Pan Dulce

Caste India: Journey into the Unseen

Delhi is like any major mega city in the world numbering about 27 million, that is, until you see the city through the Caste system. The Caste system in India is a socio-cultural system born out of the Hindu worldview.  According to Dr. Thom Wolf of University Institute , “a caste is a group assignment, social standing. A caste birth is a life assignment, a life career. In the USA, life is like an arrow moving from creation to consummation. In India, life is like a circle, a Karma. A caste birth is a Karma birth.” Here is how it works:

Forward Castes represent about 15% of the 1.2 Billon population in India, about 180 million people. These Castes are called “Forward” because on a scale of purity and pollution, these castes face the purity side of the scale. People in the Forward Castes represent Brahmins: the priests; the Kshatriyas: the princes or those in government; and the Vaishyas: the proprietors, those in business.

Backward Castes, those facing the polluted or unclean part of the scale, represent about 50% of India’s population numbering about 600 million people. The more you work with your hands, the lower your caste group ranks as backward and therefore, unclean. A carpenter’s son, for example, would be a member of a backward caste in India. This group would be called the Sudras or manual workers and servants. The good news is that to be in a caste is to be human. Females in all castes are seen as second-class caste members. There is no concept of being created in the image of God and no concept of personal dignity.

So, in India, you have four chances to be human if you are a Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Sudra.

If you are not born into one of these castes, you are an outcaste, a person without a caste, inhuman. This group is called Dalit, “talking animals.” About 20% of India’s population is Dalit, numbering about 240 million. 70% of all Christians in India are Dalit.

If you are following my math, we are missing about 180 million people or 20% of the population. These folks are referred to as “Pop Outs” according to Wolf. They “pop-out” of the Caste system through conversion to other religions, primarily Islam, Roman Catholicism, and Evangelical Christianity.

Dr. Thom provided a very helpful orientation for our team on our first day in India. He reminded us of the often quoted “It is self-evident, that all men are created equal,” and said in India, you say it this way: “It is self-evident, that all men are created unequal.”

Jeff Jones, Susan Williams, and I found ourselves immersed in a world much different than we are accustomed to. A city roughly the size of Mexico City but very different. Different from anything else I have ever been exposed to. Yet, the calling of the Spirit of God never seemed more clear to me. We must find a way to serve the least of these in India.

The Temple: Part II

In my last blog I wrote about our visitation to the Hindu Temple in New Delhi, India. This was an immersion experience for our group that was visiting India. It was a highly effective way to get an introduction into the worldview of the majority of people that we were learning about and those we hope to eventually serve.

I have been exposed to other world religions from a distance but have never had this kind of experience. That is, to see it up close and personal. I was first amazed by the number of people that had to wait in line to work their way into the temple to worship. They had to take time out of their work-day to stand in line for hours to present gifts of flowers, money, and food to idols that do not speak, breathe, see, or hear.

I was also struck by the statue of the Hindu goddess and the swastika on her right hand. The symbol is said to have been the uniting symbol for the Arian Race. This symbol tied Arian peoples together from Europe to India and was seen as a sign of superiority. Hitler is said to have borrowed the symbol for his movement and appealed to the spirits for help, for advantage, and for success.

According to worshippers, the idols in the temple did not come alive until spirits embodied them. This would not happen until they were summoned to come to the temple and inhabit the idols by the ringing of the bell on the part of worshipers. The symbol clearly posted outside the temple in Hindi spells the sound of meditation = Hhmmm. This meditation is said to clear one’s mind to think on “nothing” as preparation for the spirits to indwell the idols and interact with the worshippers.

The worship area was an unclean place. The idea of cleaning is not practiced by people of the forward looking castes. Only the OBCs (Other Backward Castes) or Dalits (People with no caste or outcastes) are associated with cleaning. Drawing near to God, and in this case, the gods, does not produce an identity of cleanliness in this setting. This context stands over against the familiar saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” It also stands in contrast to the Holy Spirit, the clean spirit. People coming out of this tradition tend to be filled with joy at the prospect of being clean when the Holy Spirit enters a person’s life.

