While recently looking through some old college assignments I've done I found something I wanted to share from a paper I did from a Religion class entitled, "Is Mahatma Gandhi in Heaven with Jesus?" I've condensed it into a blog, but would be happy to share it in it's entirety to anyone who wishes. I feel like there is a message in it that is relevant to our Christian faith even if Gandhi himself didn't profess Christianity. Enjoy...
Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. Mahatma was the name that the Indian people gave Gandhi. The word means Great Soul. Gandhi was married at the age of thirteen to a thirteen year old girl through an arranged marriage by his parents. Although perceived by some to be uneducated, Ganghi had studied Law in London before moving back to India in 1891 to begin his own practice. Shortly after this Gandhi did legal work in South Africa.
Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. Mahatma was the name that the Indian people gave Gandhi. The word means Great Soul. Gandhi was married at the age of thirteen to a thirteen year old girl through an arranged marriage by his parents. Although perceived by some to be uneducated, Ganghi had studied Law in London before moving back to India in 1891 to begin his own practice. Shortly after this Gandhi did legal work in South Africa.While in South Africa, which was under British rule at this time, Gandhi noticed that despite the fact that he was a British subject, he was treated poorly because of his Indian race. He wasn't alone for many other Indians suffered in South Africa just as he did. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for 21 years fighting peacefully for the Indian people’s rights. Gandhi developed a system called “Satyagraha,” which he based upon the principles of courage, nonviolence and truth. Satyagraha promoted nonviolence and civil disobedience as the most appropriate methods for obtaining political and social goals.
In 1915 Gandhi returned to India. Within 15 years he became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement.” Gandhi was a man of peace and was very influential as both a spiritual leader and as a political leader in his lifetime. Gandhi was of the Hindu faith, but had a strong attraction to Christianity. Gandhi had often quoted the Sermon on the Mount and had a deep love for the teachings of Jesus. Once when a missionary named E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?" Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Ghandhi may have not rejected Jesus Christ, and we know Jesus would never reject him if he came to Him, but sadly Gandhi was rejected by the Church once.
While practicing Law in South Africa, Gandhi first began studying the bible and began to become attracted to Jesus Christ and His teachings. After much contemplation about becoming a Christian himself, he decided it was time to attend a Christian church.
Gandhi found a church and during the next service he started to go through the front door. Before he could enter, a white man that was an elder of the church stopped him and asked him, "Where do you think you're going, kaffir?" (kaffir is a derogatory racial slur in South Africa) Ghandi replied, "I'd like to attend worship here." Tragically, the man replied to Gandhi, "There's no room for kaffirs in this church. Get out of here or I'll have my assistants throw you down the steps." Unfortunately, Gandhi never attended a Christian church again, but he didn't let this incident keep him from the truth he held in his heart about Christ.
As unfortunate as Gandhi’s experience with church was, it makes me think of so many people I know personally including myself who have been hurt by people in the church. I once had a person tell me they won’t go to church because there are so many hypocrites there. I asked him if he would rather go to church with them or go to Hell with them?
Of course, going to church won’t make you a Christian anymore than going to McDonald’s will make you a cheeseburger. That being said, was Gandhi in good standing? I don’t know, but I do believe there’s a good chance that he was. According to the bible he may be in Heaven!
Romans 10:9,10 tells us,
“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Mahatma Gandhi quoted Christ enough, so did he confess Him to be his Lord? Gandhi did believe in Christ it seems, but did he trust in Christ as his Lord and Savior?
Sadly, there are so many people who instead of being a reflection of Christ, they cast a reflection on Him. Gandhi appears to have been a reflection of Jesus in many ways. He seemed to possess a very healthy dimension of spiritual wellness in his life despite the turbulence that surrounded him. I sincerely do hope to meet this man someday in the Heaven, so I hope he did accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior in spite of the treatment he received by the church.
This should be a lesson for Christians today. There is no room for prejudice in the Church and you should show love to all people just as our Lord did. You will never know if the person you are hurting may be the next Gandhi.
