do Baptists carry guilt for throwing Ghandi out of their church when he tried to convert?

Question

when Ghandi tried to convert to Christianity he was thrown out of a Baptist Church ( which is against the Bible teachings). Ghandi got up and told them " if this is the Christ you worship, i'd rather worship a cow". Please, well focused serious answers from Baptists only! ( think before you answer) i know all religions have a dark history. & Thanks

Answer 1

Just a quick search on internet and I found these two references. One doesn't say which church and the other says Anglican. The event does seem to have happened.


jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/552.htm
Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most respected leaders of modern history. A Hindu, Ghandi nevertheless admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"


Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."


Apparently Ghandi's rejection of Christianity grew out of an incident that happened when he was a young man practising law in South Africa. He had become attracted to the Christian faith, had studied the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, and was seriously exploring becoming a Christian. And so he decided to attend a church service. As he came up the steps of the large church where he intended to go, a white South African elder of the church barred his way at the door. "Where do you think you're going, kaffir?" the man asked Ghandi in a belligerent tone of voice.


Ghandi replied, "I'd like to attend worship here."


The church elder snarled at him, "There's no room for kaffirs in this church. Get out of here or I'll have my assistants throw you down the steps."


From that moment, Ghandi said, he decided to adopt what good he found in Christianity, but would never again consider becoming a Christian if it meant being part of the church.


How we treat those others tells e people MORE about what we believe, and what following Jesus means to us than all tracts we pass out, or all the fine semons we deliver.


www.homestead.com/fpcslc/021906sermon.html
When Mahatma Gandhi was a university student in South Africa, he decided to give Christianity a try and went to a worship service at the Anglican cathedral. While sitting in a pew in the back of the church, one of the ushers came and tapped him on the shoulder and politely told him that colored people were not allowed to worship in that particular cathedral.

Reflecting on the event, Gandhi later remarked, “That poor usher. He thought he was ushering a colored man out of a cathedral, when in reality he was ushering India out of the British empire.” I dare say he helped usher Gandhi out of a relationship with God in Christ as well as setting back the ministry of the church in India for generations to come.

Answer 2

I too have heard of this incident, but have not read it from any reliable sources. If it did infact take place, it is a real shame and i know it breaks gods heart.

But should i as person who attends a baptist church feel guilty? Well, i as a white person don't feel guilty for slavery, because i was not responsible. And as a canadian i don't feel guilty for unleashing brian adams and his aweful music on the world, (although that is a darn shame). So no... i don't feel guilty for the actions of people i've never met. I do think it's sad whenever the church pushes people away instead of welcoming them with open arms, but i cannot carry the guilt of eveyone elses sin.

Answer 3

You are correct..No church is perfect...Look at Paul's letters to the Churches in Corinthians and the Letters in Revelations.
We are to follow god. Man is selfish and imperfect and is so far from perfection, that No man can earn Salvation, but for Grace.
If you are looking for man to lead you to god, you will come up lacking greatly.God's Holy spirit leads you through imperfect man to support and to gather together to be blesses and edified. Also to make sure that we are accurate in worship.

Look at the apostles..They were with God in the flesh, asked to stay awake the night that Christ was to be taken away, and couldn't even do that. Gandhi being asked to leave, if that indeed did happen is just another example of what idiots we all are and how much we need God to save us.

Answer 4

I tried to research this and didnt find it. But if a baptist church threw him out and we was trying to reach Christ, thats sad. No such evidence of it. If he was truely seaking Jesus God would have found a way for him. God judges the heart.

Answer 5

Having read the life of Gandhi, I don't recall such an incident.

Answer 6

Why would Gandhi have been trying to convert to Christianity?

Answer 7

Yet another candidate for stupid question of the day.

Answer 8

Please provide a reference source for this.