The
feminist interpreters seem to be correct when they claim that it is the male
bias which has influenced traditional interpretation of the text to imply
subordination of women; the correct interpretation is that women are the only
competent persons who can help men in as much as men are also the helper for
women. Men and women without each other are incomplete. Humanity is therefore,
co-humanity in which man and woman compliment one another in equal partnership.
2.1.Position
of women in Mara traditional society
Mara
women fetched the firewood and water, cooked food and did the greatest part of
the weeding and harvesting; they also made all the clothing for the whole
household from cotton grown in jhum, which they themselves gathered, cleaned,
spun, and wove into strong cloth.
In
spite of their daily busy life, sparing no effort and strength for the welfare
of the family, Mara women were not respected nor were their words heeded. A
Woman had no voice in the family administration, and even if she did, her words
were never accepted just because they were the words of women.
The
position of Mara women is revealed when we study some of the sayings and
traditional Mara social practices. ‘Crab’s meat is not a meat, women’s word is
not a word’; ‘the wisdom of a woman does not cross the brook’; ‘a woman and a
walnut tree, the more you beat them the better they become’; ‘an old fence and
a wife should be changed’. A woman was bound by taboos. She was not allowed to
participate in some of the religious rites and functions. Her menstruation and
pregnancy made her in some cases taboo or unclean which prevented her from
active participation in social functions and limited her freedom and activity.
The Mara customary law did not recognize the right of women to own immoveable
properties like land and house.
2.2.Position
of women after Christianity
The
conversion of Mara people to the Christian faith brought about radical changes
in the Mara society; but opinion about the change differed widely. Most of the
Mara theologians and sociologists believed that Christianity had transformed
the Mara society and without this the Mara society would never become what it
is today.[1]
Taking
the middle course, a few scholars have admitted erosion of Mara culture but
held the British administration and the process of modernization as the primary
factors responsible for this. They regard Christianity as providing an
alternative ideology to cope with this change.[2]
On
the other hand, non-Christian writers with a few British administrators are critical
about the change. They argue that Christianity is responsible for the erosion
of Mara culture which consequently has alienated and caused them an identity
crisis.
In
spite of differences in the opinion of scholars about the change in general,
most of them seem to acknowledge with appreciation the contribution of
Christianity towards the upliftment of women.
Education
was one of the primary factors responsible for the emancipation of women. As a
result of the emancipation of women, the quality of human life in general
improved. By educating women and marginalized children, Christian missionaries
revolutionized the Mara society, changing the social structure and the status
of women. Eventually the poor children became the leaders of the society. Comparatively,
the progress of girls’ education was slower than that of boys, since girls were
very useful at home and less favoured by their parents than boys.
It
is interesting to note that in the formative stage of the Mara Christian
church, there seemed to be no discrimination against women; they actively
participated in the church as evangelists, teachers and deacons. Active
participation of women in the early church could be due to lack of human
resources and non-availability of competent male leaders. Though the Mara
society was critical about educated women, they were more competent than their
fellow uneducated girls and were given respect and important responsibilities
in the church and society; their contribution and leadership were eventually
accepted. The church not only provided education, but also a new avenue for
women to interact with their male counterparts, and freedom to preach and teach
which they had never done in the traditional society. A number of Mara women
were employed as Bible women (evangelists) from since on. The formation of a
separate women’s department in the church provided an enormous opportunity for
women to develop their leadership qualities. This certainly contributed towards
the improvement of women’s status, but equal partnership is still far from
being realised. There were certain traditional practices which remained
unchanged even after the Mara community had embraced Christianity. For
instance, right of ownership was not changed and men continued to be the sole
owner of the immoveable properties and inheritor of ancestor’ property. Even
after Christianity, Mara women are still oppressed, alienated and discriminated
against on the ground of sex, the following factors are commonly held as the
root causes of sexism:
i.
Patriarchal social structures in which
men dominate the social, economic, political and religious affairs.
ii.
Some of the Mara traditions are
responsible for shaping the attitude of the society towards women.
iii.
The traditional theology which advocates
the superiority of men over women had shaped the attitudes of missionaries and
eventually leaders of the Mara church.
iv.
