The letter written by one, Kedi Haralu, requesting the government to “allocate” some money for Pastor Benny Hinn’s ministry comes as no surprise for the kind of Christianity that most Nagas practice. It simply projects the shallowness and naivety of many Christians in Nagaland.
For one, those who know Benny Hinn’s ministry inside-out will know right away that a lot of Naga Christians are also being bought into believing in Hinn’s deceptive money-making ministry. A quick search on the Internet will reveal what Benny Hinn and his followers are really up to.
Not only are Benny Hinn’s so called “miracles of healing” mock set-ups, Benny Hinn himself is a Necromaniac/Necrophilia—one who believes and worships the dead! I suppose many Naga Christians are not aware of this. International news media and many Christian forums are constantly on the watch of what Benny Hinn’s next trick is up in his sleeve.
Just recently, BBC carried a news about a scam in which Benny Hinn was involved as the main actor! Hinn canceled his “miracle crusade” in an African country because the organizers were not able to come up with the money he demanded. Not only that, Hinn also asked the poor Africans to reimburse the expenses he incurred in arranging for this trip!
Indeed, a prophet’s scandal that Christians must be aware of! Reports of Naga Christians going all the way to Mumbai and Bangalore to attend Hinn’s crusade needs serious reflection and questioning of whether belief, faith, and worship of God become possible only in the presence of a particular person! The Church in Nagaland must be able to address this.
A lack of critical understanding of faith and practice among Christians in Nagaland make people like Kedi Haralu to come up with such a strange idea about allocating money from the state’s coffer for Benny Hinn’s ministry. Use of public fund for religious purposes is not the wisest thing in a secular state.
Nagaland is by no means a “Christian State” as Kedi Haralu has indicated. Rather, Nagaland is a state where Christians are a majority or dominant! If Nagaland was a “Christian State,” it would mean the Church as the governing political authority over all matters, whether religion, civic, or others! Such a situation, I hope, will never prevail. Instead, Christian leaders, politicians, bureaucrats and all influencial people in Nagaland must exercise their Christian faith and ethics in governance and in the service of the public. This will be much saner than to “allocate” money for Benny Hinn and his money-making ministry!
Bendang Toshi
