Letter written to my old Don Bosco Class of 1984, one of whom is a state topper in the higher secondary public board exams and also represented his university in national debates in India. An excerpt of the thread is as follows:
Would appreciate your comments on this world view. If you have a different world view, please do share. I would like to know.
@Nitin Seshadri @Sunil Menon @Vinod Kumar @Satish Shankar @Vineet and @Nalin Sawhney are big intellectuals of whom I have high regard. So i am eager to know their point of view. Or if i am making sense, i’d like to know that too.
It has been almost 40 years since my brother Sudeep and I left DB. So it is fitting that I should share with you all, the most significant thing that happened to me since then. I converted to a Christian from being a Hindu/Agnostic person. This did not come easy. My parents and Motupalli family even built a Ram temple and a Shiva temple in Andhra and we were devout Ram bhakts. We as a family considered Jesus as the god of the Dalits and therefore stayed away from him for the most part. There was also this huge conversion debate going on in the country, raising our suspicion of an ulterior motive within Christians.
I wrote this letter to Prime Minister Modi:
“Before I was converted to a Christian, i never missed a single opportunity to steal, lie, fornicate, use filthy language, boast, quarrel, be arrogant, etc. And ALL whom i knew were such people. When i converted, i became a law-abiding citizen. That is what conversion is! Now, why would you want to persecute someone who converts people like me into law-abiding citizens when there is no such solution offered by Hinduism? It boggles the mind! Only a sinless brahman—Jesus Christ alone—can perform that yagna/sacrifice to pay the penalty for all our past sins. We know that Jesus succeeded in performing that yagna (swayam-bhali/self-sacrifice) because He rose from the dead. He is alive today as the living Holy Spirit. Therefore, Jesus alone, through his followers, happens to be offering this free gift of moksha/salvation to you and me. As a government official, who is looking after the welfare of the state, you ought to be encouraging MORE conversions, which make more criminals into law-abiding citizens. Take stock of this and you will see India shinning as the brightest star in the world. God bless you, your government, and God bless India.”
We all must face death one day. As we are in the midst of a pandemic and life is hanging in the balance, the Christian message of eternal life to those who place their trust in Jesus, who laid down His life for them, is therefore of so much importance and so relevant for the times. It is the sacred duty of all Christians to share this message to all who do not know it, even though we are kicked out of groups.
If you are thinking good people go to heaven, think again! The following is reason why good people can potentially go to hell:
If i mix even a tiny little crap in a clean cup of water, even though it is 99.99% clean, you will discard it, won’t you? So will God discard us if we harbor the guilt of just one wrong (sin). God is holy. He will not tolerate even a speck of sin in his presence. Only Jesus can pay all the penalty for all our sin and make us 100% clean and fit to enter heaven.
Romans 3:23 & Micah 7:2 from the Holy Bible reads:
“For all–good and religious people alike–have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
I have even shared this message to people like the Dalai Lama, saying it is not enough to be “good.” For good men too likewise perish. When we properly apply our goodness that we all do have partially, to recognize the one who is truly good, namely Jesus, we would be hitting a gold mine. He makes all those who put their trust in Him into good people indeed, having paid their penalty for them by shedding his blood. On the other hand we insult God if we don’t acknowledge the good that Jesus has done for mankind. We would be merely flexing our muscles and showing off our own good deeds, instead of recognizing God’s good deed of loving us so much and sending His Son to die for us on the cruel cross. Since we would be insulting God, we would perish in our conceit and self-righteousness.
This is the truth that I found and I share it with all my family and friends of my old schools and colleges. You are free to do whatever with it. But your destiny is now in your hands. The choice is yours! Receive the help of Jesus since there is no other help to come by from anywhere else. He alone died for us, to pay our sin debt. Be blessed! Love is never to be rejected!
I love you too because you are my cherished, old DB friend. Trust me, i am telling the truth. I have personally encountered the living God. You too can!
Hope you will Try Jesus and spend eternity in heaven.
Caleb Suresh Motupalli
RESPONSE
[10:02 PM, 7/17/2020] Nitin Seshadri: Hi Suresh/Caleb. I will reply with a very few observations. First I am happy you have found peace & contentment with your conversion to Christianity. I wish you well in that. Second your world view is now coloured by Christian theology (which I respect). However I sincerely do not accept the theory that one sin makes a person unworthy, that everybody who isn’t a Christian is somehow lost, that all you knew were fornicators impure etc. I do not wish to debate theology here. All I can say is that if you had studied different religions you will realize that they take different paths to similar goals. Without getting into merits of the “none with sin can attain Heaven” concept let me say that I do not believe it, the religion that I practice does not believe it. People in my view are all fundamentally imperfect. It’s a weighing scale of Dharma that includes carry forward credits & debits that decides our future disposition. That belief system of mine is tempered with the knowledge that there are other beliefs (again which I respect). There is no point in further theological debate. With all due respect neither am I qualified nor at the end of the day are you. If there were 100% agreement on all aspects – forget other religions there wouldn’t be Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Latter Day Saints, Seventh Day Adventists etc. It’s because there are differences that there are different sects different religions.
I have read lots of portions of the Bible and although it isn’t my religion I will commend a particular line to you. John 14:2 :”In my father’s house there are many mansions”.
Enough said.
[10:03 PM, 7/17/2020] Nitin Seshadri: Having said my piece I am going to drop out of this group – there are too many groups here and I have too much digital traffic. I wish you well. Keep happy.
(Nitin Seshadri left.)
(Thread continued in private. Shared here with permission)
[10:23 PM, 7/17/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: Thank you, Nitin, even though it would have been nice if you stuck around and confronted my answer.
You have not addressed the metaphor of the clean cup of water that is 99.99% clean and would become undrinkable even with a speck of crap added to it which i say is sin.
The Gospel Truth is simple. We are all sinners whether we admit it or not, whether our sin is this or that. We need a savior who pays our penalty. And Jesus fits that bill. Why reject help? Such a help of one laying down His life for us in love?
Everyone wants to think of himself as being on the right path. His culture, his ancestral religion, tradition, etc. It gives him head-weight. But it takes humility to admit that we are wrong and say that our opponent is right, if in fact he is of course.
But really appreciate you taking a shot at it, Nitin. You are the same great courageous debater that i know.
[10:45 PM, 7/17/2020] Nitin Seshadri: Hi Caleb. Let me address that analogy. You drink distilled water my friend ? I think not. The water you drink is adulterated with dissolved salts, microbes etc. If they are deemed within a certain percentage water is deemed potable. Do you eat chocolate ? Or Atta ? Or Maida ? Or any processed food ? Do you know there are parts of rodents , roaches in them ? Don’t believe me ? Will send you the links. Short point being — there really isn’t a 100% purity concept anywhere in real life. Even in your water example. All of us carry good & evil within us & the propensity for one to dominate over the other at some times. That’s my credo. That’s not what you believe in but then that’s what makes perspectives different.
[10:45 PM, 7/17/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: Are you implying that if i put a small piece of crap into a glass of water right before your eyes, you will still drink it? You won’t, Nitin. Let’s not be in denial. God is holy. He will not tolerate sin. Just as we reject the water as disgustingly undrinkable, God will reject us if we don’t accept the way of mercy placed before us. Why do we have this urge to flex our dharma muscle when there is a free gift available? Why not receive it and cash it?
[10:55 PM, 7/17/2020] Nitin Seshadri: Let me ask you a question. I know there is faecal matter in water. I still drink it. I know there is cockroach parts in chocolate. I eat it. As for the right before your eyes question – there are reasons why people don’t visit the kitchens of restaurants they dine in. I eat chicken. I know a chicken is slaughtered and it’s not pretty. But if you ask me whether I will still have the appetite to eat the chicken after watching it being slaughtered – probably not. Imperfect analogy.
See – here’s the difference. My God tolerates sin. He does not believe in anybody being above sin. He believes in a concept called Dharma. No – I am very suspicious of free gifts my friend. I feel no need and no desire for them.
Let me end with the words of Sai Baba of Shirdi –“Sab ka Maalik ek hai”. Let it rest. You won’t convince me and I won’t convince you.
[10:59 PM, 7/17/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: Since you asked to rest it, i am not going to press it any further. I will let the truth do its work gradually in its own time.
DAY 2
[2:06 PM, 7/18/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: Nitin:
It was great debating with you.
For the record, you have agreed that you will “probably not” eat the chicken if you know of the gruesome killing. Effectively, from the metaphor, that means if God knows–and he does know–our sins, he will not admit us into his presence.
🙏
[2:24 PM, 7/18/2020] Nitin Seshadri: Hi Caleb
Look I know about the gruesome killing. I still eat the chicken. I don’t want to see it. Same way I know old tennis racquets had cat intestine stringing. I played tennis but if you ask me whether I want to go see a cats intestines being strung out the answer is no.
[2:26 PM, 7/18/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: In other words, are you saying that God winks at our sin and lets us in anyway?
[2:27 PM, 7/18/2020] Nitin Seshadri: His expectations aren’t for 100% performance just like a college doesn’t expect every admitted student to score 100% marks.
[2:34 PM, 7/18/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: The metaphor is just a hyperbole, Nitin. It reveals the fallacy that we can somehow enter heaven with our good deeds outweighing our bad ones. The fact of the matter is we all fall short by a mile if not in outright sin, in spirit.
I challenge you to take this line of questioning: Have you ever said a lie? If you said “Yes,” what would that make you? Yes, a liar! Have you ever stolen anything from anybody? If you said, “Yes,” what would that make you? Yes, a thief! Have you ever lusted (desired uncontrollably) a member of the opposite sex? (Were your eyes looking at the wrong places?) If you have answered, “Yes,” what does that make you? Yes, you have already committed adultery with her! “Already” because our self is in our heart not beneath the skin. Likewise, have you ever said in anger to someone, “You fool!?” If you have answered, “Yes” what does that make you? Yes, you have already committed a murder in your heart. If we are human with a bit of conscience that should humble us and cause us to think of ourselves as doomed in the sight of a Holy and Almighty God. Indeed “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, The Bible).
[2:37 PM, 7/18/2020] Nitin Seshadri: Caleb I won’t debate this with you. You can answer yes to all these questions & still be weighed positive in the weighing scales. As you know I don’t believe in heaven itself. I believe in a weighing scale of Karma where previous births carry forward credits and debits are available. Where we go to depends on how the weighing scale aligns. It’s a different philosophy. Your philosophy is different. We see things very differently. Let that be. It is what it is.
[2:40 PM, 7/18/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: In other words i could do few murders because i have good credit?
[2:44 PM, 7/18/2020] Nitin Seshadri: Btw as you know in Hindu philosophy there is no absolute sin. A lie is justified if it prevents a murder. A robbery is justified if it results in a greater positive Karma. Let’s take 2 specific examples. During the Nazi regime if a person was asked whether he was harbouring a Jew and if he was, obviously a lie was the “good” solution. Same way if somebody lay dying of hunger and to save him you had to steal some bread from the grocery shop is that a sin ? No. Hindu philosophy says it isn’t. If a person is dying and the medical shop is shut is it wrong to break the shutter and ‘steal’ medicine to save him ? Yes it is. Was it justified to say “Ashwathama (the elephant) is dead ?”. Answer is yes. Karma is complex. It isn’t cut & dried. And it isn’t sin vs no sin..
[2:45 PM, 7/18/2020] Nitin Seshadri: Your world view is different. Mine is different. That’s the way it is. You aren’t going to convince me or I you
[2:47 PM, 7/18/2020] Nitin Seshadri: A soldier’s karma is to fight for his country. A soldier who kills another on the field of battle isn’t guilty of sin. Context justifies actions.
[2:48 PM, 7/18/2020] Nitin Seshadri: The same soldier kills another soldier when he is sleeping that is murder.
[2:52 PM, 7/18/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: It is precisely because “Karma is complex; It isn’t cut & dried; And it isn’t sin vs no sin,” in order that we have the assurance of the balance tipped in our favor that Jesus came with a helping hand!
Jesus said in John 10:27:
“My sheep (the humble ones) hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Nitin Seshadri:
(Silence)
[5:50 PM, 7/18/2020] Caleb 🐕 | Son of David: Some do not see the implication of this interview with the state topper.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:33:
“Make the tree good, and then its fruit will also become good.”
Therefore, we are talking about the entire Hindu nation of India here.
Glory to the God through the Lord Jesus Christ!
I rest my case!
🙏
Dear Reviewer:
May we have your verdict on the Lord Jesus Christ’s claims of exclusivity in John 14:6:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Please remember this quote by C.S. Lewis as you consider:
If God had a way to heaven other than through nailing His Son on the cruel cross of Calvary, then God has done the unthinkable most heinous crime in the universe. HT: Dr. Charles Stanley.
Here is a succinct video by Dr. John Piper of what God has done for us in and through Christ Jesus: