The Naga Church does not exist in a vacuum as its existence is located within a particular historical and social context. The Naga Church’s reality has been shaped by its encounter with historical forces that have influenced present day patterns of behavior.
In places where oppression is prevalent, the Church has to be very clear that it has chosen active nonviolence as a means of liberation. However, often we hear Church leaders saying, ‘I am neutral; I am for nonviolence,’ which is a contradiction in terms because neutrality is a vote for the status quo This is a contradiction because the status quo itself is unjust, conforming and oppressive; while nonviolence is not neutral, it opposes injustice and is part of the framework supporting transformation.
Niall O’Brien tells us “Evil is not to be located in the person, but in the structure. Removing the person does not remove the evil. When we locate and identify evil in persons rather than in their actions, we prepare the way for crimes, but when we locate evil in structures a way is opened to bring about change that will also liberate the person from their own bondage, not eliminate them.” This premise makes it all the more important for the Church to engage with and help remove unjust systems that give rise to future violence. At its core, nonviolent action is against the injustice that causes and gives rise to violence.
There is a tendency to often define power in terms of economic and financial status, weapons, or simply put, whose got the most money and the biggest and most destructive weapons. In actuality, these are only the tools to enforce their perceived power over the people. Their real power lies in their strategies, planning and actions in terms of what can be done to promote their own self-interest through manipulation which is implemented by force and coercion through a violent system. People generally do not happen to be poor and oppressed, their oppression and poverty is largely a product of how society has been organized and its resources shared with them. Consequently, Church’s ability to critique these structures that perpetuate and justify violence, oppression and inequality is essential. The Naga Churches can help lead the discourse, the pursuit of justice and rights in order for basic societal changes to be possible.
Many people feel uneasy about what is considered to be political. As Archbishop Tutu remarked ‘If one says that religion cannot be concerned about politics, then we are really saying that there is a substantial part of human life in which God’s writ does not run. If it is not God’s then whose is it?’ He goes on to say that ‘the prophets are deeply involved in politics because politics is the sphere where God’s people demonstrate their obedience or their disobedience.’
The vision of justice is so central to the Church and central to Christianity as justice is the right relationship that embraces grace and compassion. Unfortunately, it is in the fear to act against these injustices that not only increases the suffering, but also prolongs it. This ability to act is directly limited by the fear of losing even some 'minor privileges and benefits.'
When the people are passive and afraid, the Church is there to remind the people that the message of the gospel is identical with their struggle for liberation from political and economic bondage. The teachings of Jesus indicate noncompliance, nonconformance and resistance against oppression perpetuated by the powers that be by using nonviolent means through discovering an alternative that restores human dignity which is neither submissive or violent.
Around the world there are many examples of how the church has provided protection and sanctuary against many forms of repression. The Naga Church can take a leadership role in this discovery process based on a clear theological stand, a truthful stand that leads to a shared humanity.
