Kaka D Iralu
Last night, I went to sleep never knowing whether I would ever wake up again this morning. As I slept unconscious like a dead man, I was not consciously in charge of my breathing or the rotation of the world which enabled me to wake up again this morning to see another dawn. All these activities were done by the Good Lord so that I can be sitting now and writing again. I also know that the distance of the earth from the sun is just in the right position for water and air to have its contents so that everything on the planet earth can have its life and existence. Science has taught me how this planet earth and even the larger universe with all its galaxies functions. But science does not tell me anything about the master architect who created all these wonders and set them in their respective spheres for his own glory and for humanity’s habitation of the planet earth(Ps.19:1;8;3,4).
This same God who created the earth for our habitation did not create the world in chaos but also gave specific laws and commandments for running the earthly affairs of our lives here on earth. He gave laws for the running of our family lives where divorce is clearly forbidden; wives commanded to submit to their husbands; husbands to love their wives and- children to obey their parents in the Lord Etc. Over and above these commandments, specifically clear laws are also given for the running and administration of our political and social lives here on earth. I think I do not need to quote scripture verses here again because for all our lives we have been hearing them again and again in our Churches.
But the tragedy with Naga Christianity is that we hear and hear, but we do not understand or obey. As a result, our Christianity has become an “other worldly” religion of the spirit and heaven with no “earthly relevance.” Consequently, if a husband is engaged in a political battle for the implementation of the commandments of God’s justice in the world, he is branded a non Christian and divorced. If a sister is engaged in some cultural affairs of her nation, she is branded a culture enslaved fanatic who should even be shot to death. (After all, Naga Christians consider such people as “Worldly minded people!”) What an absolutely fantastic heavenly Christianity have we Nagas evolved over the years? Seeing all these things, for the younger generation of educated and inquisitive young Nagas, the very mentions of Bible verses have become anathema for them. They literally hate our hypocritical Christianity and do not want to have anything to do with it.
As for me, I am filled with “forebodings” as a New Year approaches. Ever since last year, the Indian government has been promising us a special Christmas gift. But the question is: “Will that Christmas gift turn out to be a bloody civil war?” I, for one, will not be surprised if such an eventuality overtakes us because for far too long, we have simply been talking about heavenly things and paying our tithes but have “neglected the weightier matters of the law (which are)-JUSTICE, MERCY and FAITH.” (Matt.23:23)
