Just a casual look at the history of the Indian church reveals how the missionaries tolerated and accepted caste horrors of the caste system. But there is/was, taking deep roots in the life and practice of the church. The missionaries found themselves having to make compromises in order to escape the wrath of the upper caste converts. The equality and the human dignity promised by Christianity has remained only a dream in the case of millions of Dalit Christians. – Jesus is a Dalit, Mr. S Yesu Suresh Raj and Dr. R Mani.

Many believe that Christianity arrived in India when Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus, travelled to India in 1st century AD. Even if we don’t accept the arrival of disciple Thomas to India, as there are limited facts available, there are concrete facts and data available that Christian missionaries started coming to India around 400 years ago.

The first church in West Bengal was established in 1599 and in 400 years Christian population of West Bengal is less than 1%.

What went wrong?

Among various reasons, failure of Christianity in India can be attributed to earlier Christian missionaries, who focused on the so-called upper castes only thinking that as so-called upper castes, especially Brahmins,  are respected in the society others will follow them and convert to Christianity. Some missionaries even wrote back to their churches that untouchables are not ready for the Christianity, considering them less intellectual to understand Christianity or they totally ignored ‘caste’ in their correspondences hence failed to realise the threat caste system in India had.

But so-called upper castes even after entering the Churches kept the same attitude towards so-called lower castes. To make things worse, Church leaders started giving more importance to so-called upper castes, ignoring the teachings of Jesus – love your neighbour.

From making so-called upper castes to sit on the front benches to serving them ‘Jesus’ blood’, as it is called, before untouchables during communion service were a few of the reasons untouchables stayed away from the Churches especially in undivided Punjab.

While Jesus lived and dwelled among untouchables of his time, ate and drank with them, healed them, and showed them the right path, earlier missionaries by ignoring the caste realities in Indian churches failed Jesus.

When missionaries recognized the problem that so-called upper castes are not really good for the growth of the church as they are bringing caste practices into the church, they started focusing on the untouchables.

The effect of which can be seen from the fact that in 1881 and 1891 census, the population of Sialkot (now in Pakistan) increased from 300 in 1881 to 10,000 in 1891. It was more than 300% increase in 10 years and some started talking that at this rate whole Punjab will soon turn into Christianity!

But it was too late for Christianity to flourish as Arya Samaj to other Brahminical organisations had started their campaigns against Christianity in full force.

The Indian church needs to challenge the caste system and become more humane as Jesus was. Church can’t ignore caste discrimination within the church and continue to believe that it would help Christianity.

– Pardeep Attri