Freedom Far-off: A country was under a foreign rule. A dream of political freedom as a precursor to overall equitable development in all aspect for its people was envisioned by their freedom fighters. Violent freedom- struggle exploded. It brought no fulfillment of the dream. Violence was replaced by nonviolence. It did crack a dawn of political freedom for our people. India, a politically freed country was born. The political freedom accomplished was meant to establish overall equitable development in all aspect for all people. Alas! Even after sixty three years of our political freedom this original dream is far from being a reality. How can one say this? See the ongoing violence perpetrated by the Maoists or Naxals which continues to haunt the nation. Let us first have a glimpse of the Maoist cult and then look at it from the Biblical perspective.

Origin of Maoist Cult: Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought is a variant of Marxism-Leninism derived from the teachings of the Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong.Mao was born into a peasant family in Hunan Province of China, on 26 December 1893. During his childhood Mao demonstrated a rebellious and challenge-oriented character, as reflected in his frequently conflicted relationship with his father. In his early school days, he devoted his heart and soul only to the tales of rebelling peasants fighting against the administration. At the age of seventeen; he left home to pursue further study in Changsha, Hunan’s provincial capital, where he was further exposed to the rebellion-oriented cultural environment of Hunan province. All of this helped shape Mao’s belief that rebellion is by nature legitimate. He saw a China that had been sinking into a deepening national crisis in the face of foreign incursions. Mao was eager to find ways to save China and make the country strong. He believed firmly that the key to solving the problems facing China must be sought in China itself. He emphasized the importance of taking the peasants as the main force of the Chinese revolution. Mao put greater emphasis on destruction than on construction. Mao’s revolution was one of the most violent and destructive in history. A firm believer in the idea that “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” Mao developed strategies and tactics for waging revolutionary wars with both domestic and international aims. He also emphasized the importance of “making everyone a soldier” in waging a “people’s war.” With those extremist ideas in mind, Mao became a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1921. Mao organized the Red Army in 1927 and waged a violent land revolution. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Mao cult entered the CCP’s mainstream discourse. In the late 1940s the CCP successfully carried out a revolutionary civil war. China’s victory over Japan in 1945 was accompanied by the Party’s winning political influence and military strength unprecedented in its history.When the CCP seized power in 1949, Mao announced to the whole world that “we the Chinese people have stood up”. Mao persistently emphasized the necessity of “continuing the revolution” after the CCP seized power in 1949. Some historians today regard Maoism as an ideology devised by Mao as a pretext for his own quest for power. The official view of the Chinese government was that Mao did not create Maoism to gain power, but that in his later years, Mao or those around him were able to use Maoism to create a cult of personality.

Demise of Maoist Cult: Maoism collapsed in a nationwide famine during the 1959–1961 periods, which caused one of the worst human tragedies in twentieth-century history. It is estimated that 20 to 30 million people starved to death in China. For the first time in Communist China’s history, the myth of Mao’s “eternal correctness” was called into question. In the last years of his life, it became evident that Mao’s revolutionary enterprise had lost the people’s inner support. Mao died on 9 September 1976. China has since experienced a profound de-revolutionization process. The post-Mao Chinese Communist party leadership discarded the Mao cult. Maoism as implemented between 1959 and 1976 is regarded by today’s CCP as an economic and political disaster. However, there is a prohibition in China on either publicly questioning the validity of Maoism or questioning whether the current actions of the CCP are “Maoist.” The official view is that China has now reached an economic and political stage, in which the country faces new and different problems completely unforeseen by Mao, and as such the solutions that Mao advocated are no longer relevant to China’s current conditions. As a revolutionary ideology, Maoism has long withered in China. But it seems premature to say that Mao’s ideas have forever lost their influence.

