Even though Christianity has had a lasting impact on the society, politics and administration of countries around the world, it has become flexible in its approach to the caste system in India. The society existing here has deeply influenced religion, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader and Lok Sabha member Thol. Thirumavalavan said.
“In India, it took root without bringing any fundamental change to the existing society. It’s a strange phenomenon. Here, the roots of caste have nourished Christianity,” he said while releasing Christhuvathil Jaathi (Caste in Christianity), written by writer Nivedita Louis, on Thursday in Chennai.
He said that “the roots of Christianity in India are the roots of caste” and that it does not have the “roots of its Christian values”. “The approach seems to be that other factors don’t matter as long as they remain Christian. Visit the church and sit separately. Be a Christian and it doesn’t matter if you have separate burial places. This flexibility, I say, is not the weakness of Christianity. But this only proves the power of the caste system, which has swallowed up Christianity,” he said.
The VCK leader said that in Indian society, even the basic structure of a family is built on the basis of discrimination. “Discrimination is the special feature of the caste system. This created discord and stress in relationships. There is no peace. Violence and denigration are omnipresent. Caste is justified and propagated out of pride. There is a constant movement to protect it,” he said.
He also explained that while exploitation in other countries had led to revolution and radical changes in society, in India, since the time of Buddha, there had been only an ideological war to understand the caste structure.
K. Chandru, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, speaking about the struggle of Dalit Christians to be included in the Scheduled Caste list, said the RSS was against it. “When the bishops met Rajiv Gandhi when he was prime minister, he asked them to get the nod from the leadership in Nagpur (RSS headquarters),” he said.
Rev. Mark Stephen, who fights for Dalit rights in the Church, received the first copy of the book.
Ms. Nivedita Louis said that she did not write this book to please or appease any particular group. “I presented the fact. My next project is about the prevalence of caste system in Christianity in southern districts of Tamil Nadu,” she said.
