Biblical Concept of Reign of God and Establishment of Dharma in Bagavad Gita
Concept of Kingdom of God in Bhagavad-Gita
Hindu Scholars in India believe that Hinduism (Sanadhana Dharma)
existed in India much before Christianity came to it origin. The
Scriptures of this religion talk about the wholesome wellbeing of
the universe and the humanity. Our group theologians, as I
understand now, promote harmony and dialogue between other religions
in the world. Today I am writing on one of the important concepts of
Christianity, "The Kingdom of God"
Jesus certainly had a dream to establish God's reign on this earth
and thus to bring wholesomeness to all humans, especially to those
who lived in unwholesome situations and conditions. He did what ever
he could during his life time and asked his followers to continue to
fulfill his dream. The Gospels are filled with this idea that Jesus
came establish God's reign and thus invited the humans to give up
evil from their life thus need for repentance and conversion.
During the turbulent years of the early church, the whole idea that
Jesus came establish God's Kingdom was practically forgotten by the
Christian Leaders and the clergy. They made Jesus and put him up on
the alters and began to adore him, pray to him. Religious ritualism
and other types of practices which Jesus often condemned as an
abomination to true religion came to forefront.
All this happened as Christianity spread to various parts of the
world, and when mere Baptism became important without needed
understanding of the message of the Gospels and the meaning of
repentance and conversion. Christian Theologians Cannon Law-
scholars, like the Pharisees and the Scribes of the Judaism came up
to present hair-splitting theology, and they made a life of it.
These so called theologians legitimatized all what the rich and
powerful wanted them to support their immoral or un-religious
practices. We had even theologians who supported slavery, colonial
exploitations of the west who were Christians, and any subject for
that matter.
One thing was totally ignored was that "Jesus Came to Proclaim" the
arrival of God reign on earth (Mk.1:14-15; Lk. 4:16-21 etc.). The
undoubting missionaries went around, together with the colonizing
soldiers and Baptized many persons from other religions to
Christianity to save their "souls". But their "life" not transformed
into life in God's Kingdom.
Unfortunately, all other religions in the world was seen as coming
from Devil (who?). Fortunately today, more and more theologians are
talking about "God's Kingdom" and its effect on the human society.
The armchair-hairsplitt ing theologians are on their way out. There
is nobody waiting there to read their metaphysical theology, which
no one understood any way. More and theologians are discussing did
the person and life and work of Jesus make difference for the people
in this world. What are possibilities opened for Christians, the
disciples of Jesus to promote the wholesomeness of the universe and
the human family.
I am one of those theologians who promote the works to actualize the
Dream of Jesus and bring awareness that we do not become victims of
ritualism, clericalism that Jesus condemned during his life time. He
invited his disciples to "go" move out from your arm chair
comforts, to "go" out of your hierarchical `Chairs and comfortable
houses.' The promoters of irrational ritualism, irrational
religious fear and luxury loving hierarchy in the Church are doing
all this in the name of the "poor" Jesus who came to proclaim and
bring God's Kingdom and wholesomeness to all.
In this context of the Church today, which is moving from
irrelevance to further irrelevance, we must look around and other
religions and the goodness in them so that they can help us lift us
from the pit in which we have fallen. As I said before, Hinduism in
India always dreamt about a whole universe and humanity. Their
Scriptures explained this through various stories, concepts. There
isn't much difference of opinion about this among religions and
religious leaders. It is our responsibility, therefore, highlight
and promote this "Dream" of all religions to bring wellbeing to all
humans and to the Universe as a whole. In this way we will defeat
the fundamentalists of all religions who defame the religions
through narrow-mindedness, legalism, and personal ambitions and
promote inhuman practices of violence, superstitions, discrimination
and unsociability in the name of religion.
The Bhagavad-Gita, known as the New Testament of Hinduism, speaks
about God's plan to establish "Dharma" in the world. Dharma is
beautiful concept. Usually `dharma' is translated as `religion'. But
the scriptural meaning of "Dharma" is wholesome wellbeing of the
universe and all humankind. It is God who establishes Dharma through
wholesome humans, who are known as "avatars" or incarnations.
Hinduism have many incarnations, mainly ten of them. These
incarnations appear time to time, place to place so that God's
created world becomes a livable one. In the context of Jesus'
incarnation, this concept of Dharma is very relevant. This is all
the more important today because, we Christians believe that there
is only one incarnation. If we move back to the Hindu understanding
of incarnation, we can say that all disciples of Jesus who are sent
out to different parts of the world to bring God's Kingdom to all,
wholesome life to all.
Today as we face various types evil forces, emanating from evil
human mind and dreams, we the disciples of Jesus must work all the
more to fulfill the dream of Jesus and bring joy, wellbeing,
harmony, equality and peace to all people on earth.
We the Christian theologians must encourage and enlighten the Church
leaders to move out of their comfortable zones of power to proclaim
and bring Kingdom of God to all. If the Church has future existence,
only this dream of the Kingdom and establishment of Dharma will
work. For this purpose, the church also must collaborate with other
religions. In this way the Church also will help to reduce violence
in the world today in the name of Religions and religious faiths.
Wholesomewinner (A Christian Theologian)