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Global corporates Francois Gautier's “Christ and the North-East” (NIE, 20-11-2000) was a frank expose and should cause concern to all right-thinking Indians. Three areas calls for introspection: 1. “Exclusivity has crept into the purity of early Christianity.” This is a singular characteristic of that religion. Right from childhood every Christian is made to believe that she/he belongs to a religion which alone possess ‘the only true god’—which automatically means that others possess demi-gods, false gods or no gods. A run of this thinking activates them to ‘save’ others. It is difficult to erase this arrogation of a monopolistic ownership of god. The concomitants of this—fundamentalism and intolerance. 2. “Christianity is dwindling in the West.” This augments the need for the Church to target the Third World countries and India becomes a soft target with its gullible people and political parties which will go to any lengths, even compromise the country's integrity for their own political gains. It is small wonder that in Arunachal Pradesh from a mere 1710 in 1961 the number of Christians have swelled to 115,000 with 700 churches. The minority status has aided the churches to acquire enormous land. Neither the Marxists nor the ‘secular forces’ are bothered about the fact that the Christian churches lumped together becomes the biggest landowner in India—all this for the love of Christ. Which country will allow this land-grab? Why and how can a 2.32 per cent justify the ownership of such vast extents of land? Its service wing is only a diversion to sanctify the unaccountability and immunity to this acquisition. If the Hindu temple and its lands come under Government control why should the Church lands not be controlled and regulated? 3. When political parties are agitated over the impact of globalisation they overlook the fact that the churches are global corporates. Take the example of the Roman Catholic Church with its headquarters at Rome: its enormous wealth (second to the Lutheran Church) is invested in various profit-oriented sectors including arms and ammunition. Its leader is not only a spiritual head but also a political head of a state. With its economic, political and social powers the Roman Catholic Church becomes one of the biggest transcontinental corporate wrapped with a sheen of spirituality/religiosity. This to claim immunity and unaccountability. Can anyone recognise Christ and his message within this power baggage? Followers must try to emulate their leader. Christ had no place to lay his head. His stand for justice was uncompromising and hence earned his isolation and his death. Here political parties vie with one another to ally with churches, abet its activities, gaze with awe at its wealth and power. Can one identify any Christ-like characteristics in the churches which only misuse and abuse his name and message for their own power and glory, to extend its colonial ambitions in the Third World? To be honest one needs to be outside the churches to realise what Christ stood for and to experience his message of love and peace.
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