RELIGIOUS IMITATION by W. N. G.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 6, 1898

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 40.

RELIGIOUS IMITATION.

By W. N. G.

A MISSIONARY in India finds encouragement in the fact that the people are beginning to imitate Christian ways. Evidence of this is given in the admission that despite the rigid caste rules certain Pariahs may be allowed within the pale of Hinduism. To this end certain rites are deemed essential. At a meeting of Brahmans it was decided that such action was not contrary to the Vedas (sacred books). This Christian missionary refers to the fact that “when the Romans found that they could no longer successfully oppose the Christians, they began to imitate them, and this was the last stage before the acceptance of Christianity by the nation.” To this he adds, “May this be the case in India.”

The rather, we would say, God forbid! The worst thing that ever befell the Christian cause was the apostate imitation of it. The result was the imitation of paganism by the Christians. This culminated in the union of Church and State, nominally styled “the acceptance of Christianity by the nation.” The Dark Ages—twelve centuries of religious persecution in the name of Christianity—followed this unholy union, the spirit of which is in all so-called national religion. The arch-enemy of Christianity does his most insidious work through imitation of Christianity. All false worship originated in imitation of the true; and all apostasy originates in imitation (at first slight) of the false.

Present-day appeals for national religion, and for national enforcement of religious dogma, are imitation of Romanism, which grew out of imitation of paganism. A case in point is a petition of a number of Brahmans recently addressed to the Maharajah of Mysore, India. Rev. Henry Haigh tells The Work and Workers in the Mission Field about it. It was brought to him for translation into English, being written in Kanarese. Of this document Mr. Haigh says:— “It consisted of a protest against certain customs and practises as destructive of caste, and from the evil effects of which the Brahmans wished the Maharajah to guard his province. The points made are: First, that criminals in jail are compelled to drink from the same water supply as that used by Mussulmans and Pariahs; second, that in hospitals Brahmans are often compelled to take medicines prepared by doctors of Pariah origin; third, that in educational work caste rules are not observed, and, worse than this, girls are allowed to be educated. The petition says, ‘Female education will be the death blow to our caste system, and steps should be taken to stop the education of girls.’ It is admitted that moral precepts may be taught them, but intellectual training is unnecessary and useless. The fourth great blow at caste mentioned in this petition is the fact that in the systems of water supply no provision is made for separate fountains from which the Brahmans alone could draw. All these things, they complain, are sadly destructive. The tone of this petition is quite pathetic, but to us in the West the matter of it seems most ludicrous. Yet the incident furnishes striking evidence of the social changes that are going on in India, against which the higher castes are protesting in vain. The following is the appeal with which this petition closes: ‘Your Highness is allied to the most orthodox Hindus, and is sprung from a holy race, a race come down from the moon and headed by the mighty Yadu. The queen empress of India bears the title “Defender of the Faith.” We, your Highness’ most loyal subjects, humbly implore you to remove these perils to our ancient caste system, and thus win for yourself the glorious title of “Defender of Caste.”’ ”

It is quite true, as Mr. Haigh says, that to us of the West the matter of this petition “seems most ludicrous;” but we ought to remember that all appeals to civil government for the support or for the suppression of religion or religious doctrine—not in itself uncivil—is of the same character. Those that bear the most plausible pretext are at best but gilded paganism—imitation of unchristian methods.

W. N. G.