Traditional interpretation of the Bible.
2.3.Present
position of women in Mara Churches
Despite
the amount of work they have contributed to the church, Maraland seems to be
one of the areas where the church is most orthodox and unopened to the full and
free participation of women in the ministry of the church. Women are devoid of
equal status and opportunity in the church.
2.4.Vision
of Mara women for a new co-humanity
‘Co-humanity’
is used by Karl Barth[3]
to
define his concept of the ‘image of God’. For Barth, the image of God is to be
found in relationship of God and human beings, man and woman rather than in the
quality of human beings. A Mara feminist theology may be explained as a
theology that seeks for a new community in which the traditional relationship
of men and women is transformed by the power of the gospel into a new
relationship of equal partnership of men and women. It is committed to
transforming the traditional Mara community, transcending the old pattern of
relationship between men and women. It also aims to build a new, just,
participatory and harmonious society, free from discrimination of human beings
by fellow human beings on the ground of sex, colour or race. In other words,
Mara feminist theology seeks to make the traditional communitarian life
effective and relevant in today’s situation. Its purpose is to let the new
style of Mara community pervade the relationships of men and women which, in
the traditional community, based on the relationship of master and servant.
The
Mara traditional life and the church may believe that women’s silence is a
virtue but the effects of silence can be described in different ways. Women
feel helpless and worthless. The Mara cultural traditions and moral teaching
are based on men’s interests. These are not helpful for the social and
religious life of women. Mara women are beginning to look critically at their
situation in the Presbyterian Church. They are also angry because God’s name is
being used to silence them. Women can no longer sit in silence and silence does
nothing to improve their status. Mara women need to break their silence because
silence is perpetuating the cultural degradation of women. Women can no longer
accept any ideology that can manipulate them and suppress their potential.
In
short, it must also be mentioned that today’s Mara women’s liberation movement
does not seek for a post of leadership as such nor claim superiority but it
tries to do away with all forms of discrimination on the basis of gender. It
seeks for equal recognition, equal acceptance, equal privilege and opportunity,
equal rights and freedom in all spheres of life both secular and religious and
especially in the ministry of the church where sex discrimination is most serious.
It is therefore, time to give up the tradition that always expects only women
to be the ones who would adjust to the situation, but to treat them equally
with men. It will also be necessary to re-examine and restate the unjust
traditional view, restructure the church to be accommodative and do away with
the evil of inequality, injustice and discrimination so that all may live
together in peace and harmony with one another and glorify in reality the Lord
and Liberator, Jesus Christ. There will be many more suggestions and strategies
for empowerment of women, it will be the context which will decide the methods.
What really matters is commitment to the cause of building a society envisioned
by the Mara women. It is the task and mission of the Mara Church of Maraland to
struggle for the realization of co-humanity.
3.
Reinterpretation
of chapchar kut and Lyuva khutla for Mara theology of
mission
Since
the coming of Christianity, the church declared the celebration of traditional
festival of chapchar kut as anti-Christian; it was considered as secular
and worldly. In other words, it was profane, outside Mara Christianity. The Mara
Christianity needs liberation from enslavement to secular and sacred. In fact,
the gradual awareness of the religious values of traditional festivals came
only after 1990. Gradual liberation slowly accommodated the Mara traditional
festivals into the folds of Christianity. Today, contemporary Mara Christians
have begun retrieving and reinterpreting traditional festivals, in particular chapchar
kut, with the aims of contextualizing and reviving the lost culture. They
think that it is a Mara cultural festival in which Mara should participate as Mara
and as Christians. In due course, chapchar kut has become one of the
burning theological issues in the Mara Christian context. If we re-read this
festival in the light of postcolonial hermeneutics, it is possible to enlist
the following elements as honouring God (Khazohpa), peace and harmony,
cleansing and sharing as liberating in the Mara Christian context.
3.1.Honoring
Khazopa (God)
The
origin of kut (festival) among the Maras is mythologized as follows.
Many years ago, there was a great famine in the Maraland. It lasted for three
years. The fourth year was good and prosperous. They richly harvested crops and
everyone had enough to spare. This prosperity was ascribed to the blessing of
gods and the chief instructed the people to honour their gods.
