Saturday, November 1, 2014

....of Gospels & Evangelism


Few days ago I received a personal letter by post from a Pastor Paul Malla who as I could see from the address printed on the mail head represented the Gospel of Christ, an evangelist organisation. The letter was sent from Trichur the citadel town of Christianity in Kerala State.As all such messages it was replete with cajoling, enticing,  subtly baleful and artfully sinister proselytism.
In such occasion in the past, I chose to cast such letters and unsolicited pieces of evangelism into the place that is rightfully its own- the waste bin.But this time around, I chose to respond and shot off an email to Pastor Paul Malla.I did not expect a reply and neither did it arrive nor ever will.

"Thank you for the message sent to me. However dear Pastor there was nothing new and different in it,than the many I have received since my school days in a convent school that was run by wonderful nuns .

But yet,may I ask you something that I always asked after receiving such messages,
Firstly,you mentioned about Jesus coming back into the world. You tanatalisingly,(you might have thought), held out this golden carrot.Could you tell me when that would happen? Before this Xmas? Frankly, I doubt if he would dare, because no man or the son of God who cares a hoot for his life will plan a second coming after the fantastic(sic) treatment meted out to him some 2000 years ago when he came here last, through a circuitous route of virgin conception and birth. 

Secondly, you mentioned about non believers being damned and believers washed free, cleansed off their sins and that of Adam &Eve. Are you serious about this? This is the kind of calumny and guilt you create in people. I will call this an effervescent and banal joke.Sounds tempting though, to be washed off one's sin and the sin of one's forefathers that you guys foist upon people.

 Pastor let me tell you something.You folks who are paid marketeers, salesmen and more politely evangelists (of all faith) thrive upon the insecurity and fear that you create in the minds of the poor, gullible people vis a vis the sins that you talk about and accuse them of. You make them feel damned by such vile accusations and reap the en masse conversions to your fold.This is predominant in all Semitic faith.You now do it subtly while Islam does it through intimidation and physical abuse- murder.Well once you burnt people at the stake for refusing to convert,didn't you?
Pastor Paul stop this hocus pocus of the holy ghost , virgin conception- parthenogenesis , birth and resurrection stories.

Tell me truthfully, did Jesus ever exhort to form a church, a religion during his missionary days? And even if he did, supposedly, is this the kind of Church and faith he exhorted or envisaged in his sermons?

Baptism or the ritual of immersion in waist deep water was a ritual practised by the Jews as initiation. An ancient ritual was later turned by you Christians into a tool, a weapon that served as the sword of "Damocles" to coerce people to join  your fold.You have been perpetuating the meanest crime all these years while you proclaim from the pulpit that damned are the ones who are not baptsied. You stuck the so called original sin on the masses and it  stayed put on them like limpets and infesting their souls.In you letter addressed to me you branded me a sinner and fit candidate to rot in the netherworld.

Pastor Paul, is it not the subsumed principle and corner stone of civilised canon of society that no man be damned for life and  his faith and belief must not condemn him for eternity?But you did. You accused me of sinning and condemned me,my children and posterity too to eternal hell unless I baptise and repeat "hallelujah" to Christianity and Christ.

Your eloquence is fascinating like a book on wizardry and repulsive for its sinister intent and ideology. I wonder if you acknowledge that such vile misdeeds and misrepresentation under the cover of religion is possible only in India.

If you want further debate on the subject please write back in reply to this message.Else, I shall presume that you have nothing to say and that you without demure admit to the mumbo jumbo that you folks have been shamelessly wheeling for the past 2000 years and in the bargain converting people of ethnic pagan faith and worship- people who in their simple ways revered, supplicated and prayed to Nature,  into Christianity.

It is a different story that you have a dozen splinter groups amongst Christians and each one vying for the wealth evangelism brings.The evangelist group who spins the most horrendous and fearsome tale of sin, destruction, illness and stories of hell gets to garner the major portion of the bounty, the booty.Have you ever strived to build a society, a laity that does not live in fear of sin, but rather would conscientiously go about living their affairs? Why do you not help people, let them live their life here on earth in full, than dream of a paradise that is seen only in frescoes of ancient painters and alluring stories of lore and legend. Who amongst you raised a finger against the killing of Yazidi Christians?As for the cruelty and murder you evangelist perpetrated on the world- the native Indians of America, the tribes and Negroes in Africa, the aborigines elsewhere- those stories are chilling to even create nervous breakdown in even the most hardened felon.You did all this to convert people to a faith that you created in the name of a man who probably lived and preached, love, peace and compassion.

Fantastic(sic) Pastor Paul and shamelessly shameful are your intent.
I prefer an eternal hell to the Harry Potter kind wizardry , sensation and nonsense you reel."