Maoist Violence in India: The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a banned Maoist political party in India which aims to overthrow the government of India. They claim to be fighting for the rights of the tribes in the country. The Maoists are often referred to as Naxals in reference to the violent Naxalbari insurrection conducted by radical Maoists in West Bengal in 1967. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh referred to the Maoists as the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country. The series of recent attacks committed by Naxals reflect the grim state of the country’s internal security. While the number of Maoist attacks in 2009 was 2250, It has already touched 810 in the first four months of 2010. In 2009, the number of civilians killed by Maoists was 590 while it has reached 195 till April this year. Security personnel killed in attacks in 2009 were 315, whereas in 2010 so far, the number has already touched 146.The Maoists had on April 6, 2010 carried out their deadliest attack killing 76 security personnel in Mukrana forests of Dantewada district of Chattisgarh. Latest in a series of attack, on May, 17 Maoists blew up a bus killing 40 passengers in Dantewada district. Lack of faith on the elected government, corruption in administration, casteism, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and lack of governance of the local administration seem to nurture these extremist forces. While talking about the ongoing Maoist violence, the Union Home minister, P.Chidambaram introspectively admitted: “In Naxal-affected states, the problem is lack of effective government. Why there is lack of effective government is because institutions of government are not present in these areas. People have virtually distanced the government. There is a huge trust deficit between elected government and people of these areas. They tend to rely upon structures of power which oppose the country” No doubt these structures of power which oppose the country bring far greater turmoil, pain, sorrows, and destruction to the very section of the people for whose emancipation they claim to fight.

Violence is Ungodly: The Bible strongly denounces violence in any form in the face of the earth. In the Old Testament, when God saw that the earth was full of violence (Genesis 6:11), He was grieved and His heart was filled with pain (Genesis 6:6). Violence invokes God’s wrath and ultimately it brings death as God’s punishment (Genesis 6:13). The suffering of Lord Jesus Christ and His crucifixion in the New Testament undoubtedly reflects His denunciation of violence (Isaiah 53:7). Maoists have an eternal truth to emulate from the Greatest Resurrected Saviour Lord Jesus Christ who for our redemption laid down His life not by violence but by humble submission to the will of the heavenly Father (Philippians2:8). While talking about the virtues of a good shepherd Jesus said, good shepherd enters the sheep pen by the gate (John 10: 2) and the one who climbs in by some other way, comes only to steal and kill and destroy(John 10:1,10). Do Maoists enter by the gate or climb in by some other way? It is up to them to judge. In recent times, many sources with ulterior motives have erroneously attempted to link Christian groups with Maoists. No true Christian who follows the Lord Jesus Christ can directly or indirectly support violence in any manner(Titus 1:7). Maoist ideology and Maoist strategy seem to contradict each other. Justice and equality which Maoists claim to fight for can never be established by violence which they strive to inflict. How can violence bring Justice and equality? It only metes out more injustice and inequality. Maoism is extremely paradoxical in its approach. Why can’t Maoists invest their great deal of energy, resources and tactics to the service of the poor instead of exploiting them for a protracted blood-spattered armed struggle? The only solution for Maoists is to repent and renounce violence and return to the path of Godly truth, Godly peace, and Godly life.

God’s Government: The Bible clearly says every citizen must submit himself to the governing authorities. The authority that exists has been established by God Himself (Romans 13:1). Authorities are God’s servants who give their full time to governing (Romans 13:6). If one rebels against the government; he is rebelling against what God has instituted. Those who do so will bring judgment on themselves (Rom13:2). Authorities never punish those who do right but punish those who do wrong (Rom.13:3& 4.) Therefore it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience (Roman13:5). If Maoists are real citizens of this country then they are not exempted from this obligation (Titus 3: 1). Maoists need to learn patience and develop gentle negotiation through which they can settle issues with the government( Proverb 25:15).When Prophet Jonah warned King of Nineveh of the Lord’s anger because of peoples’ violence, He at once decreed that everyone must call urgently on God and give up their evil ways and their violence. When they did so God had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction, He had threatened (Jonah 3: 1-10). Can the leaders of the Maoists declare a decree to their fighting cadres asking them to give up violence? The Lord Jesus admonished Peter asking him to give up his sword and He warned him saying all who draw the sword (modern term, gun) will die by the sword (Mat.26:52). Both Jesus’ saying and the proverb: if a man digs a pit he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him (Proverb 26:27) proved true with the fate of many terrorists and their leaders.

