Concepts within one religious tradition often do not align neatly with those of another. For instance, the Christian notion of the ‘Great Commission,’ articulated by the Lord in Matthew 28:18-20, states: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Every faith has a concept akin to this. If this were not the case, everyone would have followed the same faith, theology, philosophy, or doctrine from time immemorial. This is particularly evident in the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, as I have discussed in my critique of Balagangadhara. See: [Unethical Interference Versus Spiritual Obligation](https://dayanandbharati.in/unethical-interference-versus-spiritual-obligation/).
Although every devotee should contribute to fulfilling the Great Commission of Muktinath, not all are called to do so in the same manner. Each devotee is expected to fulfill their part faithfully while entrusting the rest to God.
Unfortunately, the Great Commission is often interpreted as the ‘conversion’ of people from one religious community to another. This conversion is not confined to personal faith but extends to a sociological dimension. In India, Christianity promotes such ‘conversion’ from one sociological community to another, without addressing the issues it claims to remedy within Hindu society, such as caste discrimination.
In essence, people are encouraged to change their religious affiliations without addressing the societal issues they find problematic. Converts, believing they are escaping adversity, may find themselves in a situation with no one to assist them.
In contrast, Hinduism promotes personal freedom to choose any spiritual discipline that aids one’s progress according to individual aptitude. It emphasizes that each person should follow their dharma, inspired by their personal spiritual practices.
Allow me to illustrate this from my perspective. As a devotee of Bhagavan Muktinath, I am guided to fulfill my dharma (social duty) according to the teachings of my Guru and Acharya Muktinath. This requires me to remain where I was born rather than shifting allegiances and blaming others for shortcomings and failures. Through my personal life, service, and spiritual practice, I aim to fulfill the Great Commission. In doing so, God will use me according to the gifts I have received from Him, which are my inheritance.
A superficial reading of religious texts, without understanding the underlying intentions, leads to blind faith. In the Great Commission, when Muktinath says, “Go and preach the gospel and make disciples,” Christians often focus on the verbs ‘preach’ and ‘make,’ while overlooking the crucial aspect of ‘discipleship.’ When the Muktiveda permits a Hindu to become a devotee or disciple while remaining in their birth family and community (I Cor. 7:17ff.), what Christians often do in the name of the Great Commission aligns with what the Lord condemns in Matthew 23:15:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one convert; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Although I have reservations about ‘illegitimate interference,’ I agree with Gangadhara’s critique of ‘proselytization.’1 For me, ‘witnessing’ the transformation I have experienced through the Lord is not ‘illegitimate interference’ since I do not coerce anyone to change their religious tradition.
Despite its annoyance to some Christians, I maintain that I can practice my Hindu religious tradition while being a devotee of the Lord. Hindu pluralism accommodates diverse expressions of faith, allowing one to openly and proudly remain a ‘witness’ for their faith and devotion. Conversely, Christianity often practices ‘pluralistic exclusivism,’ dismissing other denominations as heretical while accommodating a range of denominations within the broader tradition.
To me, the Gospel introduces new values and respects existing truths that help me fulfill my dharma as a Hindu. The Great Commission should emphasize the concept of ‘disciple’ rather than merely focusing on the verbs ‘preach’ and ‘make.’
22-4-15
**Notes**
1. “The Semitic self-description contains a universal truth claim, which gives rise to a dynamic of proselytization. When the biblical God reveals His plan, it covers the whole of humankind. Those who receive this revelation should try to convert others into accepting the message in this divine self-disclosure. That is, proselytizing is an intrinsic drive of Islam and Christianity. The pagan view, on the contrary, implies that every ‘religion’ is a tradition—that is, a specific set of ancestral practices characterizing a human community. The traditions are upheld not because they contain some exclusive truth binding the believer to God but because they make some community into a community. Any attempt at interfering with the tradition of a community from the outside will be seen as illegitimate, since all traditions are part of the human quest for truth.” — S.N. Balagangadhara, *Reconceptualizing India Studies*, New Delhi: Oxford, 2012, p. 209.