16 comments:

Insignia said...

:-) I am surprised that you took your time and efforts to respond to such jokes Anil. You won't hear from the pastor.

This is nothing but living by siphoning off others's money; be nurturing them with fear, insecurity. Taking advantage of one's ignorance.

You might have sure heard of big names in the field of Evangelism. Its a profitable enterprise; what a MBA degree can't get you.

Its shameful that these folks get to such low level. In the last week; a door drop came along with my newspaper. It was an invitation for a prayer meeting..What was on that pamphlet was amusing.

It had pictures of Robots, AI and one more thing which I don't recall now as Signs to End of World.

It also had a blurry image of a woman sitting on a tiger surrounded by few other tigers and only listed "Revelation 17:3". That image was unmistakably the Hindu Goddess of Durga . And also an image with Revelation 17:6.

You may want to check what revelation 17:3 and revelation 17:6 are :-) Its shameful how these folks can demean other religion in the name of glorifying their own

Makk said...

You actually wrote this?

Great going!! :)

rudraprayaga said...

First let me appreciate you for digging certain facts from the deeds of the so-called God-men.You said it and that is very fine.
I quote here an anecdote that happened a couple of years ago.I was distributing rice pudding(payasam) from the temple to the kin present there.Our former maid named Anna( A convert- Annapurna once) had her entry there.Once our former maid, who pays casual visits to us, refused to swallow a temple’s rice-pudding (payasam) given by me. It was much known for its uniqueness. “I have eaten ‘thiruvaththaazham’(holy supper) from the church, so I should not eat consecrated produce of other faith,” with fretful face she confided. She was once Annapurna baptized to Anna(Of course many a time her family converted and reconverted into Hindus and Christians after that incident, based on the fulfillment of their wishes). The main agenda of the so-called god-men are to instill fright and superstition in people to propagate and proliferate their religion. And their wage is not paradise but dollars.

Anyway an apt topic in today's era of fanaticism.

Madhu N R said...

why did the pastor select you Anilkumar? what were the other offers? pay without work?

Unknown said...

Very interesting post! These people can go down to any extent to convert people to their faith!

Locomente said...

Religion has been interpretted the way people want it. Religion is like a law and we should interpret in the same spirit as it was intended. Religion, I believe, was developed to bring people together and also impart the importance of moral lifestyle through tiny stories. These days, however, the same is used in immoral ways.

I really dont believe re-birth and hell. But, I do believe that it is important to lead a life that doesnt not hurt others - mentally or physically.

And, I am glad that you took the time out and replied back. It might not lead to any changed. May be the Pastor thinks the same way as we do. But, it helps us vet out something that was bothering in minds for a long time. And, he is merely doing this for livelihood.

BK Chowla, said...

I would never pay attention to such nonsense

anilkurup59 said...

@ Insignia-
Bindu,Fear is the greatest source , the origin of insecurity and that is what all these felons latch on . It is a social scourge.
The irony is that people are falling for it more and they do not for a moment think that if Gods were as varied- parochial and racial as made out why havent each one of them taken care of his folks?Pain and misery is universal and has no boundaries or beliefs.

@ Makk

Thanks friend. Keep coming on the blog often and not like a stray comet that visits the system in along long long time

@ Rudraprayag,
Thanks.
I have seen such people too. To me it is ridiculous but people claim immunity for their irrational stupid beliefs by saying that faith has no reason and is blind. Miserable!!

@ Madhu.N.R

Thanks for coming by.
Well they do not select people , do they in the present days of communication explosion?

@ Usha Menon.

Thanks.

Yes is it not time that the Government pulled the plug and did something to ban conversion perse?

@ Locomonete

I do not see any evidence of religion doing good to people. Every benefaction extended by religious order has strings attached a rider.

as for rebirths and after life, come on we forget to live this life and run after a mirage of after life. Quixotic isn't it?


@ B.K. Chowla,

Nonsense indeed and this is what is purveyed and pedalled by Muslims, and Hindu zealots too.
So I'm afraid not reacting strongly and being indifferent to such unsolicited evangelism and attempts is something I cannot accept willfully.

Ordinary Indian Woman said...

Kudos to you for taking time to write.

I was once approached by a girl in a bus stop in Chennai to attend a youth festival every sunday. She told me it would be fun filled and blah blah. From her talk, I realised it was a Christian group. I gave her a fake phone number and contact address. I was approached again by another girl at the same bus stop. I asked her if she would come with me on Sunday to the Bhagavad Gita class in Chinmaya mission. She gelled into the crowded bus stand without a trace.

Like you, I too went to a Christian school and religion was imposed in every way they could.

Renu said...