This
was the origin of the Mara kut. This indicates that kut and God
are interconnected in Mara culture. Therefore, to celebrate kut without
honouring God is to neglect God’s providence and blessings. And according to K.
Zawla, a school teacher and Mizo historian, celebration of chapchar kut is
to praise God for the protection, security and safety while cutting jhums.[4]
This
view is worthy of development in the Mara Christian context. Whatever its
origin might be, it is increasingly understood as honouring God. In this sense,
to celebrate chapchar kut can mean ‘to honour God’ and this validates
the presence of God in every culture.
3.2.Peace
and harmony
Secondly,
another important element of the chapchar kut is peace. To elaborate
briefly, before the chapchar kut began, the village herald would make a
public announcement to all the villagers that during chapchar kut, there
must be no quarrel or riots in the village, everyone must be happy and
peaceful, and must celebrate the festival with joy. This was an official
announcement from the chief. In addition, it did not allow quarrelling between
husband and wife during the festival.[5]
Peace
occupied the central stage in the celebration of chapchar kut. If we
look at the Bible the central message of the gospels is peace. What Isaiah
idealized in his message is also peace (Isaiah 11:1-9) and Christ’s incarnation
is to bring peace to the whole world. If we utilize these two passages as
theological hermeneutics to link the message of the gospel and the message of
the chapchar kut, the gospel and Mara culture are harmoniously focussing
on peace and goodwill towards human beings. In the light of this
interpretation, chapchar kut has a new meaning and it becomes the
festival of peace in which all the Maras should participate because it is in
complete agreement with the message of the Bible. In this way, the gospel
enriches the Mara cultural festival.
3.3.Cleansing
Cleansing
is one element found in the chapchar kut as it was celebrated by washing
away dirty things in order to make them clean and renewed. Houses would be
cleaned and dirty clothes would be washed. This cleansing of self, society and
community transforms Mara society and makes chapchar kut meaningful. The
author proposes to wash away in celebrating chapchar kut; one is Mara
traditional way of drinking rice-beer which is no longer relevant because it
can bring immodesty and is not in tune with the gospel teaching. Secondly, the
barbaric Mara traditional way of killing animals on the festive day needs to be
stopped as Mara Christian’s kindnesses to animals should indicate that we are
worshipping the living and loving God. This process of cleansing can liberate
and transform Mara society towards the realization of the reign of God.
3.4.Sharing
Another
element of chapchar kut is sharing one’s food or resources with
neighbours and others. Sharing is a Mara cultural virtue. N.E. Parry describes chapchar
kut as a feast,[6]
and
a feast meant sharing one’s resources with the community. One of the main
teachings of Jesus was sharing by feeding the five thousand. In this sense, the
message of the gospel and the message of chapchar kut are in line with
each other. If we reflect this sharing with others theologically, it is equivalent
to love in action which is against selfishness, exploitation, corruption and
misappropriation. While celebrating chapchar kut, we are practicing
sharing our resources with one another and chapchar kut becomes
meaningful to the cultural life of the Mara society. Through sharing from the
Mara cultural perspective, the teaching of Jesus is taking root deeply in the
Mara cultural life. In the light of this, chapchar kut teaches us
‘sharing’ and ‘to be a blessing’ to others who are in need.
The
present Maras continue to celebrate chapchar kut with new perspectives
by honouring God in their respective places; it will give the Mara society a
new identity as a Mara and as a Christian. Chapchar kut contributes an
alternative way of honouring God by making peace, sharing resources, renewing
morals and uniting all people to build the kingdom of God here and now. Chapchar
kut is no longer seen as a pagan festival but as a cultural festival with a
new religious meaning, crossing denominational barriers that gives corporate
Mara Christian identities as Maras and as Christians.
4.
