E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & Timeselse that Christianity is a practicable religion even in the twentieth century.'This suggests how relevant Gandhi is to the problems of our times.Gandhi presented a perplexing problem to Christians in India; he was theworld's most Christ-like person yet not a "Christian’ and so,' exclaims E. StanleyJones, 'one of the most Christlike men in history was not called a Christian atall.' Missionaries frequently tried to convert him to Christianity. (He, speakingsoftly, tried to do the same for them.) But why enroll a saint in a church?Gandhi protested that the missionaries fed the starving and healed the sick inorder to convert them to Christianity. 'Make us better Hindus', he pleaded. Thatwould be more Christian.Christianity has had a good effect on Hinduism. 'The indirect influence ofChristianity has been to quicken Hinduism into life,' Gandhi asserted. The factthat the missionaries' richest recruiting field was the embittered Harijancommunity may have awakened some Hindus to the necessity of supportingGandhi's Harijan work. And Gandhi probably had a good effect on Christianity.Dr. E. Stanley Jones says, 'God uses many instruments, and he may have usedMahatma Gandhi to help Christianize unchristian Christianity.'Gandhi never tried to convert Christians to Hinduism.Although Gandhi was a Hindu reformer and welcomed the play of outsideinfluences on Hinduism, he departed from Hindu customs and beliefs withreluctance. In 1927, Devadas fell in love with Lakshmi, the daughter ofRajagopalachari, and wanted to marry her. But Rajagopalachari was a Brahminand Gandhi a Vaisya, and members of different castes should not marry. Norshould young folks choose their mates; marriages are arranged by parents. Butthe man and maid persisted, and finally the illustrious fathers agreed tosanction the union if the couple still wanted one another after five years ofseparation. So Devadas, who was born in 1900, an Lakshmi waited five painfulyears and married with pomp in Poona on June 16, 1933, in the presence ofboth happy fathers. Gandhi's wedding gift was a hymn book and garland of yarnwhich he had spun.www.mkgandhi.org Page 378