CULTURAL CONFUSION!

Have you ever heard something then actually stood there and thought, “Did I actually just hear that?” That happens to me quite often hear in India, as there are concepts that I just don’t get or quite understand why they would even contemplate such a resolution.

Let’s say you’re a single mother and your daughter of around 18 year’s old has a young man that is interested in her, but he is not the right man for her. He hangs out with the wrong crowd and your daughter is not really interested in him. Now, in India, the parents have a very heavy say in who you marry and the children listen. There is a very high respect in this way. Marrying off a woman in particular, because you have to pay a dowry to the husband’s family, so there is always a heavy involvement of the parents.

You agree that you do not want this young man as a son-in-law, and the daughter does not want him as a husband. Easy enough, right? One day your daughter is walking home from the store the same way she always does, and this young man knows this and is waiting in one particular area that is pretty secluded with a car. Upon the arrival of the young woman the man kidnaps, or “takes” your daughter. What would you do?

Would you go to the police? Not necessarily here, because then there would be a report and that could taint her chances of getting married because she would be considered unclean and no one would want her. Plus the police would not necessarily do anything anyway, and would wonder how the woman coaxed him. She would be guilty until proven innocent. After fifteen days you receive a call that your daughter is alright and will be returning.

Now what would you do? Would you make sure the girl remains as far away from this young man as you could so she could heal emotionally and physically? Well, not here. You have her marry him, so she becomes pure. She ends up living with the very man who kidnapped and raped her. If this is not confusing, I do not know what is.

When I was told this story, and it is a true story, as I have met the young woman, I just stood there and tried to clean out my ears. I could not believe what I was hearing. How can this be in Bangalore? It is suppose to be a “Modern City.”

I could give my opinions all I wanted, and they understood and agreed with me, but there is nothing they could do, as this was their culture, this was how their Hindu practices worked. My heart broke for this poor woman. What is proclaimed as a peaceful, tranquil religion around the world allows such atrocities.

We have to look at what lies beneath everything. Hinduism in the end is man-made with demonic influence and will make room for such horrific suffering. Hopefully over time we will be able to witness and demonstrate the love and forgiveness of Christ to this young woman.