Reinterpretation
of Apiepasaina for Mara Theology of
Mission
We
have discussed about the Mara communitarian life and one may wonder how such a
communitarian society actually operated in the complex ‘mix’ which is life, be
it primitive or sophisticated. Indeed one may question whether the nature of
communitarian society is a reality of the past or a romanticised construct or
simply the naive dream of post-modernists. Though that was more than a reality
of the past, it is to a certain extent the actual life of the Mara community
today. It is quite obvious that unless a certain principle of life or
philosophy provides the basis, no society can practise such a communitarian way
of living. This underlying principle of the Mara communitarian society is
called ‘apiepasaihna’ a social
ethical principle of the Mara community which provides the basis for a
communitarian society to exist and function effectively. In other words it is a
philosophical and ethical foundation of communitarian society.
4.1.Meaning of Apiepasaihna
Apiepasaihna
is
a Mara term which literally means resistance to being helped by others by
helping others who are in need. The emphasis is on a denial of self rather than
an effort to be independent. The purpose of this self denial is to serve the
community and any person in the community who is really in need of help. It is
an act of charity wherein self interest is subordinated to the interest of
community, and self sacrifice for the need of others is to come spontaneously
as a natural part of one’s life. Without the principle of apiepasaihna communitarian
societies like the Mara community cannot function. Without the principle of apiepasaihna,
it would not be possible to build a harmonious society where members of the
community practised ‘decision by consensus’, sharing their joy and sorrows and
caring for one another.
Several
attempts have been made to define apiepasaihna by both the Mara
themselves and the non-Maras who know the Mara culture. The problem of defining
and translating apiepasaihna is clearly reflected by the range of
vocabulary and phrases employed by J.H. Lorrain, the pioneer missionary of
Mizoram, who tried to explain apiepasaihna as follows:
a) Apiepasaihna
is
to be self sacrificing, unselfish, self denying, persevering, stoical,
stout-hearted, plucky, brave, firm, and independent, to be loth to lose one’s
good reputation, prestige, etc.
b) To
persevere, to endure patiently, to make light of personal injuries, to dislike
making a fuss about anything.
c) To
put one’s own inclination on one side and do a thing which one would rather not
do, with the object either of keeping up one’s prestige or of helping or
pleasing another or of not disappointing another, etc.
d) To
do whatever the occasion demands no matter how distasteful or inconvenient it
may be to oneself or to one’s own inclinations.
e) To
refuse to give in, give way or be conquered.
f) To
not like to refuse a request, to do a thing because one does not like to refuse
or because one wishes to please others.
g) To
act pluckily or show a brave front.[7]
Apiepasaihna
can be defined as
the manifestation of internal goodness of human beings in an external way of
life and effort of human beings to be useful for individuals and society. It is
a morality which is manifested in various aspects of external life including
many things such as unselfishness, humility, diligence, courage, patience and
endurance which should be beneficial for as many as possible. Therefore, a
person who possesses apiepasaihna must be courteous and industrious.
He/she must also be ready to help others even at considerable inconvenience to
himself/herself and must try to surpass others in doing ordinary daily tasks
efficiently. In theory, apiepasaihna must enter into every compartment
of the Mara’s life and in general a good citizen was one who was foremost in
meeting calls on his time which were really necessary for the good of the
village.
Accordingly,
apiepasaihna comes out of the inward being and mind of human beings and
appears as excellent and desirable as it can be. Apiepasaihna is not
just performing and fulfilling requirements and one’s duties, rather it is
doing anything beyond one’s own duty and not with an expectation of respect and
praise, but because of love towards others from the innermost heart. This kind
of duty requires a sense of duty for the benefit and welfare of others, which
may even cost one’s life. It includes endurance, patience and the capacity for
hard work, bravery and readiness to suffer. A person who possesses apiepasaihna
must be obedient and respectful to the elders; courteous in dealing with
the weak and the lowly, generous and hospitable to the poor, the needy and
strangers, self denying and self sacrificing at the opportune time, must be
ready to help those in distress, compassionate to a companion who falls sick
while on a journey or becomes victim of a wild beast in the hunt by never
abandoning him to his fate; heroic and resolute at war and in hunting; stoical
in suffering and in facing hardship under trying circumstances; and persevering
in any worthwhile undertaking however hard and daunting that might prove to be.
An apiepasaih person will do whatever the occasion demands no matter how
distasteful or inconvenient that might to be to one or to one’s own
inclinations; vie with others in excelling in sports or any other corporate
labour; and try to surpass others in hospitality and in doing his ordinary
daily task independently and efficiently.
Apiepasaihna
is
the Mara social principle as well as the norm for good conduct of the people in
the community. The Mara moral ethos is based on good deeds for the welfare of
the community, on putting the interest of the community above one’s own
individual interest. Thus the Maras in their judgement of conduct would say,
‘it is shameful’ rather than ‘it is wrong’. Doing anything that the society
does not accept, whether wrong or right is shameful. Parents forbid their
children doing certain things not necessarily because it is wrong to do them
but shameful. In a society like Mara society where community is placed above
individuals, this kind of ethical judgement is inevitable. It is both moral and
logical.
Apiepasaihna
embraces
various types of human qualities and activities and manifests itself in various
forms and aspects of community life which can be summed up as ‘community over
self’ wherein self-sacrifice for the need of others is the spontaneous outcome.
A person who practices the precepts of apiepasaihna is highly respected
in the community. It is apiepasaihna that
turns the steep mountains and the dense forests with all the toilsome labour of
jhum cultivation, poverty and hardship into a pleasant dwelling place. It is
because of apiepasaihna that poverty, misfortune, death and sickness,
have not traumatised the people. Every one in the community has been taken care
of by the practice of apiepasaihna.
It is because of apiepasaihna that every one tries to be self-sufficient
in order to avoid receiving help from others. The Mara code of ethics revolves
around apiepasaihna a composite term for such human qualities as
kindness, courage and helpfulness. It indicates that compelling moral force
which expresses itself in selfless service to society. Apiepasaihna lies
at the basis of the Mara attitude to life. In war or peace, in private or
public life, the Maras are guided by the spirit of apiepasaihna.
4.2.Critical Analysis of Apiepasaihna
Though
the Maras uphold with honour the spirit of the objective of apiepasaihna it
nevertheless needs critical analysis as the principle of apiepasaihna does
have both positive and negative aspects. It is the apiepasaihna teaching
of selflessness which makes the Mara people reserved, slow to express
themselves even to the extent of telling a lie. Even a seriously sick patient,
on the verge of death will tell a doctor that he/she does not feel pain. The
major weakness of apiepasaihna is its lack of critical basis of assessment
of its own actions, since it has been so much socialised and people simply
assume that what is expected in and by the society is right or good. Maras are
generally and indeed traditionally uncritical. Apiepasaihna was conventionalised
into the system of society. The same is true of Mara contemporary Christianity.
There is a strong tendency to consider everything done in the name of Christian
faith as justifiable.
Apiepasaihna
is
based on the principle of self sacrifice. It is not merely a system of social
control for equilibrium as some sociologists have suggested. ‘Social control’
implies seeking to contain an individual or group resistance within tolerable
limits.[8]
Apiepasaihna
certainly
contributes to social equilibrium, but it is not merely social obligation in
terms of social control, as suggested by A.G. McCall.[9]
Since
the principle of apiepasaihna prohibits criticism against others,
apiepasaihna could be one of the indirect causes of rampant corruption in
the Mara society today. Rather than challenging the wrong structures and
misdeeds of the politicians, government officers and leaders of the local
organisations, the principle of apiepasaihna avoids pointing out the
wrong doing of others.
Another
weakness of apiepasaihna is that its practice in the actual life is
limited to those who understand the meaning of apiepasaihna. The Maras
who are exposed to other cultures have realised that it is practicable only
within the society where it is understood and practised by the people. First of
all it began in the Mara village community, then expanded its circle to the
larger society but rarely crossed beyond the boundary of the Mara society.
4.3.Validity
of Apiepasaihna for the Mara Theology
of Mission
Apiepasaihna
is
a message of Jesus Christ hidden in the Mara culture. It is an active love or
love in action. If love is the essence of the Gospel teaching, apiepasaihna is
the hidden gospel written in the heart of the Mara people even before they
embraced Christianity. The affinity of apiepasaihna with love may be
seen more clearly when we replaces the Pauline definition of love in 1Corinthians
13:4-7 with apiepasaihna as follows: ‘Apiepasaihna is patient and
kind; apiepasaihna is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or
rude. Apiepasaihna does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable
or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Apiepasaihna
bears all things, believes in all things, and endures all things’.
Apiepasaihna
and
love have very similar functional relations because apiepasaihna means
self-sacrifice, diligence, courtesy and commitment for the sake of others,
bravery, hard work, kindness, charity, forbearance, patience and so on.
Apiepasaihna
is
a self-giving love which sets aside self-interests and seeks the betterment of
others. Among the Maras, there are a number of stories of those who laid down
their precious lives for the cause of apiepasaihna. Such a love is
depicted by Jesus himself as the highest form of agape. If Jesus Christ
is the expression of the embodiment of God’s love, the incarnation, the
ministry and the cross may be perceived as paramount act of apiepasaihna.
This may provide a basis for Christological understanding of apiepasaihna.
The mythical heroes of the Mara people were neither their warriors nor powerful
chiefs, but the apiepasai persons who laid down their lives for the
service of the community.
Jesus
Christ might thus be seen as the embodiment of apiepasaihna, who
transcends the Mara apiepasaihna. Jesus is the apiepasaih par
excellence.
4.4.Significance
of Mara Apiepasaihna for Mara
Theology of Mission
Reinterpretation
of certain traditions and beliefs including the Bible itself become inevitable
if they are to be relevant and meaningful in our changing world. Mara society
is moving from personal towards an impersonal society where the right system
becomes more important than personal apiepasaihna. In fact, the present
social, economic and political problems are becoming increasingly complex such
that they can no longer be solved by personal apiepasaihna. The need of
creating a social, political and economic system which should enhance justice,
peace and harmony in the Mara society is an urgent and important task. In this
situation, the issue of apiepasaihna has to be shifted from the personal
to the social level, which means creating a social economic system which should
perform the functions of apiepasaih persons in taking care of the poor
and the needy. The apiepasaihna approach to social need is a charitable
approach which has its own role, but is inadequate to deal with the modern Mara
society which is becoming increasingly complex.
In
other words, the traditional apiepasaihna must be incorporated in the
social system in which the structure, planning for development and the legal
system of the society must be made apiepasaih. Seeing the need of the
reinterpretation of traditional apiepasaihna, it is necessary to
incorporate the universal concern of Christian teaching for love and justice
into apiepasaihna to meet the challenges of today. Then only apiepasaihna
in modern society will be the insightful praxis of love to protect and
uphold the marginalised, and to create a just, harmonious, progressive,
participatory and sustainable society. Protection and upholding of the
marginalised and commitment to the cause of the community today can no longer
be confined to charitable service. It requires involvement in the struggle
against all exploitative systems and structures which spoil the harmony of the
community. Doing justice by overcoming evil with good must be perceived as an
important element and a necessary outcome of apiepasaihna because this
is a more effective way of caring for the poor and the marginalized.
Apiepasaihna
advocates
individual freedom but rejects individualism as it puts society over
individual. Apiepasaihna is Mara praxis in the sense of practicing its
theoretical teaching of living for others. Helping others is part and parcel of
the principle of self-reliance. In other words, in the teaching of apiepasaihna,
helping others is the means by which one should become self reliant. It is
similar to the principle ‘give and you will be given’ (Matt. 10:8). In fact,
the Maras have a saying, ‘those who eat themselves will die, those who share
with others will live.’ Life for the Maras is living for others; selfishness is
death. In sharing of their joy and sorrow, the Mara people find life that is
the life of a true community.
The
rediscovery of apiepasaihna which is rooted in Jesus Christ will not
only enhance a new understanding of life in Christ, but also deepen the
interconnection of the gospel and Mara culture. Jesus is seen possessing apiepasaihna
per excellence. In reality, this is a new face or an image of Jesus that makes
it ‘Christology from below’. The Mara Christian will realize that when
practicing apiepasaihna in their daily lives, they will feel the
presence of Jesus Christ. This is the new incarnation of apiepasaihna as
the word becomes incarnated. Hereby, Mara Christians are being transformed and
led to live moral ethical lives imitating Christ. We must discover that a
refined form of Christian apiepasaihna is rooted and perfected in
Christ. Only then regardless of external criticism, a refined and transformed
form of Christian apiepasaihna will be lived out with a new life in
Christ.
In
this way, Mara Christians will perceive that the unbounded Christ is present
through apiepasaihna in their culture. Practising apiepasaihna will
be seen as the presence of Jesus Christ in them. In addition, Christ’s apiepasaihna
reveals God who sacrifices himself for the redemption of the whole world.
Further, it contributes hermeneutical links between the gospel and Mara
culture. Chapman and Clark describe how the Mara understood the gospel in terms
of apiepasaihna or in other words how the Mara moral teaching meets the
gospel of love. Maras will see for themselves that practising apiepasaihna is
accepting the teaching of Jesus and to serve God is to fulfill the Mara ethical
moral ideal.[10] Apiepasaihna enriches
Christianity and Christianity affirms Mara apiepasaihna and re-roots it
in Christianity. This apiepasaihna becomes spiritual and transformative
when it is used for solidarity with the poor, marginalized, outcast and
oppressed to stand against injustice in the social, political and economic
system and addressing the present realities of the Mara society.
Apiepasaihna
is
a social ethic essential for the sustenance of harmony and integrity of the
Mara community. For the Maras, harmony and sustainability of the society has
been regarded as the primary objective of development. Thus the goal of
development envisaged in this study is not mere economic growth; it is the
well-being and symbiotic progress of the society. In other words, the vision of
the society is a shalomic society. Apiepasaihna is an essential
principle for the establishment and enhancement of such community. The
principle of apiepasaihna is in essence a ‘kingdom principle’ and it is
essential for the realization of the reign of God in Maraland and other parts
of the world.
Apiepasaihna
is
voluntarism which theologically advocates and empowers the voluntary
organizations to bring about social transformation. Traditionally, voluntarism
was regarded as charitable work within the system for the purpose of keeping
social equilibrium. It was not expected to bring about a radical change. But
the underlying assumption of voluntarism today is that people are the primary
subject of change and have the power and responsibility to change their own
situation. In the Mara context of today, apiepasaihna is concerned both
with equilibrium as well as social transformation through various voluntary
organisations and movements. In fact, voluntary organizations in Maraland are
known as apiepasaih py (apiepasaih organization-association) like MTP (Mara Thyutlia Py ‘Mara Youth
Association’). The principle of apiepasaihna should not be
confined within static institutions or organisations, although they are
important. It should pervade the fabric of the society, as it did in the past,
in order to bring about transformation of the society. The church as a
voluntary organisation is an institution of apiepasaihna or love. But apiepasaihna
cannot be contained in the institutional church; rather the church is one
of the instruments of apiepasaihna for the transformation of the
society.
Apiepasaihna
is
a communitarian discipleship, a commitment to the cause of community. It was
the community which called the people to be apiepasaih or to be self
sacrificing for the sake of the community. Today, in the Christian community,
it is Jesus Christ, who calls people, the believing community to follow him in
the Missio Dei – the establishment and extension of the reign of God.
The call to be apiepasaih, before the advent of the Christianity in
Maraland, was also the call to that same mission through the community. The
calling as such, be it in the pre or post-Christian era to serve the interest
of God within the community is the same. Thus, we may say that apiepasaihna before
the arrival of Christianity was a discipleship of Christ in a different form.
The
norm for Christian existence for all ages must be self-giving love, an
expression of radical obedience to Jesus Christ. Discipleship is essential for
participation in the establishment and extension of the reign of God, which is
central to the mission of Jesus Christ. The disciples in the Mara context are
the apiepasaih persons. The social transformation envisaged in this
study is a transformation towards the realization of the reign of God. The
disciples of Jesus Christ are the apiepasaih people for the cause of the
reign of God. Apiepasaihna is a commitment to the cause of society as
discipleship is to the cause of the reign of God. Realisation of the kingdom of
God here and now would certainly require Mara Christian apiepasaihna.
5.
