Gandhi Before Gandhi

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

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GANDHI BEFORE GANDHIA
"Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace; requiring of them, faith in him, that they may be saved, and. promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life, his holy spirit, to make them willing, and able to believe. "Also I find this teaching viz., "that the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consisteth in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of that righteousness wherein he was created, and the corruption of his nature, whereby he is utterly indisposed, disabled and made opposite unto all that is spiritually good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and that, continuity; which is commonly; called, original sin, and from which did proceed the fall of man through one man Adam, all men have been cursed of God and are the bond-slaves of Satan."
This is the kind of teaching, for which the American people are spending thousands of dollars, to propagate. We the heathens of India, fail to see the Christian God in the light of a God of love and of mercy. I have no time to speak of the pernicious effects; of the doctrine of vicarious atonement and eternal hell. But this is what Christianity offered to the poor illiterate of India, is a mere outside husk of the most exoteric form and not even the teachings of Jesus. The doctrine concerning the Godhood, the destiny of soul and the purpose of existence as taught by the Christian clergy are so incompatible with ancient philosophy or modern science that instead of furthering the development of humanity, they would have arrested its growth in this world and the next.
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No religion can now destroy any other religions by fire and sword
I beg you to bear in mind that I do not mean in any sense to say that the religions, as now practiced in India, are not in any necessity of purification. I acknowledge that the Hindu religion will bear regeneration but that must come from the earnest and united efforts of the Hindus themselves. There are visible signs in India for the revival of the ancient philosophy but to expect dogmatic Christianity to take root among the Hindus has seemed, not only to the Hindus but to the thinking and intelligent foreigners, to be absurd. The earnest efforts therefore of the missionaries to Christianize India have not only not succeeded, but have proved in many respects harmful. Putting aside the theological view of Christianity-it has spread intolerance-intolerance being the rootprinciple of Christianity. Tolerance of other religions is impossible for Christianity for the simple reason that one of its fundamental doctrines is that there is no salvation outside of its pale. "They who have never heard the Gospel, know not the Jesus Christ, and believe not in him, cannot be saved, be they ever so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, or the laws of that religion which they profess; neither is there salvation in any other, but in Christ alone, who is the savior only of his body, the church." It is then clearly-impossible that other religions should find any way to live with Christianity since the latter is pledged by its very constitution to undermine and destroy all others. Christianity cannot now destroy, other religions by fire and sword as it has done in the past when the church and the bloody sword were inseparable powers.