Hindu leaders are totally unprepared for the continuous conversation assault by Christians. Just like Indian political leaders and intellectuals, they take a reactionary versus a proactive approach. Only when elections are rigged or Indians are beaten up do you see Indian leaders/intellectuals talking, (and then only for a short while) only when Christians are converting Hindus, you’ll see Pandits doing something. A useful idiot, in a political sense, is someone who enables their opponent to gain the advantage over them
Let’s look at this a little deeper. Go ask one hundred Hindus in Port of Spain or Georgetown- What is Hinduism? You’ll probably get multiple answers or I don’t really know. Now, ask one hundred Indian Christians- What is Christianity? I will bet that 99% will give you the correct answer, or close to it.
But this is the most amazing part, go ask one hundred Hindus who are leaving service at a Hindu temple the same question. I will bet that the majority cannot give the correct answer. Now ask those same Hindus, if they can give a definition of Christianity. I will bet the majority of them will give you the correct answer. Amazingly, Hindus who regularly attend Hindu Temples cannot give an acceptable answer on Hinduism but know more about Christianity. How on earth is this possible?
Well, everything is done in Hindi or Sanskrit. Do Hindus speak Hindi Sanskrit in the Caribbean? Christians in Russia conduct their service in Russian, not Hebrew. Christians in Venezuela conduct their service in Spanish not Hebrew, and Christians in China do it in Chinese. They don’t do it in Hebrew then convert it to the local language, that takes valuable time. This is why the majority of Hindus cannot give an explanation of the ceremonies they just attended (even if they attend Mandir every Sunday for years)
Hindus in the Caribbean are fully westernized, thus conducting religious services in a language they don’t comprehend only serves to further alienate Hindus. Singing Bhajans has become “ritualized”, they’ll sing it most can’t understand the meaning, unlike Christian hymns. Wearing Saris and Dhotis further isolates Hindus, as our culture is fully Westernized, our heritage is Indian, but we live in a Westernized culture. Saris and Dhotis are not religious garbs, (even the prostitutes in India wear Saris).
If Christian missionaries required new converts in India to wear Suit and tie, and conduct their ceremonies in Hebrew, they would have a hard time converting. That is why the Bible is converted into a multitude of languages. Would Hindus in Guyana or Trinidad convert if Christians missionaries preach exclusively in Hebrew which they don’t understand? Probably not! The conversion process is optimized if the target understands what you’re trying to sell, speaking Hebrew to a Caribbean audience is probably not a good idea.
Christian missionaries have an easy job converting Hindus, probably the easiest among the major religions, made possible by useless Hindu leaders who are unable to adapt in a rapidly changing world. With the rapid spread of the Internet, Western television programs, which tend to set contemporary culture/norms, Hinduism either must adapt quickly or face extinction. I bet the vast majority of Hindus already give their children “Christian names”, with many Pandits proudly proclaiming “all religions are the same”, while opening up Christmas gifts. If all religions are the same, as most Pandits suggest, then Hindus should just show up at the closest Church, and stop going to Hindu Temples far away. I wonder how Hindu leaders feel about that. If you ask ten Hindus what happens when Hindus die, the majority will mention “Heaven or hell”, do you get my drift?
In my next article, I will focus on the other two “useful Idiots”, Indian politicians and intellectuals, who are busy trying to “solve the problem”, with appeasement while their base slowly faded away.
Mr. Manny Budhu can be reached at Guyana1838@gmail.com