Ruthla Aier
Dimapur
In the exercise to have a "peaceful" community, freedom of choice seems to have been curtailed based on traditional conventions. Freedom is the ability to make one's own choice between different possibilities and to decide how to act in any given situation. Such freedom is rightly attributed to every human being. Freedom can be understood in many ways: as political freedom, social freedom, economic freedom, cultural freedom, or religious freedom. The researcher would like to emphasize on the individual freedom given by God to everyone without any distinction.
Freedom has been defined in many ways according to one's own context and situation. When one refers to individual freedom, it may create some queries related to the communitarian relation which does not give much importance to personal freedom, as tribal laws and traditions are mostly based on communitarian living which is believed to bring peace and prosperity in the society. Yet on the other hand Free- will which enables an individual to exercise one's freedom in life should not project negative image but enable a person to be free though under the law. Free-will has to be re-examined through a relevant interpretation of Imago Dei.
When the world is changing with the advancement of technology and when people's mindset is broadening, making way and trying to fit into the postmodern world, Nagas still seem to cling very strongly to its customary laws and traditional customs. There seems to be little space for change for Nagas to evolve as a society to allow for a more modern outlook where individual freedom and free will are regarded a premium for the advancement and development of the society. The problem here it is not that the concept of freedom is misunderstood, but Christian teaching related to freedom seems to be at stake restraining the freedom of choice given to every individual. Therefore, there is a need for re-examining freedom as indicated in the Bible and reinterpret it in the Naga social context, which would enable the individual as well as the society to evolve as a truly Christian society.
The understanding of God-given freedom in the context of Naga society appears ambiguous. This is stated because of the traditional rules and laws from an era of warring communities that Nagas were, which is still being enforced by communities of the Naga Society at some levels, constraining the so-called personal in many areas as one is bound by various customary laws and rules, which somehow handicaps one from exercising free-will given by God. The attitude towards people who tries to go beyond the marked line of Naga culture and tradition are considered rebels, even when there is an introduction of new ideas and job opportunities, there is always resentment towards it and tendency to develop negative attitude, which hinders the growth of the individual and curb one's personal freedom. Thus, one is no longer a person exercising his free- will and loses one's identity.
The following are some of the examples: i) Intolerance for dissent: The current Naga Society does not show much tolerance to any individual who expresses a different/dissenting view than those set by the tribal bodies. Freedom of speech seems to be heavily curtailed by disallowing and suppressing any form of dissent in writing or speech by any individual. ii) Patriarchal barriers: Because of the patriarchal setup, women still find it hard to voice out their views and opinion.
According to Millard J. Erickson, the concept of the Imago Dei plays a prominent role in understanding the Christian doctrine of the human being as it distinguishes human from the rest of the creation. The phrase ‘the image of God' has been interpreted in three ways in the history of Christian theology. 1) Substantive theories that seek to identify human quality with the image of God in humanity. 2) Functional theories hold that the image of God has to do with the functions that humanly performs, it focuses on human's responsibility to exercise dominion over the earth, freedom with responsibility. 3) Relational theories interpret the image of God as the unique interpersonal relationship with each other. It can be vertical as well as horizontal.
In ‘A Dictionary of Christian Theology, edited by Alan Richarson,’ Karl Barth denies that the image of God can be found in any static quality or faculty of the human. He denies in the analogy between the being of creation and the being of the creator but finds the relationship between God and humanity. Emil Brunner also sees Image of God related to the relationship. The ‘image of God' describes human life in relationship with God and with the other creatures. To be human is to live freely and in a relationship of mutual love and respect. God willed a creature who could love and be loved because this kind of relationship requires freedom. It will emphasize on the ‘free-will', which is already in us but that which seems to have been curtailed by external factors.
I believe when there is personal freedom, any community that is formed, will be a community of people who have chosen to be part of the community out of their own free will and interest, not because of being bound by rules. It would also mean a community that is much stronger and cohesive, where there is genuine respect for each other differences without any boundaries curtailing their views and opinions, the choice for life, profession, equal opportunity if it only brings peace and harmony rather than destruction. Because of some laws and rules relationships are distorted which creates bitterness and enmity among each other. Cultural impunity has led one to believe that there may be no change one just need to adjust and live as long as we can sustain ourselves and our needs. When personal freedom is not curtailed it will enable the person to freely live without any guilt or been subjugated by the society or church unnecessarily. It will stop creating enmities between each other and there will be genuine love. It will not only have a positive impact upon the individual but the society and church at large in the long run.
