Eating with Hands, Oprah Winfrey and Jesus Christ

Oprah Winfrey in one of her shows on India being aired on Discovery channel has ruffled few feathers by commenting on Indian's custom of eating with hands. We Indian's forget that she is not the first one to comment on our shabby state of affairs, prominent among those who commented against Indians would be the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mr. Winston Churchill and former Indian cricket coach, Mr. Greg Chappell.

Some learned and not-so-learned Indians have taken the comment personally and have tried to defend themselves by seeking shelter and solace under the banner of the Great Indian culture. I had hardly scratched my head to figure out what's the whole cry is about when in an instant I realized that eating with hands has got nothing to do with our Indian culture. In my personal opinion, I find eating with hands as a reflection of an uncivilized society. It is unhygienic and disgusting.

The custom of eating with hands is prevalent in third world countries, among tribal, economically and socially weaker sections of the society. It reflects the deplorable state of the society. Eating with hands reflects a pre-medieval custom still practiced by people living in forests. If I dig further, it also reflects that we have still not learnt to enjoy the fine art of dining. Eating is not about filling our bellies; it is much more than that. When you are still scrounging, you would only be content to survive rather than even ponder about luxuries and eating with hands, in my personal opinion, epitomizes the fact that we are still trying to meet the most basic of our needs. We neither have the resources nor the will to experiment with spoons and forks.

This raises another really serious question about our attitude towards good and better things in life. We Indians are obstinate, perverse, stubborn and adamant people who due to ignorance, false pride, ego and fear do not want to change for the better. Bible refers to us as stiff-necked people. For centuries, we continued the despicable practices of child marriage, sati system (the burning of widows alive on her expired husband's pyre), thugi ritual (the ritual murder of travelers as human sacrifices to the mother goddess kali, by gangs of men known as thugs), casteism, and untouchability. We still practice the abhorable dowry system. Britishers used stick to implement and enforce the law enacted to abolish the custom of child marriage, sati, and thugi. It took the Britishers along with some enlightened Indians to ban these customs. Casteism, untouchability and dowry system is still advocated and practiced all across India, even among learned, educated and rich Indians.

This attitude runs deeper. This malaise goes way down deep right into the human soul. We are so hung up on our rituals, tradition, culture and practices that we have rejected the True and Living God. Jesus said, 'I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.' Jn 10:10 He again said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through Me.' He has very categorically made it clear that He's the only way for the salvation of mankind. In Acts 4:12, Peter the Apostle proclaimed, 'Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.' Again Paul the Apostle reiterated the same in Acts 13:38, 'Therefore let it be known to you, brethren that through this Man (Jesus Christ) is preached to you the forgiveness of sins.'

You do not accept Jesus that you may have life because you are, as the Bible rightly says, 'the children of the devil', 'the children of wrath', 'the children of darkness' and 'sons of disobedience' who have been kept for the great and terrible day of judgment before the Great White Throne of the One and Only True and Living God. For you have rejected the True and Living God, who became man and suffered the shame of cross and died for your sins. You have rejected Him who rose up from the dead. You have trampled underfoot the goodness, love, sacrifice and grace of the One and the Only One, Jesus Christ.

Sex and sensual pleasure: Biblical Perspective

I find it very disturbing when I listen to the talks of some Christians, even elders of the church so engrossed in the discussion of a movie and its details. They have no qualms in going over to a theatre or screening a movie at home or inviting their fellow believers for so-called outing, which in essence is just to expose you to sin in the form of a movie. And it reminds me of my days when I lived a sinful, disobedient life. A life that only sought physical and sensual pleasures. All the thoughts and deeds were to satisfy my sexual desires. During the week offs, all I did was watch movies for hours. There was no concept of reading the Bible. There was no concept of prayer in my life.

There was no concept of Lordship of Jesus Christ in my life. My passions were sinful, my desires were sinful, my longings were sinful. Not only was I living a life of sin, I was continuously exposing myself to sin and fanning my sinful and sexual passions by watching movies, listening to secular music, with all their sexual undertones and overtones. I was listening to music which were generating in me the emotions designed by God to be exercised inside marriage. They were generating in me a desire and longing for the opposite sex. There is nothing wrong in being attracted to the opposite sex but to let myself engulf with the desire for sensual pleasure is sin. During this phase, I had no longing to live a holy life. I had no desire to live a holy life. There was no guilt for the sins I was committing. There was no remorse. I was enjoying the pleasures of my sinful, sexual and sensual passions. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. Rom 8:5a

 And then I came back to Christ. All of those desires and longings to watch a movie, listen to those songs are gone. It's just gone. Those feelings are just not there anymore. I did not struggle to leave them. I did not do anything. That's the work of the Holy Spirit who through His indwelling fills us with a new desire and longing. All I did was repent of my sins and come back to Christ and accepted His Lordship. When I see these so called Christians and elders of the church so zealously discussing movie, I know they are where I was when I lived a sinful and a disobedient life. They may fool the world but not me because I've lived the life that they are presently into. What they are indulging in, I've already indulged in. And I've been saved from that sinful life. I am a new creation. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new. II Cor 5:17 They who are of Christ's have crucified the flesh with all its lusts. If anyone loves the world or the things of the world, the love of the father is not in him. The Bible is so plain and clear in this matter. There has to be an outward evidence of the inward transformation that we claim to have.

The acid test to do a thing or watch or listen a thing is given by Paul in Phil 4:8, 'Finally Brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on those things.'

So, if that thing that you desire to do or watch or listen is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, is of good report, has virtue in it, is praiseworthy, then do it. I Thess 5:22 says, 'Abstain from every form of evil.'