Jaina Philosophy

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi, Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: World Jain Confederation

Page 99

- The Jaina Philosophy What have Christian Missions accomplished in India in religion? They have spread a false theology, theology not only false but positively injurious to the best interests of mankind. Why does the idea of life of a Hindu differ from that of a, Christian? Simply because the theory of one is different from that of the other. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism have a certain theory of the Universe, of the origin of evil, of the suffering of living beings, as to their origin and so on, and each of these religions is nothing but a ramification of the principles underlying those theories. The same is the case with the Christians' religion. Whatever may be the difference in detail between the respective theories and theologies of the religions of India and Christianity, there is this characteristic which marks Christianity out from other religions. It says that the whole world is destined for Christ; that Christianity is the only true religion and that the world is to be saved only by the Gospel message of the Bible.
With such fanatical views these Missionaries go to India and introduce among the people, doctrines which have long since been exploded by the light of science and reason. And still, in preaching those doctrines in India, the Missionaries claim that they proclaim the truth. Of course "truth" is used by them in a technical sense meaning "their own beliefs. 'In fact, Christianity and Truth are, in their opinion, convertible terms. In a similar way they interpret the word "superstition” which, in their vocabulary, means the religious belief of all non-Christians; they say that the 19th Century Christianity is the only true religion. With them, Christianity has assumed different garbs. There was the Christianity of Christ, with certain ideas of God, his working. Then came a different kind of Christianity, that of the fathers of the Church who are now regarded by many Christians as ignorant. Then came the Christianity of the Middle age which at present is looked upon as a mass of superstition. Then came Protestantism with its new features.