Saturday 1 August 2009

My World View - Mizo Christians and Racism

My online life hasn’t been too active albeit frequent mail checks, scrap checks and visiting misual.com. In those times being online, I have come across some few topics that have captured repeated comments. Yes, I am also talking about racism in today’s world, and the concerns raised by the experiences of Mizos outside the state and inside. And it has brought me to an attention which I feel I should also raise from an ethical and religious perspective, a Christian perspective in attempt. Having grown and lived outside Mizoram from the early 1980s, till the days I worked in Mizoram, I have come across and experienced racism in several forms. It reminds me of what a stand-up comedian, Russell Peters once said, that Indians are among the most racist people. Mizos included.

What remains to be examined is the response of Mizos in Mizoram. I have come across remarks like, ‘we were humiliated and cruelly treated upon, and there is no way we should show non-mizos mercy when in Mizoram.’ I was shocked at the response, considering our utmost appreciation and fanaticism of the Christian belief and our acclaimed state of Christianity. I do highly regard each person unique and that they have their own rights as human beings. Yet, in spite of that, our response to people of different race needs to be re-examined. Most of the non-mizos in Mizoram do know the fact that they are living in one of the most peaceful state in India, and where the majority of the populace is Christians. But, our attitude to them, quite un-Christian I should say.

Why?

I would say, in my humble opinion, our (Mizo) difficulty in practicing what we preach, possibly me included. Our Christianity is presupposed to be confined within the four walls of the Church building and the ever frequent ‘lengkhawms’ that we have. And we judge our Christianity, not through ethical and social attitudes, but in the frequency of our prayer routine and spiritual dances. We forgive without forgetting. Condemnation has become one of the major topics of sermon. We take pride in denominationalism. We abhor publicly so many things we do in private. We forget also that the people who introduced Christianity were those who were most brutal and warlike, among the most racist of races. Instead of only picking out Christian ideals and practices from them, we follow their lifestyles instead. Isn’t it time we change, starting from ourselves. And the youths are the ones to bring out the needed change. Else, we all know where all this will lead us into.

Sometimes I wonder whether the non-mizos in Mizoram would see us as practicing Christians. Our faith is not how we look at ourselves, but how people see us. If what we believe is correct, shouldn’t it show, I wonder. I fear that visitors to our land would not notice that we are Christians. I must add, the size of our church building will not deepen our faith. Our action needs to speak louder. The Christian ideal is so moral and good to be hidden or practiced in private. Let our action attract people to this faith. When this Christian ideal reigns supreme, I believe our racist attitude will die out gradually because the Good Book teaches the equality of every life.

5 comments:

Mizohican said...

"We forgive without forgetting"

Amen to that. I honestly feel forgetting is more important that forgiving. Very nicely written.

And I totally agree with you on the hypocrisy part, and how some people have that "Holier than thou" attitude before others just because they go to Church more frequently when they don't even practice it in real life.

Look at how we are struggling with alcohol. And how we are the highest in India when it comes to cancer due to consumption of India. And how we are one of the highest when it comes to corporal punishment. In the midst of all these, are we really comfortable in saying we have the highest Christian population in terms of percentage?

I got a few opportunities to mix around with the pastors and Church leaders (Synod) a couple of years ago (Dec 2006), and believe me, there was no such racism among them. They respected the non-Mizo pastors & congregations deeply and treated them indifferently and affectionately.

But what is the point if they can't pass on that same sense of equality to their own sheeps, their flock, their followers? That just means they've more or less failed in the one thing they're supposed to do.

Here is an article of mine I once wrote, that even got published in "Jesus Calls" magazine, which pretty much goes in the same line as your post regarding the impression we give to our friends as a Christian.

Impression of a Christian

I wrote it during that same time I was going around with pastors and missionaries (which I mentioned earlier - Dec 2006). If I look at my life now, I guess I'm not the same person, and one can say I have more or less stumbled. But at the same time, I have never gone down the dark path I once used to take before my Heavenly experience with God in December 2006.

Mizohican said...

oops!

*due to consumption of tobacco, not India!

:-)

Dawgmatix said...

well written and brutally frank.. I admire your honesty. I am a biologist and have spent more than two years in remote areas within Mizoram. I stayed in both the Lushai areas as well as the Mara area. I have to say that the subdued animosity (the immediate classification as someone from 'vai ram') was much more evident in the Lushai areas. Comparing the standard of life among these two areas, its not difficult to see why.
At the same time, people of the Tibeto-Burman group from northeast definitely do face harassment because of their appearance. And it probably fits in well with the chaos that is mainland India. But somehow, the tranquil and beautiful hills dont lend themselves to such an attitude. I wish there was more understanding on both sides.

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