THE CHURCH AND THE SOCIALLY EXCLUDED PEOPLE

By Wati Longchar

Some people are socially excluded in Indian society. Social exclusion is the denial of the equality of some groups in society with others. Denial includes livelihood, secure employment, property, credit or land, housing, education, citizenship and legal equality, democratic participation, cultural resources and religious rights. People today who cannot participate in basic economic, political, social and religious functions are women, dalits, tribals/adivasis, religious/cultural minorities, people with different sexual preferences and people with disabilities. From the vantage point of those on the edges, the destitute and socially avoided call on churches to break down the dividers of partition. What can we learn from these socially avoided communities to reinforce the mission of the church? The Jesus development and socially prohibited individuals.

Within the scriptural convention, socially avoided individuals are a favored space for God's sympathy and equity. There are several accounts of God's attention and caring love for people in situations of oppression and subsequent corruption. God hears the cry of the oppressed and answers by supporting and accompanying them on their way to liberation. (Exodus 3:7-8). Jesus declares his pronouncement as one who liberates the abused, opens daze eyes and recuperates the debilitated. (Luke 4:16f) By announcing once more and once more that he came to look for the misplaced and the slightest, Jesus always places his service among the socially prohibited individuals of his time. Jesus rejected damaging control (Lk 1:1-12) and onerous devout conventions (Lk 11:37-54) and instep chose to reestablish those denied life, indeed in spite of the fact that his freeing activities eventually brought him to the cross. Through such plausibility, Jesus uncovered and stood up to the powers of marginalization. He worked for equity, peace, uniformity, respect and regard for all.

In arrange to empower individuals to celebrate life to the fullest, Jesus locked in and distinguished with the essential and natural reality. He did not belong to the elite, wealthy class. He was with the people, for the people and from the people. His concern was people's problems and predicaments. He caught on his otherworldly existence not within the sense of partition from people in torment, but within the sense of total recognizable proof with them. The Pharisees and scribes were always uncomfortable with his associating with "publicans and sinners" and even eating and drinking with them (Mk 2:15-17; Lk 15:1-2; 5:27-32 Matt 9:9-13). But he demanded, "In case you are doing not welcome your companions, your brothers or relatives or wealthy neighbors... But welcome the destitute, the disfigured, the lame, the daze, and you'll be favored." (Lk 14, 12-14a). This clearly shows his priority and perspective. There is a reversal of values ​​or a "reevaluation of values". His ethics and morals were not legalistic, ceremonial and conventional. He wasn't self-righteous and tricky almost his connections. He accepted that the kingdom of God was fragmented without the consideration of individuals on the borders. An bona fide church is subsequently as it were conceivable through distinguishing in cherish with the casualties, the destitute and the enduring.

Early Christian communities fought against the prevailing and pervasive evils of the time, such as imperial rule, social injustice, false pride, legalism, hypocritical piety, and unfaithfulness to God's covenant, which oppressed the poor masses on the margins. Against this fiendish, the destitute Christians, uneducated, untouchables from Bethany and ignored towns in and around Jerusalem and Galilee, engaged by the occasion of Pentecost, created a prophetic mission against royal run the show. The experience of Pentecost empowered them to express their opposition to the power of mammon and the abuse of power in the hierarchy by developing common practices of property ownership, wealth sharing, and solidarity. This solidarity among destitute individuals got to be a danger to the existing realm and its social, political and financial structures. In case today's church is to be lively and prophetic, we have no choice but to put our mission within the setting of individuals on the edges of society. This is a biblical imperative. The Church - are socially excluded people included?

Within the past, the Church regularly fizzled to challenge the financial, social, devout, social and political frameworks that marginalized certain areas of individuals in society. Amid the Edinburgh conference in 1910, the pioneers of the time thought that oikoumene was conceivable indeed without evacuating and changing the structures of persecution and abuse of colonial administrations. It is the same within the church nowadays. We cannot talk of the genuine church without standing up to the out of line structure of our political, social and financial framework. The presence of the church is insignificant without challenging and transforming the institutionalized and systemic treacheries happening within the church, government and other open segments.

When the exchange on the arrangement of the Church of South India (CSI) was started, numerous masterminds criticized the activity. The Madras Reconsidering Gather was very concerned that the Church would be a bumbling square to Christ's mission. Within the a long time that taken after, numerous pioneers raised their basic voices as they saw the proceeded avoidance of marginalized individuals and hush almost an unreasonable framework.

