Of late there have been many comments from people of prominence in the state regarding the contrast that the church buildings in Nagaland have with the school buildings across the many towns and villages in the state. The race to build the best of all the church buildings has finally come to such a point where it is now quite audacious in the eyes of many a Christian in the state. Among the many other teachings Christianity also considers humility as a virtue but that at present is not reflected well among its followers in the state. Blind tribal pride or tribalism as we called is also the root cause of such mad race to build the tallest, biggest and the most magnificent church building.
Nagaland state is 90 percent Christian populated and there are many denominations of Christianity that can be found. However the Baptists are in majority, and as mentioned earlier in this column the churches were first divided on lines of language but eventually it got divided on tribal lines.
The tribal pride slowly started to rear its ugly head especially after the statehood due to the turbulent political situation prevailing then. Moreover the new found powers that Nagas suddenly enjoyed after the creation of the state and its subsequent misuse by the persons (tribes) that wielded it may also have been another factor that caused rifts among the tribes.
Likewise, the factionalism in the Naga National movement also has its roots in tribalism though on face value difference of ideology is given the blame. Without tribalism the division on lines of ideology can never be so wide and so varied.
Resultant is it ushered in an era of unhealthy competition to be the best tribe in everything even if it involved glorification of corruption and the corrupted. Every tribe has their own versions of “Robin Hoods”; who can pocket more of the Indian taxpayers’ money for his tribe’s sake and who can appoint more of one’s clan/village/tribe in government jobs.
Similarly Naga churches also succumbed to the evils prevailing in the state. Though churches of earlier converts spread the religion and provided education in the remote areas of other tribes it always had its share of patronising by the members and also the workers in some cases. The later converts are still indebted but it is evident that there is absence of that love (Christian love) as taught by their religion.
Eventually there are instances where sermons are also delivered on tribal lines in the respective churches in Nagaland as if the tribes are at war with each other. Misinformed speakers talk about imminent dangers that one’s tribes is facing from the others. So also every tribe wants its church building to be the most magnificent, at least breaking a few records currently held by others.
Though the recent comments may have been influenced by the numerous numbers of dilapidated school buildings in the state, the answer rightfully lies with the church. In the present Naga context the church is the only institution left to tackle the evils of tribalism.
