Felix Wilfred

FELIX WILFRED

Felix Wilfred was born in Tamil Nadu, India in 1948. He was the President of the Faculty of Arts, and Chairman of The School of Philosophy and Religious Thought at the State University of Madras. He is also a member of the Statutory Ethical Committee of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. He was a member of International Theological Commission of the Vatican. He has been a visiting professor at universities around the world. At present, he is the Founder-Director of the Asian Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies, Chennai. He is also the President of Concilium: The International Review for Theology.

His research and field studies today cut across many disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Some of his prominent publications in the field of theology are Beyond Settled Foundations: The Journey of Indian Theology (1993), On the Banks of Ganges (2002), Asian Dreams and Christian Hope (2003), The Sling of Utopia: Struggles for a Different Society (2005), and Margins: Site of Asian Theologies (2008).

AN IDEOLOGICAL FRAME WORK FOR INDIAN LIBERATION AND CONTRIBUTION OF THE CHURCH

In order to be effective the project of liberation calls for a certain ideological frame works. Ideology is not a mere statement of principles. It offers a vision an interpretation of humanity and society and history, and also provides practical strategies for social change. An integrating and unifying ideological frame work is needed in India made up of so many and varied linguistic ethnic cultural and religious peoples and tribes. At this juncture of the evaluation of the Indian nation, we can observe four ideologies at work each one claiming to redeem the poor and downtrodden. These four ideologies are the legacy of four great personalities: Nehru, Ghandhi, Ambedkar and Marx.

Nehru was an ardent advocate of secularism, modernization, industrialization. In his vision these would lead India on the path of progress, abolish poverty, and ensure a bright future for the poor.

The second ideology is the Gandhian path of sarvodaya, the welfare of all. Gandhi was sceptical of large-scale democratic systems where individual freedom and growth could be easily submerged. Gandhi’s ideals for the welfare of all was the swaraj (self rule) by which every village would be self governed and economically self-reliant. Gandhi was concerned about the rehabilitation of the untouchables within the Hindu fold, calling them harijans (people of God), and thus giving a religious sanction to their political marginalization and inequality.

Ambedkar, on the other hand, himself a member of the untouchable community, realized the futility of religious solutions to what were and are deep rooted social problems. He advocated strongly the need on the part of the outcast to become politically strengthened and get actively involved in political power. Nationalism for Ambedkar was not simply emancipation from the external colonial power but liberation from the internal oppression as well, which entailed the exorcising of the caste-spirit.

Finally Marxist ideology has been an important force in Indian society, through the member of those openly belonging to the communist or Marxist party or followers of the ideology in its entirety may not be impressive. The Marxist analysis of the Indian socio-economic life with the study of the root causes of poverty has found much response among the down trodden and those who support them in the struggle, especially where ever this analysis is coupled with the commitment of the Marxist in the task of liberation.

None of these ideologies can be dismissed. This complex Indian world of ideologies is also a challenge to the church. The church can be a partner in the Indian search for vision and liberation as well as very resourceful contribution. Felix confined his reflections to only 4 points:

1.      I believe that Christianity can play a crucial role in strengthening the democratic and secular vision in India at a time when the political system and institutions deriving from it are utilized more for oppression than for liberation.

2.      Christianity can be a potent source of liberative vision is attested by its influence on the 19th century Bengal Renaissance movement, Brahma Samaj and Ramakrishna- Vivekananda moments, social reform moments, and others, which all contributed to the regeneration of Indian society.

3.      It had been widely recognized that in India no significant social transformation can take place without reference to religion and its motivational force. Any ideology in India therefore has to reckon with the force religion represents an Indian society and has to take a stand.

4.      In the Indian situation, the contribution which Christianity and Marxism can make, interestingly, lies in the same direction and this is understandable against the background of their common Judeo-Christian origin.

The church is challenged to bring to bear upon the present dehumanizing Indian situation the force of a liberating humanist humanism. In the words of J.P. Naik, a Hindu:

Hinduism has learnt one great thing from Christianity. I do not attach much importance to how many people accept Christianity as a religion. But the ideal that Hinduism got from Christianity was that the way of God lies through the service of man….the emphasis on seva, the service of man as a method of realizing God came through our contact with Christianity.[1]

To be the church is to be with the people as Jesus was, manifesting the human face of the Divine. This implies that the church be truly incarnate, rooted among the people, enfleshing itself with the broken and tortured flesh of India’s oppressed and suffering millions and becoming truly ‘Flesh of India’s Flesh’.[2] Immersion, participation, dialogue, liberation and inculturation are challenges to the church which can not be faced by declarations, but have to be lived out.

Bibliography

Wilfred, Felix. “Leave the temple: Indian paths to Human Liberation”, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York, 1992.

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[1] Naik, J. P. “The Role and Problems of Private Enterprise in Education”. In The Christian College and National Devolopment, (Madras: CLS, 1967), 134.

[2] Rayan, Samuel. “Flesh of India’s Flesh” in Jeevadhara 6