How to make the experience of socially excluded people "central in the body of Christ"? Dalits, inborn individuals, ladies, individuals with inabilities, individuals living with HIV, individuals of diverse sexual introductions and vagrant laborers proceed to encounter avoidance and segregation on numerous fronts. How do we join their vision of life into reinforcing the church's mission?

I have as of late been included in an ESHA-NCCI supported HIV mindfulness program among philosophy instructors. Several questions were asked to assess their level of awareness, perception and attitudes. The three responses were quite shocking. In reaction to whether an HIV-positive church part ought to be permitted to share of Sacred Communion, one reaction was, “It depends on how the individual got to be infected.” I inquired why? He delayed, but the reply was hush - in case On the off chance that a individual is sexually contaminated, they ought to not be given Heavenly Communion.The another address was: Would you suggest a neighborhood church to delegate somebody HIV positive (who is very good in studies?) as their pastor? the answer was "no." I asked why? He replied, "That person will soon die." Another replied: "As long as HIV is associated with immoral activities, I do not recommend it."

I did not expect such responses from theology teachers who were about to teach a course entitled "Towards Inclusive Communities: People Living with HIV and AIDS" in the B.D. I thought to myself, they (our religious philosophy instructors and church pioneers) carry on just like the Pharisees of Jesus' time. The questions and answers say a part almost how judgmental and negative states of mind we perceive those influenced by HIV.3 Typically fair an case, comparable states of mind win towards vagrants, Dalits, individuals with inabilities, tribals/adivasis, individuals of distinctive sexual orientations, ladies etc. They are still treated as moment lesson citizens within the body of Christ.

While I was a theological student in the early 1980s, casteism and tribalism were not a theological issue. It was never discussed in class. But our theological discourse today has changed dramatically. However, Dalits, tribals and other marginalized people still experience injustice, restriction, feeling of contempt, segregation and endogamy. Even among theologically educated people and respected leaders, we often hear comments reflecting a sense of pride in being an upper caste or a Brahmin or a dominant community and a sense of shame in being a lower caste.

Lower caste people suffer from low self-esteem, confusion about their own identity, self-hatred and the perception of the world as a hostile place. They develop cowardice and timidity, which leads to hypertension and neuroticism. They also acquire the social character of dependence, social distance in the sense of ethnocentrism, closedness leading to closure, anger, hatred and a sense of nothingness. It kills the common identity of the nation. Tribals/Adivasis also go through similar experiences and humiliation. In addition, tribal/adivasi communities are fighting land alienation caused by development activities and the consequent erosion of their culture and identity. What do we learn from them to be an authentic church?

We can also categorize people with disabilities, people with a different sexual orientation and women as "marginalized". They are marginalized because of unfair systems. We see people with disabilities as the embodiment of suffering, evil, impurity and depravity. Many churches are still not open to recognizing the gift of people with disabilities and we keep them away from the church and society. Their bodies and labor are exploited and they are deprived of their freedom. The Church often showed a condescending attitude towards people with disabilities, seeing them as charity cases, objects of pity and compassion. The Church has a hard time accepting them into the Body of Christ.

After the Delhi High Court verdict in July 2010 legalizing consensual gay sex, we heard many voices for and against the verdict. Since marriage between a man and a woman is not only a civil contract, but deeply rooted in the cultural and religious sphere, the verdict came as a surprise to many religious leaders and communities. For some it was a complete violation of religious sanctions, unbiblical, unnatural and socially unacceptable. But for People of Different Sexual Orientation (PDSCOs), it remains an issue of justice. It was considered an exemption from draconian laws. Many Christians consider this unbiblical and a violation of the sanctity of the God-ordained marriage law. Although the church advocates a "just and inclusive community", it is very clear that many churches are not prepared and still stigmatize and demonize people with a different sexual orientation. Are we ready to live with sexual minorities and their families without prejudice and discrimination, to provide them with services of love, compassionate care and justice? 

We have been talking about the rights of women in society and the church for many years, yet the identity of women is shaped by men in society and the church. All the qualities of "feminine" such as obedience, tenderness, sweetness, humility, discretion, motherhood were attributed to them by men to ensure that they would have a passive partner who would be the mother of their children. This denied women both voice and agency as their bodies, sexuality and entire lives were controlled by men. Some churches grant second degree ordination to women. Aren't our churches practicing injustice towards women? What do we learn from socially excluded people?

Under the influence of capitalist ideology, Christians often think that marginalized people have nothing to offer for the growth of the church. Such an understanding regularly driven to seeing socially marginalized individuals as objects or beneficiaries of the Christian mission. Many philanthropic or humanitarian initiatives also follow these attitudes. Such an understanding failed to recognize the potential of marginalized people for the church.

The Church will not be able to realize what it means to be called a community if it does not listen to the voices of people on the margins. From their point of view, these marginal people have the epistemological privilege of knowing what affirms and denies life; what helps and hurts communities; what contributes to well-being and what circumvents it. They bring first-hand information of the enduring that goes with exclusionary hones. They bring gifts that are underutilized due to lack of opportunity and loss of status. They also bring a reservoir of hope, resistance, and perseverance that can empower the church to remain faithful to God's promised reign.

Even if marginalized people do not have many material and financial resources - as many churches are used to - with their lives and daily resistance, practicing solidarity, they have a huge potential to revive the mission of the church. It testifies to the sinfulness of the world, acts as the conscience of society, which must be held accountable for its complicity and silence. That is why God chose the marginalized, not because they are weak of their own will, nor out of paternalistic compassion, but above all because their lives point to an urgent need for repentance and transformation.

Therefore, people on the margins of society should not always be seen as people in need and despair. They stood up to treachery and persecution in their claim ways, and through their battles for life, equity, respect and rights for themselves and for all, they uncover the nearness and control of God in their lives. For example, people with disabilities promote the values ​​of sensitivity and partnership; Dalits and other discriminated communities call on churches and communities to confront cultures and practices that discriminate and dehumanize millions; adivasi/tribal peoples advocate the value of interconnectedness of life, especially in the context of threatened land; disadvantaged young people resist policies that deprive them of educational and employment opportunities; and vulnerable migrant workers, with their struggle for human rights, dignity and justice, challenge political systems that deny them basic human rights in the name of national interests. In all these manifestations, in its actions and commitment to liberation and transformation, the ecumenical movement today has new possibilities for ecumenical action and also a new ecclesial self-discovery.

Marginalized people, because of their desire for a dignified and just life, offer alternative visions of a world without the forces that abuse and deny life to all. They challenge us to work on new patterns of inclusivity, sharing and transformative action. In a world where people are treated as commodities and mistreated because of their identities, such as gender, ethnicity, skin color, caste, age, disability, sexual orientation, and economic and cultural standing, we are challenged to to build individuals and communities. ways that help them experience God's gift of life.

Imagining the church from a socially excluded perspective requires not only healing the wounds of victims or offering compassionate actions, but also calls on churches to confront and transform the forces that cause suffering and deprivation. Hence, prophetic activity incorporates both comforting the casualty and standing up to "powers and realms" (Eph. 6:12).

It requires a radical spirituality of constant struggle and devotion for the transformation of sinful social structures and for the liberation of their victims. Without transformative action, churches would be mere expressions of service, subtly serving the interests of oppressive and exploitative powers by concealing their complicity. We are called to be involved in dismantling oppressive systems such as patriarchy, racism, casteism, xenophobia and other discriminatory and exclusionary practices. Churches also need to repent for the presence and practice of these unjust systems within their own structures and for the mocking and exclusionary attitudes and theological constructs that stigmatize certain sections of society. Challenges and opportunities. Advocate and dispatch campaigns for equity, respect and peace for casualties of hostility, uprooting and dispossession. Travel, encourage, support and accompany the local congregation as they respond to their own problems by developing and implementing diaconal work. Advocates for expressions of solidarity and mutual responsibility between congregations are especially bridging the gap between urban and rural and rich and poor communities.

 To address issues of social, gender, caste and racial discrimination and exclusion within the Church and our institutions. To implement policies and programs related to HIV and AIDS, disability and environmental care adopted by NCCI. To back, encourage and go with prophetic voices and activities that look for to advance the causes of human rights, equity and the rights of marginalized communities. Network and partner with churches and organizations regionally and nationally to support local people-based initiatives.

Encourage and support theological institutions to address issues of social exclusion to build an inclusive community for all. Encourage and help churches to engage in prophetic actions for justice with people from different religious communities. Create and prepare biblical resources that enable, encourage and educate lay people for transformational action.