Ill-Timed Proselytizing

For Hindus worldwide, yesterday marked the beginning of the New Year. The festival of lights known as Diwali is a time of celebration. Hindus pray to Lakshmi--the goddess of wealth and good luck--with hope that the forthcoming year will be a healthy and prosperous one. Families come together, savory foods are prepared and fire-crackers are burst in celebration. Lamps are lit to pay obeisance to the Gods and also to symbolize the lifting of spiritual darkness.

Infuriatingly, Diwali is also the occasion on which the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board has chosen to begin a campaign to convert Hindus and make them aware of the "darkness in their hearts that no lamp can dispel." I take serious offense to the idea that the Baptists are using one of the holiest times of the year for Hindus to begin a campaign of proselytization.

I am not a Hindu. I am disgusted, however, by the timing of the publication of the guide, "Divali: Festival of Lights, Prayer for Hindus." The International Mission Board urges its members not only to pray on behalf of Hindus, but also to use Diwali as an occasion to "lead Hindus out of their darkness." It also makes such base, unfounded claims as "Most Hindus do not have a concept of sin or of personal responsibility"--that are counter to even the most basic reading of Hindu philosophy. How much more disrespectful can the Baptists be to the more than 900 million Hindus across the globe?

Don't get me wrong. I am not opposed to the idea of making Hindus or followers of any religion--including my own, Jainism--aware of alternative religions. In fact, I am in favor of it. We can only best understand our own beliefs when they are placed in contrast with others. But there is a time and a place for everything.

This is not the first time the International Mission Board has chosen to use another religion's holy time to begin an aggressive campaign such as this. They proudly admit in a news release that "Two guides previously have been published for Muslim and Jewish religious festivals. A fourth prayer guide focusing on Buddhism is planned." This type of offensive behavior, justified by the Baptists using accounts of Hindu-Christian violence in India, simply defies all basic standards of respect for other people's beliefs.

If, for a moment the International Mission Board reflected on its own actions--it might realize the darkness in its heart. Maybe I should visit them on Dec. 25 at their Virginia headquarters to explain it to them.