God’s Admonition for Our Authorities: Every person in authority on the earth is the executor of God’s Authority. Top leaders of the government must realize that they are servants of God established by God himself (Romans 13:1-5). They are there just to do what God wants them to do. They need to seek God’s counsel and guidance in every matter that they deal with. When authorities rebel against the words of God and despise His counsel in crisis situations they loose sight of how to go about (Psalm 107:10) and their plans fail for lack of counsel (Proverb 15:22). God lamented over the violence meted out by authorities in the Land of Israel saying the princes are like roaring lion which tears its prey, they devour people. They take treasures and precious things. They make many widows within the land. (Ezekiel 22: 25) The officials are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain (Ezekiel 22: 27). Is this not true with some of our authorities? One who hates justice cannot govern the people (Job 34:17).While talking about the lack of Governance and development in the tribal areas, Mrs. Sudha Pillai, member secretary of the planning commission recently said, “it’s a fact that tribals have got a raw deal. State governments have acted in a colonial manner, disenfranchising tribals. Managing forest produce is a basis plank. Nobody can take the people’s livelihood away. Tribals had a certain way of life in the forests, which need not be romanticized. But they had access to forest produce like honey, lac and resin, through which they earned a living. The biggest failure of state governments is that they denied access to non timber forest produce. Even after 14 years of amendment of Panjayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, which recognizes the traditional rights of tribals over community resources and gives constitutional status to panjayatraj institutions has not been implemented everywhere”. If so, this is the command of the Lord for our state authorities: My princes will no longer oppress my people but will allow the people to possess the land according to their tribes. You have gone far enough; O Princes, Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people (Ezekiel 45: 7-9).Let not our authorities overcome evil of violence by evil but overcome evil with good (Romans12:17- 21).

What Do the Poor Need?

What the poor need is:

Not Destructive Maoism but constructive social-transformation;

Not Maoist terror campaign but social compassion;

Not Maoist Arms building but people building;

Not red army but army of helping arms;

Not Maoist armed struggle but consolation;

Not Maoist barrel of gun, but barrel of care and concern;

Not Gruesome Guerrilla war but awesome avatar of peace;

Not perpetual Maoist violence but perpetual peace;

Not Maoist Jungle warfare but Jingle of welfare;

Not Maoist aggression but assertion for subsistence;

Not continuous Maoist revolution but continuous reassurance;

Not demonstration of Maoist Violence but demonstration of Nonviolence;

Not Maoist abduction but social adoption;

Not Maoist extremism but extermination of radicalism;

Not unity for Maoist rebellion but unity for renouncement of rebellion;

Not Maoist hostility but facility;

Not Maoist massacre but massacre of hatred and oppression;

Not Maoist explosion of infrastructure but explosion of development;

Not Maoist mass mobilization but mass transformation;

Not Maoist land mines but love mines;

Not states’ dispossession but provision;

Not displacement by Green Hunt but assurance of livelihood;

Not states’ revengeful counteraction but Peaceful Solace;

Not motherless, fatherless, sonless families but legitimate rights;

God’s People’s Response:

In the current crisis situation, let us claim these promises of God for our country: All your sons will be taught by the Lord and great will be your children’s peace; In righteousness you will be established; Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed and it will not come near you. Whoever attacks you will surrender to you (Isaiah 54:11-15). I will make peace your governor and righteous ness your ruler. No longer will violence be heard in your land nor ruin or destruction within your borders (Isa 60:17b-18a). God’s people are expected to make prayers, intercession and thanks giving for everyone- for kings, and all those in authority that we may live peaceable and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (I Timothy 2:1-4) This is what pleases God our saviour who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.