Friday, 06 March 2009

• What is your worldview and why does it matter?

  Worldview is such an integral part of our lives that we can hardly get over it. Everything that we say or do springs from this wellspring of mental reservoir and we see things from our perspective.  This perspective than determines our attitude toward a thing, an idea, a situation or a person; and our attitude then formulates a course of action or behavior toward that thing, that idea, that situation and that person.  When our course of action becomes our normal behavior, it shapes our character and our character in turn determines our destiny.  Science (Psychology) tells that man is conditioned by his environment, and, in some respect, it is true.  The society we grew in has a lot to contribute in forming our worldview.  But, in some cases, the society we grew in becomes the main instrument in forming a different worldview from the one we are brought in.  This happens when the mind is able to critically analyze its environment, customs and traditions in order to find meaning for their existence.  Such critical evaluation of our environment is rarely achieved because more often than not, we are blinded or conditioned in thinking by the environment we live in (a fish can not tell the difference between getting wet and dry).  What we think, how we live and behave reflects the kind of conditioning we have come from. 

  What I would like to do in this small piece is to take my readers to understand the kind of worldview I had (have) as a citizen of a country named Nepal, and along with this, I would like to related it to my fellow Christian ministers and thinkers everywhere (particularly Nepal).

  Nepal is a small nation between two great ones, and historically, it had to withstand the onslaught of invasion from the greatest empire of the modern world.  Fortunately (unfortunately), the British were forced to make a peace treaty, which they had rarely done in their conquest, with this tiny Himalayan nation.  This treaty would also help the ruling class in Nepal to hold on to power for generations to come in the expense of the general public.  Nepalese were brutally oppressed and barred from the modernization of the world for nearly two and a half century.  Enlightenment, modernity and post modernity came and went from Europe, but Nepal remained in the medieval life.  The brave Nepalese who fought for their country and people, who stood against one of the most advancing armies of 19^th and 20^th centuries, and became successful in doing, were later hired by the British Empire as mercenaries and palace guards.  They earned the name Gorkhas and were considered to be most loyal who would defend their masters with ferocity of a lioness for her cubs.  But they did it only for the sake of money minus a national dignity.  Many received bravery awards, but we can imagine the irony of fighting for someone else’s country.

  To make matters worst, the ruling Rana family (King was just a symbol and prime minister became the hereditary dictator) prohibited the public from learning.  What an irony, in the age of reason and learning, Nepalese rulers prohibited of opening any schools and learning centers for the public.  It was the most repressive regime in the history of Nepal.  Few lucky ones were able to leave the country and pursue their education in India and elsewhere.  Such ones came in touch with the Indian aspiration for freedom from the British Empire which was itself a form of a terrible apartheid.  Quest for freedom began in India for these students, and later when India got its independence in 1948, hopes were high for Nepal as well.  Meanwhile in Nepal, with the help of the repressive Rana family, the King was considered to be the incarnation of Vishnu (Hindu god of sustenance) and people were forced to worship him.  The founder of this dynasty himself had made Hinduism as the state religion and now the king was a god.  The whole nation was put in dark prison and no foreigner was allowed to enter the nation except for the education of the ruling class (There was one school in whole of Nepal and its name was palace school where the royals only could attend).  The very psyche of the nation was reduced to absolute inferiority and made to believe that their lot as poor peasants who work for the ruling class was predestined by their gods.  When the Rana family saw how a powerful Empire had to give in to people’s demand in India, his confidence suffered.  At the same time, King paid a visit to newly elected Prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, and even offered his kingdom to him.  Fortunately, Nehru declined and, instead promised help in establishing democracy in Nepal by forcing the Ranas out of power.  In 1950, Ranas were forced out of power and democracy came to Nepal, but only to see the Kings riding her again.  Few good things from the democracy of 1950 were that there were schools; at least a few of them and foreigners were allowed to come in, though it was not easy for Nepalese to obtain passport and go abroad.  Nepalese Christians living in India were also able to come back to their homeland and they brought the best of all things; good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.

  Kings and rulers also used the Hindu caste system to justify their oppression.  The untouchables were the most repressed section of the society in all form of life for centuries.  I grew up in a modest high caste Brahmin family, and every time a person from low caste visited our home, he would be given a seat far outside the veranda.  If asked for water, we would pour from high above and he would put his both palms together to form a bowl like shape and put his mouth between the palms and drink as we keep on pouring from a glass or a jar.  After that, we would keep that glass or jar outside until it dried out completely.  If by chance we had touched the untouchable, then unless someone else from the house sprinkles holy water, we would not be able to enter the house or touch anything else.  I remember our village well where people came to fetch water, take baths and wash their clothes.  It had plenty of water, and was beautifully made.  The well had centuries old history; some of its huge washing stones had become like huge bowls and some were completely penetrated from the years of washings.  Being the only well for the whole village, and there was substantial number of untouchables in our village, it was always a place of frictions and complains.  Actually, every village must have tailors, blacksmiths, and tanners (sharkis for the leather works).  The whole village depended on their skills, but sadly, they were considered the lowest and untouchable class. 