It is very sad to see such conversion tries..But then so many of our celebrities convert to Islam for their convenience..has anyone evr asked them whether they practice it..these things are just taken as convenience and forgotten.
Even my christian maid nevr used to take anything in my place..

In chennai I see lot of such people..they have converted but they are neither here nor there..

Rama Ananth said...

Whenever, we get such posts, be in from some vague Hindu organisation, or some Christian church, or even from Sai Baba, Shiridi Baba, we don't even open them, they go straight to the dustbin.
When people think they can induce a fear of God,or lure of some concessions they might only get people who come to them with ulterior motives, not because, their love of God in anyway heightened by all these nonsense.

Happy Kitten said...

You must be the first one to respond! Not that the Pastor ever made an attempt to understand.

It really must be irritating when someone forces you to convert or cajoles you to attend religious meetings. But many needs to do it for their bread.

anilkurup59 said...

@ Ashwini.C.N

Thank you. Yes one letter or reply won't deter such breed. But staying silent will not help either.

@ Renu,

Thanks.

Conversion in India and the poor third world is because of the lure of money.
The matters of reason are non existent.

@ Rama Ananth,

I cannot agree less with you. You said it.

@ Happy Kitten,

I had to respond . I do because it pumps me to react to such nonsense. Knowing of course that it is his bread winning proposition.

anilkurup59 said...

Pastor Paul Mala woken up reacting to my reply to him. Here is his reply that came by email today.
What he conveniently went away from is that Christ did not proselytise, but Mr Pauls breed does . and they do it subtly and playing with fear and sin the words that are more potent than the bombs of Islamic fanatics

Dear Mr.Anilkumar Kurup,
Thank you for your relpy.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not proselytism but it is the message of repentance and salvation for all people. so that you must read the holy Bible also to know more understanding on spiritual truth,yes seek the truth and find concrete faith in God.
Sin is not media of creating fear but it is reality.
The bible says:The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it? Jeremiah17:9
May God bless you
Pr.Paul Mala

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Wow, that certainly told her. Agreeing with almost all you have to say, I really don't like this kind of scaremongering in the name of whatever religion it is.

Musings said...

Here are the interactions withe the Pastor over the past few days. Surprisingly he reacts.

Hello Mr Pastor,

There you go. Honestly I did not expect a reply from you, because usually your breed seldom does react directly.
You said it in your reply in no uncertain terms urging to ask for salvation. Ha ha precisely as I said, you guys play on peoples insecurity and fear as well as poverty.
I write to you with a fair knowledge of what is said in the Bible and wonders at what would have been in the Bibles or Gospels Constantine destroyed.
Let me tell you one thing Mr Pastor, it is only in India you fellows could do this evangelism and conversion by all means.Now that a fanatic brand is in power in New Delhi perhaps you may find it difficult.

Stop this fairy tales and conversions. Don't play on peoples fear.
If you want to uplift people from destitution do it honestly but not feeding them the specter of sin and eternal hell if they do not bear the cross you give them To say that a new born is a sinner is the worst form of perverted mind Mr Pastor.
You guys will not change because this ,matter of religion is your bread and the money in it is wowwww

bye Anil


Dear Mr.Anilkumar Kurup,
Thank you for your relpy.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not proselytism but it is the message of repentance and salvation for all people. so that you must read the holy Bible also to know more understanding on spiritual truth,yes seek the truth and find concrete faith in God.
Sin is not media of creating fear but it is reality.
The bible says:The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it? Jeremiah17:9
May God bless you
Pr.Paul Mala



Hello Pastor,

At last you seem to be having some spirit to reply and pursue the subject, unlike I thought.
Yes belief in God, why not? But why do you folks want to divide Gods, differentiate Gods?
Yes the Lord gives wisdom, let me agree here with you. But a lingering doubt, why did God ( God of your Bible) plant the tree of wisdom in the garden of Eden and proscribe the poor couples Adam & Eve from partaking its fruit?I assume that the God was rather unsure of himself , perhaps he was afraid of earthlings gaining knowledge!


God has already spoken to me. God said that the likes of you are praying upon miserable people converting them to Christian faith ( ha and there are many, which do you fall in, Evangelist, 7 th day, Catholic, Pentacostal??....)
You folks have ruined lives of natives, trampled upon their pagan gods .Well there are volumes to speak of religious atrocities.
By the way you did not react to my statement in my first reply to you, that Christianity has a large volume of blood on its hands?

See man as one and not divide them like you folks do. And stop this nonsense statement that one man , Christ has owned up all sins of humanity. Its too bad for one to bear even if he be God's son. Mr Pastor work for betterment of people and not promise them a surreal heaven and threaten them with eternal hell, something you do not know and have seen. Has someone come back from heaven or hell to explain about those places?
Stop this rubbish this crime of fooling people.
l
bye
Anil