“So tell me sister from North East, Nagaland is 95% Christians? Must be like heaven” putting me in the hot seat in the midst of well known scholars and personalities across India and beyond I held my breath for while others catch on the question. Dramatically, I was speechless and my mind exited to the poster in Kohima that I saw many years ago, in the Centre of the town “Nagaland a Land of Festivals” I was fishing the best words to respond to their curious questions. “So tell me about Hornbill festival” interrupted a gentleman from Princeton University, USA. “ohh its a festival of a kind” answered a military captain who served in Nagaland many years ago. It is a total contradiction of celebrating Hornbill bird making it into a cult with Nagaland for Christ on the other hand. Where is the priority of our leaders and the Church? Cultures and traditions are creativity of man (sic), human made and we need to evaluate in the light of the Gospel. All that is against the Gospel and Christian values are foaming generously in the name of culture at hornbill festivals and other indigenous festivals. To preserve culture is important as it enhances our identity as a Naga but not at the cost of compromising our identity in Christ. Are we so foolish that we are running after fertility gods like the Israelites? We think money, advancements and development comes by hosting road shows, funds from a cultic government, selling out our Christ identity for money? Weren’t we more happy and content with dignity of labour, blessed and succeed in UPSE, free and liberated in Christ? While trapping a mouse or any animal don’t we always keep its favourite food in the trap, and we see the drama, money as the flavour is in the trap for Nagas. To punish the adulterous Israelites who ran after wealth, money, fame and luxury God stopped all blessing and instead sent pagan kings to torture, destroy, blunder and to its tragedy the Israelites remained as captive and exile slaves in their own land.
Nagaland, you are not far away from this doom. Blind leaders, voiceless church and adulterous people no longer love the identity they used to have in Christ. Instead, they trade it with money, luxury, fame and comfort life with silence. No wonder in sheep skin BJP is creeping in our social forms, a government whose ideology is based on cast system, cultic worship and a total contrast to Christian values. Are we replacing the reign of God in our society to this cultic rule and hornbill festival prior to our Christian fellowship? It pains my heart to narrate story of Christianity “From head hunters to Church planters by Paul Hattaway ” to people of other community when our hearth is at doom, with Christless society, unemployed youths, visionless leaders, money driven citizens so called political parties. Alas!! Nagaland you are at the near hour of doom. Rise up! you people of Faith, open your eyes! you children of God, move not away from Yahweh.
Alemrenla Jamir Research Scholar in Human Development.