  Every time an untouchable went to the well, he or she could not touch the water or the stones of the well.  The person had to wait for someone from the upper class to come by and pour out water for him or her.  I was about 9 years old, and one day I went alone to take a bath, and there, an old untouchable lady was waiting at the well for some one to come and pour water in her jar.  As I poured the water in her jar, my mind began to bother me.  Why in the world does she need to wait like that?  What is wrong with her?  What is the difference between her and me?  The second time I had similar questioning of mind was when an old man visited our home, he touched my feet and bowed down (he was not untouchable but lower than our caste).  He was grandpa’s friend, and here he was bowing to me where as I suppose to do that to him.  These two incidents never left my mind for so many years. 

  My worldview finally came crumbling down when I came in touch with Darwinian philosophy and Marxist political system.  At 16, I thought I had found the answer to my questions of life and the inequality in society.  With great interest, I began to skim the Red literature (was prohibited in Nepal) with the help of my uncle.  As I came in touch with Stalin’s collectivization of the land and property of the rich farmers known as Kulaks class and Mao’s Cultural Revolution, doubts were creping in my young mind and common sense told me that not all the Kulaks and western collaborators deserved what the young communist and the red army did to them.  But this doubt, I tried to suppress because I thought there is no other alternative for the real liberation of the people, not only from the political tyranny but also of the religious and traditions. I had made a huge shift in my worldview from a polytheistic (pantheistic) to a Darwinian where matter is all there is.  Desperate times require desperate steps, and communism was severely persecuted in Nepal; life as a communist was not certain.  So, we had to live one day at a time.  The greed for the material and temporal success was tempered with the feeling of imminent death or imprisonment.  But the desire to die for a cause that we believed in was noble.  Marriage, family, and future were all forgotten because of the nobility of the cause of human liberation.

  This worldview lasted until only when I would come in touch with a piece of literature that would introduce me to a revolutionary; much different than what I had known until then.  The two small books (Friend of All and God who answers by fire) brought my doubts about the treatment of Kulaks in the USSR and the rich and wealthy with western orientation in China to the fore.  I knew deep in me that all the rich were not bad, all the upper class were not bad, and secretly I had wished for a system that would be just and fair to both the rich and the poor, the upper and the lower classes.  The book, Friend of all, was gospel of Luke (much later did I know that), and the other book was a story of a Hindu man looking for gods in all shorts of places and finally found in Jesus Christ.  The person of Jesus Christ and his teachings and dealings with people grabbed my attention.  Although I was in the company of my friends and relatives, personally I was all alone in my innermost being and needed a friend like Jesus.  Not only me, but if the rich and the poor, the upper and the lower classes could know about Jesus and his dealings, the solution for equality, justice and freedom was possible.  After reading those books over many times, I decided to find out more about this person.  Eventually, I met few hidden Christians (Christians were also persecuted in Nepal) who advised me to go to India and get baptized.  Prior to baptism, I had come to a full realization of my sinfulness, and with it of whole humanity.  The inner doubt whether atheism was the solution was settled forever and a hope for a new future dawned in my heart.  Jesus not only became my ideal revolutionary, he become my savior; not only from my sin but also from my wonderings.  A third shift in the formation of my worldview finally brought me to where I am now.  From the day I took baptism, I knew my calling (in the spiritual language, God called me).  It was to make this revolutionary known to my people so that the oppressing one will stop oppressing and the oppressed one will forgive the oppressor; creating a new society where equality and freedom can live side by side with the hope of eternity in their hearts.  I did not have any idea of church, seminary and missions.  All I knew was to go back to my people and try to teach them about Jesus Christ and what he can do for them.  Never had any idea that I was entering in the “ministry”, or that people get paid for doing the “ministry”.  I thought it was our duty and responsibility of teaching what Jesus can do for the people, just like we were willing to give our lives in order for people to know about communism and what it could do for them.  Providence would have, that when I went back to my people with the message of Jesus Christ, I was totally rejected and forced out of my community.  I just could not understand how stupid these people were that they were willing to live in oppression but not listen to the most liberating message of Jesus Christ.  Finally, I thought if I go to the lower caste, they will listen.  So, I went to my tanner friend and told him all about what Jesus can do for him and his people.  He just laughed, thinking that I had lost my mind.  Circumstances finally led to associate with some Christians that I had known by then.  After spending two years with them, the leader suggested me to go to a Bible College.  My first real orientation to Christianity took place in that College in the city of Bangalore, India.

