Gandhi Before Gandhi

Author(s): Bipin Doshi, Priti Shah
Publisher: Jain Academy Educational Research Center Promotion Trust Mumbai

Page 33

GANDHI BEFORE GANDHI
to such diabolical methods. Even in this country I have been told by those who claim to have been present that the same method was used with the Red Indians.
missionary teaches that the world and all things therein were created by the word of God's power out of nothing within the span of six days, and all was very good. How many of your intelligent people believe in, this dogma. If, as I am told, few people believe in it and many are trying to explain it away, yet the Bible teachings in this is none the less a failure. And the relation between God and man is explained thus: - I here quote from the Presbyterian confession of Faith.
Any single religion will be a failure as the sole source of light and life, not only in India but in any other country
"The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience - unto him as their creator, yet they would never have any fruition of him, as their blessedness and reward but
by some voluntarycondescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant."
With such practices, these men talk of the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man, of the universal love and liberality of thought. Even aside from these acts, the teachings propagated amongst the most ignorant of the low classes is at the best a dogma of one or other particular sect, first and foremost of which is that the Holy Scriptures of the old and new Testament is the only word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience. Now if the Scriptures are what has been claimed by them i.e. if they are the infallible word of God from beginning to end, then we must discard all other sources of knowledge and follow only the teachings of this one-book. But have even the most pious Christians, with any intelligence at all, really followed this doctrine to the exclusion of all other sources of knowledge? Certainly, we know as a fact that they have not. This one fact shows that in this respect, Christianity has been a failure as the sole source of light and life, not only in India but in any other country, which sane literary man would consider the Bible to be the inspired word of God? Especially, when he raises the question as to who wrote the books, when they were written, and where were they written. I do not intend to enter into a discussion of the fallibility or infallibility of the Bible, but it is a fact that the first bright spark of knowledge presented to the poor benighted souls of the Hindus is this theory about the Bible. Next, the
"The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works wherein life was promised to-Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience."