Gandhi and the Spirit of Christ

You might ask what Gandhi has to do with being a Vegan Mormon, since he was Hindu. Well, first of all, Gandhi apparently wrote a whole book about the morals of vegetarianism, and he is attributed with some of my favorite quotes, including: "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated." He is also a worldwide symbol of the principle of nonviolence, a concept which has been behind every choice I've made concerning how far I was willing to go in my non-cooperation with evil. That concept, of non-cooperation with evil, is at the root of why I became vegan.


I've been having a hard time connecting with God lately, because of various questions I've been pondering and also because of being busy with schoolwork. But today I decided to sit down and watch the Gandhi movie for the second time in my life. The first time I watched it was 3 or 4 years ago, and it was a turning point in my life, where I realized that the use of violence for any cause is not going to produce good results. Violence only begets more violence. You can go on a crusade, and you may be bringing Christianity to the heathen, but you are also bringing violence and an elimination of freedom, which is the opposite of Christianity. You may believe gay people are sinners and tell them they are being tricked by the devil, or disown them as a friend or family member, or refuse to give them your full love, trust, and acceptance unless they "repent", but even if you are right about homosexuality being forbidden by Christianity or  Mormonism, you are still using psychological and emotional violence on others, and that is the opposite of Christianity. I realized that while, like Gandhi, there might be some things I could be willing to die for, I should have no cause which I am willing to kill or harm others for.


Now, the line is fuzzy sometimes with emotional violence, but I still have to try my best, which is why I catch myself whenever I find I might be making others feel guilty when I talk about Veganism, because I don't want to use guilt (emotional violence) to manipulate someone into changing. The change should be their own choice, and I can continue my non-cooperation with evil without having to coerce anyone else to join me.


So anyway, today, I watched it again, and I had forgotten just how painful a movie it is to watch. In some ways it is very depressing because of how many times the masses fail, or turn against Gandhi, and how long it takes the British rulers to see that their attempts at domination are unjust and futile. People are massacred, and India no sooner gains her independence when she begins to fall into civil war along religious lines. Gandhi is heartbroken that all he has worked for can be upset so easily by fear and revenge, and in the end he is assassinated. In a way it seems like evil had the last say, and humanity is a hopeless wreck of insane, violent fools. But Gandhi never saw it that way, and he said himself that we must never lose our faith in humanity. This was something I needed to hear, because with all the history I've been studying, and all the ways in which I am constantly surrounded by violence against the innocent, humans and animals alike, I often find it hard to keep faith in humanity at all.


The scriptures talk about the Spirit of Christ dwelling in people. Somehow I found myself seeing Jesus in Gandhi even more than the first time I watched the film. Even just on a superficial level, look at these two pictures... the similarities in clothing, posture, and demeanor are striking.

The descriptions throughout the film, of Gandhi as a man without formal title, without riches, and yet beloved for the way he gave people power through humility, courage, and a strong sense of love and morals, are so similar to how Christ is described. There are many scenes of Gandhi sitting in nothing but a loincloth, a white wrapping about his waist very similar to what Christ is depicted wearing while hanging on the cross. The way Gandhi traveled throughout India and did whatever he could to help the poor also resonated. And the pain he felt at the divisions between his people echoed Jesus' mourning over Jerusalem. 


And then there's the simple fact that Gandhi spoke of how we are all children of God, and referred to the teachings of Jesus repeatedly throughout the film. Love thy neighbor as thyself, and turn the other cheek. 


Tonight, I saw Christ in Gandhi, a man suffused with God's spirit of love for his children, walking among them again, loving them, encouraging them, and shedding tears for them. Of course, Gandhi was human like everyone, not a literal incarnation of God like Christ, but through him I suddenly saw again why I want to be like Jesus. 


Both were murdered because they taught that love goes beyond borders of religious creed, nationality, gender, class position, or any of the other things which separate us. I like to think their teachings also included other divisions such as species, sexual orientation, you name it....


I couldn't stop thinking about how much Christ must have been like Gandhi. But then, it's really that Gandhi was like Christ. The two reflected each other and helped me to see the most important attributes of both, more clearly, and I came to love them both, and to trust, at least for a moment, that God really is active in the world, and humanity is capable of listening to the messages he sends them through people like Gandhi and Jesus. I hope I can be a messenger for him some day, in my own small way.


Moroni 7:16 16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.