Writing about tele-evangelism is fraught with difficulties. In order to provide an objective assessment, one has to abandon the political correctness that governs our conduct in all matters of religion. Besides, many would argue that tele-evangelism is unlikely to emerge as a major problem in India. The Indian ethos is extremely tolerant and rules do not provide any succour to those who seek to engineer discord through religion.

By and large I would tend to agree, but over the last few years I am beginning to get worried. My anxiety is based on many of the sermons I come across on the idiot-box which are inflammatory to say the least. I have also witnessed first-hand what unchallenged tele-evangelism can do to perhaps the most vulnerable sections of the society, and how it tends to feed upon the inner insecurities experienced by individuals. I have also been a first-hand observer of the havoc it can generate as it has in perhaps the most open society the world has known – the United States of America. Let me make it very clear here I shall be the first to oppose any form of censorship.

It is with some trepidation that I look upon the prospect of a tele-evangelist culture taking roots in India. While I usually skip over the Aastha, Sanskar and Ma channels, I must admit that I do listen to Zakir Naik’s Peace Channel occasionally to hear the irrationality of what he preaches. There is also God channel where Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer and their ilk attempt vulgar proselytisation. There may be others as well, which cater to an audience that sustains them financially.

Let us deal with Aastha channel first. It had the self-proclaimed ‘Sadhavi’ Rithambara making not so veiled references to how persecuted Hindus were at the hands of foreigners for centuries, and implying that this entitled the Hindus to expect a full-blown apology from a certain section for the wrongs that were perpetrated centuries ago. Asaram Bapu very eloquently tried to impress upon us how the solution to all our travails lay in going back to our scriptures and ignoring ‘materialistic temptations’. There were others communicating similar messages, as well as obscure figures I had never heard of pontificating how easy it was to seek salvation by visiting temples, taking holy dips and providing alms to a particular sect as this is what the scriptures directed.

Then there was Peace channel’s Zakir Naik trying to be very scientific when he stated that it was established that a swine is morally inferior as it is the only animal that engages in promiscuous conduct. He proceeded to ask us to look at ourselves in the mirror to note that we had canine teeth which was evidence that God wanted us to be non-vegetarians. Not very promising for converted vegetarians like myself as I am clearly violating what God commanded. He then went on to direct his ire at the institution of inter-religious marriages. They violated the very basic tenet of Islam in his view. And of course, ended by saying that even the most lowly-placed follower of Islam was to be preferred to a non-Muslim when it came to a choice for matrimonial alliance. Taliban-esque drivel!

But the most noteworthy interpretations of God’s words came from the people on God channel who had perhaps acquired a greater deal of proficiency over several years. There was Benny Hinn waxing eloquent on how AIDS is divine retribution for “perverts and deviants”. He dismissed all scientists as ill-informed perverts for misleading people that HIV could not be transmitted by a mosquito bites. He believed this hypothesis had been amply disproved by the large number of HIV cases in mosquito-infested areas! There is also private jet-owning Joyce Meyer (who incidentally has been found guilty of questionable practices including claiming a false university degree). She waxed eloquent on how important it was to stay true to Jesus’ message and not forget to send her tithe. She began to cite King James’ version of the Bible to establish that all those who did not follow her interpretation of what Jesus intended would rot in hell.

The channel then moved on to a sermon by Kenneth Copeland. Copeland, in case readers are not familiar, has a rather chequered past which includes multiple marriages, non-payment of child support and a prison term. He was assistant to another tele-evangelist, Oral Roberts who impressed by his industry enabled him to acquire a pilot’s license. He has had no theological grounding whatsoever and now heads an empire which allows him to own not only a private jet, but a private airport just for himself and an island mansion in Georgia. He has repeatedly fallen foul of the Senate Committee which oversees tele-evangelists and liberally used the lacunae in the US law avoid any taxation.

And here was this very man spouting how blessed he and his flock were as they had been baptised by him, and now constituted the ‘body and spirit of Jesus’. He contemptuously dismissed his detractors as being influenced by the devil and warned that their day of reckoning was not very far – to resounding applause.

This was followed by another pastor whom I did not know, who went on to declare that a person like Gandhi could not have gained access to heaven as he was not baptized.  And that Martin Luther King Jr. was a heretic as he chose a non-believer like Gandhi, rather than Jesus, as his idol.

Creflo Dollar, another jet setting ‘absolute follower of Jesus’ declared, “My Jesus was a millionaire”, and declared that the prosperity gospel he preached was in keeping with the Bible. He also declared that baptism absolved people not only of their past sins, but also future sins as Jesus had died for them and promised them fiscal prosperity if they continued to attend his sermons and provide tithe!

Then there was a face that I was familiar with. I first came across David Pawson when he was in the UK and in the habit of making Biblical prophecies. Nearly 30 years on, he persists with his vocation undeterred that none of his past prophecies have come true. Most importantly, he continues to draw crowds.

What all these channels and self-proclaimed god men and prophets do is to kindle human insecurity and exploit it. Before tele-evangelists, there were other god men like the teenage god man, Bal Yogeshwar in India. Is it that we are more insecure than other countries? I personally do not think so. The only lapse on our part is our reluctance to challenge these evangelists effectively.

Of the countries I have lived in, Sweden had an almost negligible religious orthodoxy as only about 2% were church goers, and evangelism is still frowned upon. I did not come across any tele-evangelist during my time there and the tenor of the intellectual debates both in the print media as well as TV was that tele-evangelism was a social curse which needed to be repulsed within a strict democratic framework. The Republic of Ireland did carry a reputation of being a theocracy disguised as a democracy – at least when I was there. This was owing to a very special position enjoyed by the Roman Catholic Church given that almost 95% of the populace subscribes to it. But while Sunday masses and regular sermons are popular, tele-evangelism of the ‘born-again’ variety is frowned upon, and the national TV, the RTE have consistently refused to permit the likes of Jerry Falwell to appear on it.

While the Church of England does form part of the establishment in the UK, the average Englishman, Welsh or Scottish has developed a disdain for religious rituals. While the likes of Billy Graham did hold regular sermons, they were never given special platforms on the BBC or the Independent Television.

It is primarily the United States where I found the trend of tele-evangelism most disturbing. When I relocated to the country, Jim and Tammy Bakker were the most prominent televangelists who used television to the hilt. They resided in huge mansions and their baptism used to take place in five-star swimming pools. Until, Jim was found to be leading a double life and involved in multiple relationships with the members of his flock and regularly embezzling money meant for his congregation. He was prosecuted and convicted and Tammy ended up divorcing him. He later admitted that if was only in prison that he read the Bible for the first time. Jimmy Swaggart, another evangelist, was caught red handed having a dalliance with one of his congregation members following which he made a very public confession and apology – only to be found with a prostitute some time later! He is reported to have remarked that God wanted him to be in that relationship.

The list is endless, but all of these ‘hucksters of holiness’ thrive on human insecurity which they exploit to the fullest. The most blatant example that I came across was during my first visit to Louisiana when I switched on the car radio. And what did I hear? “Jesus wants $20 dollars. Make sure you send the money to Jesus at this address. Jesus asked me to get you to send $20. Do not disobey Jesus. He will give you much more”. This came from the Jerry Falwell Ministry that called itself the Moral Majority.

At this juncture it would be apposite to recall a great philosopher Abraham Maslow, who conceived a hierarchy of human needs which motivate human beings. These needs are:
a. Physiological need: food, water, sleep and bodily functions

b. Security needs: property, employment, health

c. Need for being loved and love: friendship and family

d. Need for esteem: confidence achievement and self-respect

e. Need for self-actualization: creativity, spontaneity, acceptance of facts, morality and problem solving.

Maslow stated that religion should ideally concentrate only on the last two needs. The need for self-actualization and the need for esteem. But tele-evangelists propagate that religion can help you meet the other three needs. Prosperity gospel is based solely on the realisation of material wealth and needs.  And this gospel has proved to be self-defeating and a major divisive force within the society.

Jalaluddin Rumi was on the mark when he astutely remarked:

A true Lover doesn’t follow any one religion,

be sure of that.

Since in the religion of Love,

there is no irreverence or faith.

When in Love,

body, mind, heart and soul don’t even exist.

Become this,

fall in Love,

and you will not be separated again.

I am also tempted to recall Immanuel Kant, perhaps the most religion friendly of all the modern philosophers. He identified four major perversions of religion: Theosophy, Demonology, Theurgy and Idolatory. Based on Kant’s theory, we can gauge for ourselves the extent to which evangelism perverts true religion.

The very worrying portend is the ecological niche that tele-evangelism seems to have found in India. The coffers of these evangelical channels are overflowing with funds. Living in a democratic set up, I would be the very first to defend their right to air their beliefs. But at the same time I think broadcasters and media personnel should not ignore the disruptive potential of these evangelists.

It would be a waste of time to expect the politicians in India to come up with constructive ideas. More often than not, they have played along with these hucksters of holiness for political gains. More effective I feel, would be to get the leading philosophers of the day to rebut them regularly as is practised in the US. Perhaps that may not be totally effective, but any meaningful argument or point of view would help counter the pernicious hold this practice can engender.