A Story of Faith from Northeastern India
HAVE you ever heard of “Tanghul Naga”? That is the name of my tribe. We live in the eastern hills of Manipur State, northeastern India, surrounded by Bangladesh, Burma and China.
This is an area of beautiful green hills and fertile valleys. Throughout the centuries we Nagas have developed into some twenty-nine tribes, each one with its own dialect, folk customs and styles of dress. Until recently Nagas were “uncivilized” headhunters who practiced animism, a religion involving worship of trees and stones. We would offer to such objects sacrifices of pigs and dogs.
Life in these parts is almost the same in every village. If you were to visit my location, you would see some twenty to forty small houses with floors and walls of mud. The roofs are thatched with thick layers of dry, wild grass. These homes are built alongside a few dusty, unpaved lanes. Each village has a ruling council of elders.
A person who picks his way along one of these lanes see pigs, dogs and fowl freely roaming about. At the front of some houses hang human skulls. These are reminders of the grim past, when the tribes fought for supremacy.
Most of us tribespeople are self sustaining. We raise domestic animals and cultivate the terraced hill slopes nearby. Our main crops are rice, maize, potatoes and ginger.
Interesting is the fact that women work right alongside men in clearing undergrowth and preparing the soil for cultivation. It is common to see women trudging to a village carrying heavy loads of vegetables and firewood in cane baskets. The baskets hang on their backs, supported by a broad band of cane around their foreheads. Besides this type of work and household chores, our women engage in fishing, weaving and selling at the market towns.
The dress of our hardworking women is simple, but in gay colors. A shawllike piece of cloth wrapped around the waist forms a skirt that extends just below the knees. Handwoven by our tribeswomen, these skirts are mostly of a bright-red color, with horizontal stripes of white, black, green or yellow. A similar piece of material covers the upper body.
A New Religion
Now let me relate to you what I have called a story of faith. It began during my high-school days at Imphal, the principal town of Manipur. One morning two of Jehovah’s Witnesses visited me at my lodging room. They spoke about the Bible and how God’s kingdom will soon transform the whole earth into a beautiful paradise.
I liked their message, but quickly encountered opposition. The hostel warden tried to discourage me from studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, saying that they were “different” from other Christians. In spite of this, I sought out their meeting place in Imphal and began to study the Bible weekly with the Witnesses. After a while, though, I discontinued this study. I simply refused to believe that God’s personal name was Jehovah, though the Witnesses had pointed out that the name occurs thousands of times in the Hebrew text of the Bible.—Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4, Authorized Version.
Then something unexpected happened, which brought about a change in my attitude. One day I was looking through the history textbook An Outline of World Civilization, by Dev Raj Dutt. On page 157, in the chapter entitled “Rise of Christianity,” I read: “Jesus was a disturber of the status quo and was condemned as a blasphemer of Jehovah, God of the Jews.” There, once again, was that name, “Jehovah.” Were Jehovah’s Witnesses right after all? I resumed my Bible studies.
Soon, I came upon something else that I found hard to believe. The Witnesses pointed out to me from the Bible that some of the customs of my church were of pagan origin. That seemed like too much to accept. I returned to my history book. On page 163, under the heading “The Christian Civilization Paganism,” I read the following:
“This Christian civilization did not spread over the West in one broad sweep. Nor did it bring a complete break with the Old Pagan Civilization. The new civilization grew up in the midst of the old Pagan world: it adopted even pagan ways which it could approve. Christianity did not so much destroy Pagan Culture, as modify it, and stamp it with its own character.”
I was now convinced that Jehovah’s Witnesses were telling the truth. On regular trips from Imphal to my village, I shared these newly learned Bible truths with my elder brother, who at that time was a Naga terrorist. Later my cousin, a village farmer, also joined our regular Bible discussions. Soon they, too, were convinced that Jehovah’s Witnesses were teaching the truth.
Opposition Intensifies
Our Bible studies with the Witnesses became well known in the village. Local church leaders were displeased. During one church service, a visiting pastor accused Jehovah’s Witnesses of being false prophets and witnesses of Satan. After the service, my brother and I, along with our cousin, visited him. We explained from the Bible the basis for our disagreement with church teaching. Unable to reason with us from the Word of God, he resorted to angry words. Our own village pastor, also present, asked sarcastically: “At which theological college did you study?” Soon after this, the three of us submitted written resignations from church membership.
Church authorities tried to get our father to withdraw financial aid from me; but he refused to comply. Then the village elders formed a plan to extort 250 rupees (28 dollars) from us. If we did not pay, they threatened to expel us from the village, depriving us of home and livelihood. But, being aware that the constitution of India guarantees freedom of worship, I recommended that they lodge complaints against us in the law courts. This held them down to harmless threats.
Endurance Pays Off
The witness of Jehovah with whom I studied was very encouraging. He explained that what I was experiencing was quite common with persons who take up true worship. He pointed to the Scripture text at Mark 13:13: “And you will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name. But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.” It occurred to me that many persons have sacrificed their lives for the sake of national sovereignties. How much more should I be prepared to die for the sake of the Supreme Sovereign of the whole universe’.
The opposition continued. Several insisted that I was too young to understand the Bible, and that Jehovah’s Witnesses were taking advantage of my youth. An uncle suggested that I first get a better education and become materially self-sufficient before becoming religious. But I resisted these materialistic temptations. Though still a high-school student, I dedicated my life to Jehovah and was baptized in February 1975.
Endurance for what I knew was right brought rich dividends. Soon afterward my brother and my cousin also were baptized. To raise money to attend the assembly for his baptism, my cousin sold his only possession—a buffalo that he used for plowing farmland. While I continued on at Imphal, eventually becoming a full-time evangelizer, my brother and my cousin returned to our village to spread Bible truth there.
The village elders kept up their opposition. They held a council and drew up the following resolution against us:
that we pay a fine of fifty rupees (5.50 dollars) for changing our religion;
that in case of failure to pay the fine, they destroy our homes and property;
that no other witnesses of Jehovah should visit our village, and that anyone entertaining them would be fined;
that if my father continued to give me financial aid, suitable action would be taken against him.
We had determined beforehand, however, not to bend in the face of such opposition. Happily, due to some disagreement among themselves, the elders were unable to enforce their threats. And endurance under this phase of opposition paid an even greater dividend. How so?
Since the three of us had become Jehovah’s Witnesses, my father observed changes for the better in our lives. He also came to appreciate that the conduct of our church and village elders did not befit true Christians. To our delight, he too handed in a resignation from the church. My father now believes that Jehovah’s Witnesses practice the truly Biblical religion.
How heartwarming to see our entire family regularly studying the Bible and putting its principles to work in our everyday lives! Above all, we are thankful to Jehovah that he saw fit to direct someone to our remote area. For us it was the beginning of a thrilling story of faith.—Contributed.