I Was The Only Hindu
By: Dan Foster
Tags: Religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Spirituality, Culture

When I wrote, ‘You’re Going to Hell,’ I was amazed at the response. The article was intended to be a guide on how to respond to Christian fundamentalists who have decided to assume that they have the mind of God regarding who deserves salvation and who does not. However, it also started a conversation.

I began to receive messages from all kinds of people, from all kinds of faith and non-faith traditions, who shared with me their stories. Atheists, Mormons, Muslims, Catholics, Hindus and even a practicing Witch who all had one thing in common: They had been told by evangelical Christians that they are, “Going to Hell.”

I was appalled, but not surprised.

Sadly, far too many evangelical Christians believe that they have a monopoly on the truth. They cannot imagine a universe where anything other than intellectual assent to a very narrow set of truths — the ones they happen to be in possession of — could possibly lead to salvation. As for me, I prefer to leave the job of being God, to God.

As such, I was so moved by the stories I heard from some of the victims of Christian evangelistic fervor, that I decided they must be shared. That is how I first met Manan. I was privileged enough to be able to interview Manan about his experiences growing up as the only Hindu in his school in a largely white, Christian town in the USA.

This is his story, shared with his permission.

The Only Hindu

Manan’s parents emigrated to the USA from India in the 1980s, where he and his siblings were born. Manan was raised believing and practicing Hinduism but since there were no Hindu temples in his conservative, evangelical town, his parents taught him and his siblings Hindu principles and traditions.

Even though he was born in the USA, when he started attending school, it didn’t take long for him to be made to feel like a foreigner.

“Despite being born here, I just felt that I was an outsider — that I could never be considered “American” like all my white, Christian peers. Since I was the only Hindu in my grade from Kindergarten through 12th grade, I naturally felt out of place and had a difficult time defining myself as an American. People around me — whether it was students or adults — always had the assumption I was a “foreigner” because I wasn’t a white Christian.”

Sadly, for Manan, these feelings were perpetuated by the steady stream of teasing and bullying, often masked beneath a thin veneer of apparently light-hearted banter.

“For some reason, because I was a brown non-Christian, students would mock me by calling me a “terrorist.” Whenever there was a bomb threat at our school, students would jokingly claim that I was responsible. The shameful part was that I accepted this label and laughed it off.”

Despite doing his best to make light of the teasing, there was nothing playful about the way that some of his peers would tell Manan that he and his family were going to hell. Manan even came to believe that the unjustified animosity he was subject to at the hands of his peers was somehow God’s way of punishing him.

“Since my family and I lived in a conservative town where there were few non-Christians like us, we often were told, that we would go to hell if we didn’t accept Jesus as our savior and the only path to God. The reason for them saying this could possibly be because they never encountered people who looked or worshiped differently than themselves. In essence, they lacked cultural awareness and a broader view of the diversity of faiths in our world, choosing to use their Christianity as a way to feel superior to others. When I was slapped in the chest and was told my religion was evil, I didn’t grasp what that meant initially. I was only a middle-schooler at the time so I didn’t have a informed concept of what “evil” or “Hell” was. In some sense, being told that made me believe that I was a “bad person”, and that I experienced this type of hate and prejudice because it was a form of God’s punishment. It was “punishment” for small mistakes that I would make, like lying or fighting with my siblings or arguing with my parents — things that any child would do.”

Manan was profoundly affected by the both the subtle and not-so-subtle disapproval of his culture and faith traditions, even to the point of feeling embarrassed by his unique heritage.

This bullying and longing for self-realization got worse in middle school to the extent where I skipped classes and hid in my guidance counselor’s office. I didn’t want to face the world or be proud of my unique heritage. The more students made fun of my religion, the more I distanced myself from embracing Hinduism or partaking in any religious or Indian traditions.”

Photo by Kat J on Unsplash

Fortunately for Manan, things improved for him in high school and now, as a college student, he is more accepting of his cultural identity, although the trauma of his earlier school experiences occasionally still makes him feel insecure about himself.

Listen to the Hindu

Unlike some evangelical Christians, what struck me about Manan was the respectful way that he was able to engage in conversation about matters of religion even where difference of opinion existed. I don’t agree with all of Manan’s deeply held spiritual convictions, but I profoundly respect him as a person, along with his cultural heritage. Moreover, I feel like I can learn from him.

As an adult, Manan is still a man of faith. He shared with me some of the lessons that he has garnered from his own exploration of faith combined with the trauma of being subject to the kind of “Christianity” that I could imagine would make Christ turn over in his grave — if he was still in it. What he shared with me is too good not to share with you.

Swallow your evangelic pride and listen to the Hindu.

We Are Equal in the Eyes of God

Manan believes there is one God who has created all of us equally, regardless of our race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and other aspects of our background. Anyone who uses religion to elevate one group over another is an oppressor and does not represent Christ.

We Should Celebrate What is Common

Manan believes that we ought to celebrate what is common in our religions. There are many teachings in Christianity that are congruent with the teachings of Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam: to provide justice to the oppressed, to serve and love one’s neighbor, and to treat others the way you would treat yourself, for example.

There is Hypocrisy in All Religions

Manan has seen first hand that humans are hypocritical and can fall into the trap of using religion not for the purpose of the greater good, but rather for their own selfish goals. “Jesus would be disappointed in Christian fundamentalists as their prejudiced beliefs do not align with the Gospel,” explains Manan. I agree with him!

God Calls People of Faith to Confront Injustice

Manan observes that there are people who claim to believe in God, and yet continue to ignore the injustices in our world. This includes people who identify as Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and more. However, our faith in God should motivate us to act on the injustices in society and show people that we are all united by our humanity. Manan explained:

“Just like in the Civil Rights Movement, Christians must be actively engaged in opposing political agendas that seek to deprive the human rights of those in America and abroad. That’s what Jesus did with the Roman Empire. This applies not only to Churches, but also to Mosques, Hindu Temples and Synagogues. Being apolitical in a divisive time like ours makes one no better than the oppressors of equality, peace, love, nonviolence, and justice.”

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Let Me be the First to Apologize

As a Christian, I want to be the first to apologize to Manan for the abhorrent attitudes and behaviors that he was subject to at the hands of my supposed brothers and sisters in Christ.

They don’t get it.

When you take a good look at the Biblical narrative as a whole you observe the grace of God extended to people of all nations in ever-increasing circles — starting in the Old Testament where God sends a reluctant prophet Jonah to a pagan people who Jews generally despised, and culminating in a prophetic vision given to the apostle Peter in the book of Acts revealing, in no uncertain terms, that God is for all people.

The ancient Jews believed that they were the chosen people of God but they didn’t realize what they were chosen for — kind of like your average evangelical Christian, today. They were supposed to be the vehicle of God’s plan for his all-inclusive love to extend to the far corners of the earth to people of every tribe, tongue and nation.

Therefore, cultural and racial superiority has no place in Christianity. It is appalling that the Bible has been used to justify racist behaviors and attitudes. God is indiscriminately a God for everyone!

Manan, I pray that you would forgive us for misrepresenting Christ to you! Thank you for being bold enough to share your story with me and allowing me to share it with others. I hope we can continue our friendship both here on earth and later on in Heaven. No doubt, I’ll be seeing you there!