  By the time I graduated from that Bible College in 1991, democracy had finally come to Nepal with all its promises.  Freedom for politics and Christianity!  When I came back to Nepal, for the first time I came to know many Nepali pastors, evangelists, and mission leaders.  Unfortunately, the Christianity that I came to know from those early two books, and supplemented some in the Bible College was different from the Christianity of my fellow Nepali ministers.  There was fighting, jealousy, competitions and accusations among them, mainly because of the financial or material greed.  The better I tried to know these Christian leaders, the more depressed I became knowing that their primary aim was somehow to get the attention of any (I mean any) foreign donors regardless of their denomination, doctrines and convictions.  From 1993, I took a solitary path.  But by then I was married and had a son.  I needed to make a living while I continue to make my ideal revolutionary known to anyone who would come in contact.  I found a part time job as a Bible teacher in two schools.  Meanwhile my wife and I started a prayer meeting in our living room, and today it is known as Hope Church (www.hopec.org) with three daughter churches. 

  Because our upbringing shapes our worldview, we bring that worldview with us even long after we have become believers.  Old habits really die hard.  From early in life, I began to be critical of things that did not make sense to me, and communism made matters worst.  It taught me to speak my mind without restriction, what an irony!  It fueled in me the revolutionary or the protesting spirit when I see things not going the right way, at least in my opinion.  I found it hard to submit to any authority that did not respect its roles and responsibility.  Before long, I develop judgmental attitude toward my fellow ministers and Christian leaders.  I refused to take part in any of the Christian gatherings and pastoral conferences knowing that these were only means by which these leaders wanted to make some more money.

  Then, one day, the Lord opened my eyes as how the Devil was using what once good in me to advance his evil skims.  Devil had found a weak spot in my life and was happy to use it.  I had to look deep in the recesses of my heart and mind, and as I grew a bit older (wish I was wise too!), I began to look beyond the fellow Christian ministers’ greed and hunger for power.  They were also the victims of their worldview.  Some, coming from the ashes of poverty, wanted to enjoy the fruits of prosperity even if it meant to lie and cheat.  These brothers and sisters who were amassing enormous amount of wealth in the name of ministry and mission were either from the lower end of the social stick or the unfortunate orphans who grew under the mercy of others.  Until recently, in Nepal, success in ministry was measured by the amount of money and property one had.   It is lately that people have begun to look for fruits.  And as always money does not satisfy a human soul, and some of these precious people God also realized, but it seems a bit too late.  Now, in Nepal, there is another trend among these hungry Christian leaders and that is of education.  Until now, as a fact of matter, there are only two genuine PhD holders; one in the New Testament and the other in the Old Testament.  But to my surprise, in my few years of absence from Nepal, everyone that I know has a PhD without ever leaving their homes!  Now, my readers may think that they must have done an online extension course from a recognized university.  But, no, from some Indian businessmen who are making a good profit by selling these certificates in the name of their unknown ministries and seminaries.  One such man named Bishop (Rev.) Dr. Chintha David John, MA (Litt), MEd, BD, DD, DMin, PhD (how in the world did have time to do three, including BD, masters and three doctorates) can give you a PhD in any field of knowledge if you pay the money and just submit a 150 page thesis.  Does not have to be written by you, you can ask anyone to do it for you because after all there is no cross examination and not even an oral defense.  If you can not send the 150 pages of papers, you can ask him to give you an honorary doctorate![1]  He is not the only one in this business, there are several and many of our Nepalese Christian leaders have made good use of them.  Now, after struggling years for a PhD, I could easily be critical and judgmental about these friends, but now I have learnt to look beyond human behavior to the very source of their actions, and instead of avoiding them, I hope to offer a helping hand and wish to show them that it is neither money nor education that will give us the satisfaction.  It is Christ and He alone who can meet our deepest needs if we are open and honest about our struggles and shortcomings.  I know I have failed in the area of anger, resentment toward authority, negative criticism, and judgmental attitude.  All of these have resulted in many broken relationships and unnecessary criticisms for which I regret now.  But after knowing where I have come from, it helps me to understand my actions.  My third shift in the formation of my worldview is still in process and I know it shall not be perfect until the other side of eternity.  What is your worldview, where did you come from?  
  

  ---

  [1] www.http://throneofgrace.org

  • 10:22 PM
  • 44 Views
  • 4 eProps
  • 4 Comments