committed their parents were to their church and Christian faith, dared not say anything to their parents - certainly not anything that could imply that the out-of-towners wanted them to learn more about Hinduism - or heaven forbid, follow it.  Lo and behold, though, as the months went by, there was a "success story."  A local youth became a Hindu (however you do that), and then naturally felt compelled to spread this "good news" to their peers.  Am I painting a clear picture?  What do you think the majority of people in the community would think?  What would parents say?  And what if they did a background check and discovered that the Indian guests were actually operating covertly through a Hindu sect (the Southern Baptist equivalent) that was supporting this endeavor?  Would they be upset enough to pick up a rubber hose?!?  Would they want them to leave?  

This, my friend, is an exercise in critical thinking.  Is there a double-standard, or is it simply our truth is the truth?

Here's an article that might make you think a little bit.