Now, imagine that you are a child belonging to an OBC or a Dalit family living on less than $2 per day. Imagine that you are without parents, on the streets, abandoned and in need of a loving family. You have little to no standing in society as a child, but as an OBC or Dalit (Talking Animals), you are seen as nothing, not even human. Yet, the majority of population of India fits in these categories. This puts a new spin on the phrase “the least of these” Jesus says we are to serve. I walked away from the temple that day with a heavy heart and wondering what a Jesus response would be.

The Temple Visit

Dr. Thom Wolf led us on a visit to the local Hindi Temple where a statue of the mother god was displayed. He provided some commentary for us with biblical references along the way. 1 Corinthians 10 came alive to us as we walked by the long lines of people bringing flowers, candy, food, and other offerings to present to the mother goddess.

We had to remove our shoes to enter the holy place, yet the area was strikingly un-kept. Worshippers, by the 100’s circled into the temple, rang the bell to invoke the spirit of the goddess to meet them in worship as they presented their gifts and burned incense.

The Apostle Paul says that food and offerings offered to pagan idols are actually offered to demons. I was reminded of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 6, that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and evil powers in high places.” I was moved at the widespread sense of alienation from the one true living God in that place.

This kind of worship offers no hope of a personal relationship with God, no hope of redemption, and no freedom to live out the purpose God has designed for us. People are restricted to their own caste, their assigned lot in life with no hope of the life that Jesus offers.

We came to discover how we can serve children and families in India. We are in a place where children need the hope that Jesus offers. Needs are immeasurable. More on what our next step will be next week.

India

Jeff Jones, Sr. Director for Volunteer Management and Missions Support and Susan Williams, Director for Missions Support have joined me on Buckner’s first exploratory trip to India. We have traveled to Delhi to meet with Thom Wolf, President of University Institute based in Delhi. While we already provide intercountry adoptions from India through Dillon International, we hope to find ways to serve vulnerable children, orphans and families through social services here as well.

We have been immersed in India, a place that Mira Kamdar, author of Planet India, calls the most important country for the future of the planet.

Here are a few things that I have learned about India since I arrived:

India’s population, numbering 1.2 billion, is home to 800 million people that lives on less than $2 per day.

46% of all children in the world that suffer from malnutrition live in India.

The population that lives in the continent of Africa represents ½ of the population of India.

70% of the population of the city of Bombay lives in slums; 13% of Delhi live in slums.

70% of the Christian church in India are from the Dalit, those without a caste.

15% of India’s population are in the Pure/Forward Castes; 50% are in Impure Backward Castes; and 20% are Dalit, those without a caste/out-caste; about 15% pop out of the caste system, usually through education or conversion.

We are meeting with friends and key contacts that will help us navigate opportunities for ministry here in India. Pray that the Lord will show us how we might make life better for vulnerable children, orphans, and families.

Weeds, Deeds, and Seeds

The Prophet Micah (6:8) says “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (NIV). Thom Wolf calls this pulling weeds, doing deeds, and planting seeds. Pulling weeds relates to reversing or correcting unjust practices in our circle of influence; doing deeds relates to loving and doing mercy; and planting seeds relates to walking humbly before the Lord and providing a visible testimony of the hope that is in us. Pulling weeds bring hope; doing deeds is loving our neighbor; and walking humbly before God introduces seekers to the faith. It is Paul’s faith, hope, and love trilogy found in 1st Corinthians.

Last week Jeff Jones, Sr. Director of Volunteer Management and Missions Support and Susan Williams, Director of Missions Support, both Buckner staff, travelled 7,000 miles with me to Bangladesh to learn about the work of HARD, an NGO working to provide tangible hope for the lives of many people in that country. They provide educational support, economic development, and health care services for the poorest of the poor.

The work we saw was amazing! This NGO is eradicating poverty, one family at a time. I wish I could communicate the expression of joy on the faces of mother’s as they told about the ability to provide for their families due to a micro-loan provided to them by HARD. I wish I could explain the sound of pride in their voices as they told about the education their children were receiving. And before I forget to mention it, I wish I could communicate the confidence in elders who put glasses on for the first time in their lives after a quick eye exam and were able to read. Amazing!

About 80% of the population of Bangladesh lives on less than $2 per day. About 10% of the worlds Muslims live in this country. It is a wonderful place to be to serve the poor.

Buckner is being invited to provide humanitarian support and volunteers to support HARD. We are hopeful that volunteers will either choose to send or take shoes for the children and other villagers. We are trying to pull weeds, do deeds, and plant seeds.