FELSISA Witness VELSISA Boodskapper

From the Bishop’s Desk...
colour, which in turn reflects the race
of the initial immigrants.
Each varna must observe certain
rules of purity. The Brahmins are
considered so pure that they may not
eat food prepared by anyone other
than another Brahmin. This means a
Brahmin cannot go to a restaurant
where the staff is not also Brahmins.
Likewise it was also forbidden to
marry someone outside of your own
varna.
There is strictly speaking a fifth major
class in Hinduism. However it is so
low that it doesn’t really qualify as a
varna. Most people call this group the
“Untouchables,” because whoever
touches one of them becomes impure.
They do all the most unpleasant work
in society and live on the outskirts of
the major cities and towns. They have
no rights and must take water
downstream and not share wells with
the other varna Hindus.
A similar class system also characterised
ancient Israel. Also amongst the
Israelites there was a hierarchical
ranking system that was largely
determined by the purity rules of that
society, which even outnumbered
those in India (12 in all): Priests,
Levites, full-blooded Israelites, illegal
children of priests, proselytes (Gentile
converts), bastards (born from mixed
marriages), the fatherless, etc. As a
13 th group, akin to the ‘untouchable’
Hindus, were the heathens (non-
8
Israelites). Here too, food and
fellowships laws were kept. The
priests and full-blooded Israelites had
no table fellowship with sinners, the
sick or disabled, and definitely not
with any heathens (Greek or
Roman).
This class system existed despite the
clear directives of the Almighty God,
the Creator of heaven and earth, who
created man (the human race)
according to his own image. The word
“all” (Welcoming all) is of critical
importance. It forms a golden thread
that runs through Scripture. Abram is
promised: “All peoples on earth will
be blessed through you” (Genesis
12:3). Christ says: “Come to me, all
you who are weary and burdened, and
I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Christ commissions his disciples: “Go
and make disciples of all nations...”
(Matthew 28:19). He crosses
the social and ethnical boundaries. He
eats with the tax collectors and
sinners and he pours out his spirit “on
all flesh” (Acts 2:17). Peter is reprimanded:
“Do not call anything
impure that God has made
clean” (Acts 10:15). And when Peter
withdraws from the fellowship with
heathen-Christians in Antioch, he is
fiercely opposed by his fellow apostle
Paul who declares that everyone (all)
is justified by faith in Christ alone
(Galatians 2:16). To the young pastor,
Timothy, Paul writes that God “wants
all men to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy