Being Human!

The world is getting better and worst everyday. The number of terrorist attacks also increasing in tandem with the number of military forces deployed by terrorist-free-loving countries. I don't want and you don't want terrorist! Economic recession: who wants it? Nobody. Drought and typhoons: nobody wants it. Hunger and poverty: nobody wants it. And many hundreds of social issues and crisis we are facing today. The poor and rich alike want to stay alive. Well, there are some poor and rich who want end their lives! There seem to be problem no matter how poor or rich. The poor people think, why the rich are getting richer. Well at the same time, the rich also asking why the number of poor are increasing every day.
In business language, to stay on the course of business, one has to make profit. In other word, there should be at least two when you invest one. If we can make more than two, we can call it good business. So the rich are trying to make two most of the time, which is normal for them. Well, the onlookers, the poor, are not impressed with such making two out of one at somebody cost.
Now at the face of impending imperialistic driven globalization, the option for the poor is getting bleaker. Despite many programs for the poor and needy, the explosion of the poor population seems to be unstoppable. So far there is no worthy to recall schemes or project for the "really poor" population. For instance, if you want to avail the schemes or benefits, you have to show many identity proof, of which the really poor could not afford to have. Look at the beggars in the street, the first poor people who need immediate attention is those people in the street. Instead of distributing sweets and roti, finding a place for shelter and menial job seem plausible to me. In fact I would say more human!

Doing theology and mission among Zeliangrong

The following is an abstract from my thesis

Abstract
Kamang Gangmei, Jaojianlung. Union Theological Seminary, Sampaloc I, PapaPala, Dasmarinas, Cavite. A Special Research Project Master of Divinity, Union Theological Seminary, Dasmarinas, Cavite, Philippines. February 2009. Professor. Revelation Velunta

There is a close affinity between one’s religious beliefs and cultures. In most cases, culture is shaped and influenced by religious faith and practice. To embrace new religious faith and practice, one is expected to renounce what he or she believed in earlier. Such is the trend in most of the Asian countries. Asians are basically a religious people. The major world religions are originated from Asia is an indication of Asian religiosity. The life of the community; manners and customs, foods, observing of times such as full moon or half moon, and many more cultural practices are directly related to religious belief and practice.
The Zeliangrong people, a small tribal group of just about 3 million population, occupy a compact geographical block consisting of Tamenglong district of Manipur, Peren District of Nagaland and further fragmented by administrative bifurcations in Cachar district, N.C. Hills of Assam, Senapati, Churachandpur, Imphal East & West, Thoubal and Bishnupur district of Manipur in the North East India. Since the arrival of the Christianity[1], there has been a tremendous change among Zeliangrong people. It was so powerful that it defaced the culture of the Zeliangrong to the point of extinction. The people experienced immense blessings from God in many expects of life. However, there is also an adverse affect which cost the Zeliangrong people dearly. The blessing of culture which makes the Zeliangrong people unique from the rest of the world is fading. It is indeed a great blessing but people interpretation of the Christianity is somewhat subjugation in nature over culture.
However, the gospel of Christ is an empowering reality; it is liberation from any sort of bondage. God created Zeliangrong people, surely God wills the people to live the way it intended them to be. Culture is not necessarily a sin.
The Zeliangrong culture and tradition were ‘paganized’ by ignorant interpretation of the Christian faith. This project is an attempt to ‘de-paganize’ Zeliangrong culture through reexamining culture in the light of truth revealed in the Scripture. The primary objective is to empower the Zeliangrong with the gospel by maintaining a balance between faith and culture. This is a project of de-paganization. [2]






[1] Christianity came to the land of Zeliangrong through one evangelist name Maipak. He was from Kuki tribe, a neighboring tribal group in the region. He came to Barak valley in the middle part of 1900s. Barak valley is where Zeliangrong people are concentrated though they can be also found in others places in the region as well as in Myanmar. The grandfather of the writer, (Late) Mr. Zinlakpou Gangmei was the first Christian among the Zeliangrong people. This information has been pass on from grand father to me and I am going to pass on to following generation orally through story and in written

[2] Paganization is my description for an act of making ones’ culture and tradition a pagan or heathen. De-paganization is an act or process of understanding and respecting ones’ culture as God given identity, thereby removing all prejudice against ones’ culture just because they are different from you and your culture.

NOTE: The “pagan” here referring to the negative connotation, a pejorative term, mostly by the traditional Christian to those people groups who are not subscribed to Christian faith. The word usually understood as referring to savage, non religious, uncivilized, etc.