Conclusion
In
conclusion, the author would like to recapitulate what has been discussed in
this chapter. Firstly, contextualization is the way theology has been done in
the history of Christian thought. It is therefore, a theological task for those
who are doing theology irrespective of nationality, culture and colour. The
concern of Mara contextual theology is how to articulate the faith of the
community in Christ in a way which can be understand and is meaningful to the
Mara Christians in Maraland. That is to help the Mara Christians understand and
confess that Christ might become part of their identity. Theology can also help
them to realize the significance of Christ for them in bringing transformation
in the Mara society. The task of Mara theology is to achieve this goal and for
that purpose the author has brought out some of the Mara traditional cultural
practices such as the Mara understanding of the cosmology or God-human-world
relationship for theological hermeneutics.
Secondly,
reinterpretation of Mara traditional values such as God-human-world
relationship makes a significant contribution to the emerging ecological
theology because the Mara Christians have been neglecting the environment or
ecological issues. This makes the Mara theology one sided. Since the issue of
land is so fundamental in Mara life, this study focused on the Mara concept of
land. For the Maras, land is sacred because land is the dwelling place of God,
therefore it should not be treated as a commodity or as a space to be
exploited. This new understanding calls for new sensitivity in their
relationship with the rest of the creation. It has also opened a new way of
theologizing to meet the ecological crisis and contributed a great deal to the
Mara understanding of the relationship of God-human-world. To know that God
loves the world and makes revelation through nature and creation facilitates
the Mara Christians to understand the holistic salvation. The significance of
this new interpretation is that it serves as a corrective to the limited
traditional interpretation of salvation that excludes ‘nature and the world’.
This initially brings out a new eco-spirituality in the Mara context.
Thirdly,
a Mara feminist theology may be explained as a theology that seeks a new
community in which the traditional relationship of men and women is transformed
by the power of the gospel into a new relationship of equal partnership of men
and women. The Mara feminist theology is committed to transform the Mara
traditional community transcending the old pattern and to build a new, just,
participatory and harmonious society free from discrimination of fellow human
beings by fellow beings on the ground of gender, colour and race. In other
words, Mara feminist theology is making the traditional communitarian life
effective and relevant in today’s situation.
Finally,
there is the significance of the traditional festival of chapchar kut and
apiepasaihna, a Mara social principle as well as the norm for good
conduct of people in the community. The author believes that the rediscovery of
the chapchar kut and apiepasaihna deepens the interconnection of
the gospel of Christ and the Mara culture. Jesus was seen as possessing apiepasaihna
per excellence. Therefore, the Mara Christians realized and felt the
presence of Jesus when they practised apiepasaihna in their daily lives.
In this way Mara Christians perceived that the unbounded Christ is present in
their culture. Apiepasaihna becomes spiritual and transformative when it
is used for solidarity with the poor, marginalised, the outcaste and oppressed
to stand against injustice in the social, political and economic system thus
addressing the present realities and transforming the Mara society.
[1] Hminga, Life and Witness;
J. Puthenpurukal, ed., Impact of Christianity in North East India; M.
Kipgen, Christianity and Mizo Culture.
[2] F.S. Downs, Christianity in
India: North East India in the Nineteen and Twentieth Century. (Bangalore:
Church History Association of India, 1992), 123.
[4] Zawla, Mizo Pi Pute, 122.
[5] Challiana, Pi Pu Nun [Life
of the Ancestors] (Aizawl: Lalrinliana & Sons, 1996), 6.
[6] N.E. Parry, Lushai Customs and
Ceremonies, 90-91.
[7] J.H. Lorrain, Dictionary,
513.
[8] Peter L. Berger, The Sacred
Canopy: Elements of A Sociological Theory of Religion (New York: Doubleday
& Company, 1968), 24, 29. Berger’s distinction between socialisation and
social control is used to distinguish tlawmngaihna from social control
of the authoritarian type. Quoted in K. Thanzauva, Theology of Community,
124.
[9] McCall, Lushai Chrysalis,
47.
[10] R.S. Sugirtharajah, ‘Matthew 5-7:
The Sermon on the Mount and India’ in Daniel Patte, General ed., Global
Bible Commentary (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2004), 363
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