Concepts within one religious tradition often do not align neatly with those of another. For instance, the Christian notion of the ‘Great Commission,’ articulated by the Lord in Matthew 28:18-20, states: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Every faith has a concept akin to this. If this were not the case, everyone would have followed the same faith, theology, philosophy, or doctrine from time immemorial. This is particularly evident in the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, as I have discussed in my critique of Balagangadhara. See: [Unethical Interference Versus Spiritual Obligation](https://dayanandbharati.in/unethical-interference-versus-spiritual-obligation/).
Although every devotee should contribute to fulfilling the Great Commission of Muktinath, not all are called to do so in the same manner. Each devotee is expected to fulfill their part faithfully while entrusting the rest to God.
Unfortunately, the Great Commission is often interpreted as the ‘conversion’ of people from one religious community to another. This conversion is not confined to personal faith but extends to a sociological dimension. In India, Christianity promotes such ‘conversion’ from one sociological community to another, without addressing the issues it claims to remedy within Hindu society, such as caste discrimination.
In essence, people are encouraged to change their religious affiliations without addressing the societal issues they find problematic. Converts, believing they are escaping adversity, may find themselves in a situation with no one to assist them.
In contrast, Hinduism promotes personal freedom to choose any spiritual discipline that aids one’s progress according to individual aptitude. It emphasizes that each person should follow their dharma, inspired by their personal spiritual practices.
Allow me to illustrate this from my perspective. As a devotee of Bhagavan Muktinath, I am guided to fulfill my dharma (social duty) according to the teachings of my Guru and Acharya Muktinath. This requires me to remain where I was born rather than shifting allegiances and blaming others for shortcomings and failures. Through my personal life, service, and spiritual practice, I aim to fulfill the Great Commission. In doing so, God will use me according to the gifts I have received from Him, which are my inheritance.
A superficial reading of religious texts, without understanding the underlying intentions, leads to blind faith. In the Great Commission, when Muktinath says, “Go and preach the gospel and make disciples,” Christians often focus on the verbs ‘preach’ and ‘make,’ while overlooking the crucial aspect of ‘discipleship.’ When the Muktiveda permits a Hindu to become a devotee or disciple while remaining in their birth family and community (I Cor. 7:17ff.), what Christians often do in the name of the Great Commission aligns with what the Lord condemns in Matthew 23:15:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one convert; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Although I have reservations about ‘illegitimate interference,’ I agree with Gangadhara’s critique of ‘proselytization.’1 For me, ‘witnessing’ the transformation I have experienced through the Lord is not ‘illegitimate interference’ since I do not coerce anyone to change their religious tradition.
Despite its annoyance to some Christians, I maintain that I can practice my Hindu religious tradition while being a devotee of the Lord. Hindu pluralism accommodates diverse expressions of faith, allowing one to openly and proudly remain a ‘witness’ for their faith and devotion. Conversely, Christianity often practices ‘pluralistic exclusivism,’ dismissing other denominations as heretical while accommodating a range of denominations within the broader tradition.
To me, the Gospel introduces new values and respects existing truths that help me fulfill my dharma as a Hindu. The Great Commission should emphasize the concept of ‘disciple’ rather than merely focusing on the verbs ‘preach’ and ‘make.’
22-4-15
**Notes**
1. “The Semitic self-description contains a universal truth claim, which gives rise to a dynamic of proselytization. When the biblical God reveals His plan, it covers the whole of humankind. Those who receive this revelation should try to convert others into accepting the message in this divine self-disclosure. That is, proselytizing is an intrinsic drive of Islam and Christianity. The pagan view, on the contrary, implies that every ‘religion’ is a tradition—that is, a specific set of ancestral practices characterizing a human community. The traditions are upheld not because they contain some exclusive truth binding the believer to God but because they make some community into a community. Any attempt at interfering with the tradition of a community from the outside will be seen as illegitimate, since all traditions are part of the human quest for truth.” — S.N. Balagangadhara, *Reconceptualizing India Studies*, New Delhi: Oxford, 2012, p. 209.
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