GOD BLESS MANKIND, NOT JUST AMERICA

 



“We will be judged by, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was homeless, and you took me in’.”

Mother Teresa

 

From Richard Attenborough’s movie, ‘Gandhi’, two powerful scenes come to my mind…

First scene: One of Gandhi’s most faithful followers - an English woman associated with his work for a long time – one day, in his Ashram, expresses her deep wish to be converted into Hinduism. Bapu’s response takes my breath away… “You do not deed to convert yourself into a Hindu,” he tells her, “You just need to become a better Christian.”

The second scene: It involves, once again, a young Christian priest, an English man, who has been deeply inspired by the ideals of Gandhiji. He mentions these ideals in one of his Sunday sermons in the church… We see some hardened men and women walking out. Apparently, they have come to church to hear what Jesus said two thousand years ago, not what this ‘coloured man’ (by all yardsticks, more Christian than any of those who have  assembled in the church) has to say, right now…




The religion is dead once its essence – its soul – is gone.





During the recent American election-campaign, I heard Donald Trump, the Bible in his hand,  addressing a massive group of evangelists… “America is going haywire… We need to bring back Christianity to America… The Bible is my most favourite Book… Everyone should have a copy of it… Blah-blah-blah.”

“O Jesus Christ,” I said!

My fellow-Christians started sharing on social media a short edited-clip of this video,  from left, right and center, yes, with the caption: “You Must Listen to Him”…

Last week, one of our family friends, a dyed-in-wool Catholic woman,  forwarded the same clip to me… “You Must Listen to Him”





I wasted no time to respond… “My friend, he is  ‘The Donald Trump’… He is not on that stage to promote Christianity… He is there to promote himself. Remember, the devil can quote the Bible the best.”

Do we need politicians to tell us which religion we need to follow to become better souls? Do we require Christianity to save us from ‘getting lost’ and ‘going haywire’… or to hell?

Come on… As Gandhi said to the Christian woman, that she did not need to convert herself into a Hindu, instead, she just needed to become a better Christian… Yes, if each one of us become better of whatever we already are – a Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Jew whatever, is it not enough for the mankind? Why, then, this obsession to ‘bring back’ Christianity into America, or Hinduism into India, or Islam into Pakistan?

Mr. Trump, now that you are the President of America – yes, for the second time…. Can you please work sincerely to bring back some sanity?

God Bless Mankind, not just America… He lives in all, everywhere.

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s.: 1. Pixels/Alexander Hamilton  2. pixabay

 

Video: 1. Rotten Tomatoes  2. Unknown source

 

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