Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Cash Crunched



One thing I often dislike intensely about life here is the never-ending cash collecting by the Church and other social organisations. Apart from the monthly tithes that every God-fearing churchgoer gives in good faith, there are literally dozens of begging bowls that come around every month. There's the church building fund, the missionary fund, the Bible Society with its numerous offshoots like the Bible-a-month/Testament-a-day/ Bible for China and other schemes, the YMA building fund, etc etc etc. Just over the weekend, our veng had a cleaning-up-the-neighbourhood hnatlang where at least one volunteer from every family was expected to show up. That or fork out a hundred bucks or else. I opted to part with the hundred and later learned that a not-to-be-sneezed-at pile of Rs 16,700 was easily made from opt-outers.

Now while I accept without question that money matters big time in these times of big spending, it's always seemed to me that donations ought to be made voluntarily. People ought to be giving from the heart and not because they're pretty much ordered to shell out so and so amounts of their hard-come-by earnings. Years ago I always cringed at church begging announcements. Talking about money and the need for it so publicly always struck me as crass and vulgar. Now I've grown somewhat immune to it all though there are times I still wonder if it can't be done with a little more subtlety and finesse. In a manner more Christian, with a little more heart and humane consideration rather than as an arrogantly preemptory dik-tat.

23 comments:

  1. Kohhran member kan nih chuan Kohhrana thawhlawm thawh hi chu tih makmawhah ka ngai a, Para Church neuh2 hi chu remchan dan angin ka pe mai thin. Tin, vengchhung hnatlang chungchangah chuan VC koh hnatlangah chauh hian phatna pawisa pek a ngai thin, YMA or pawl dangin hnatlang lo, pha bawk si lo run theihna dan an nei lo; VC hi chuan an nei ve thlap thung. Kan vengah chuan VC koh hnatlangah kan kal hman loh chuan phatna Rs.20/- kan pe thin.

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  2. Nia.. kei pawh ka ngaimawh lek lek thrin, kawng tam tak ah pe lo bik, ti lo bik nih a nawm loh vanga lungawi der taka pe hi kan tam khawp in ka hria.. rilru chhungril tak atranga chhuak ni lem lo te pawh a awm.. a chang chuan, thenawmpa el leh a thawh aia tawh tlem bik hlau te kan awm thrin bawk.. kumtawp a thawhlawm tawh zat report bu te hi siam ta lo ila.. thawh tlem sawt tur te pawh hi an awm nawk ang..a bu kan han keu a.. chumi khami te chu officer ve si, a thawh tlem.. chumi khami chuan a thawh tam tih vel khan kan han inbuk kual tawn vel a...kan pek chan bo map khawp hian hetiang ah hian kan buai nuk hlom mai. rilru leh tihtakzet a pek a nih siloh chuan a lo dawng tu Pathian tan hian engmah a nilo.
    Btw.. nice post. (sap tawng tlem kan hmang ve a nih kha)

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  3. Kan sawi belh leh lawk.. mi threnkhat.. mi tih ang ti ve duh, mahse a pawisa pek dawn a sak leh trung hi an tam mai. Thawhlawm leh Chanchinbu eng eng emaw sem hian kan naupan lai atrang tawh in trih ka ni fo. Chanchinbu man pek dawn a kut zum leh tlat te hi an awm a..a khawn tu tan a nuam lo, "a va ninawm tak" te an lo ti a.. lak loh mai awm kha a nia. A lang a mawi hi kan zawng in kan khel nasa leh lutuk a, sim thren deuh chu a ngai a ni...

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  4. Seems like a universal story to me. If you have power over someone it invariably leads to abuse.It does not matter if it is the church, business, neighbourhood committees, political parties or the government. The abuse is always the same. Pay up or else.

    Can you define "or else" in your case? In our case it is usually bodily harm or even a bullet.

    Bible for China???!! Someone is really ripping you off. This reminds me of the Church Tax that Germans are forced to pay. There you can opt out of the tax by saying you are no longer a Christian. A lot of my German friends have done that because they feel exactly how you feel about taxes and collections. But they have an option to opt out.

    Can you explain "veng" and "hnatlang". Looks like Mizo words to me.

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  5. In my understanding, church offerings are to be 'free will' and not something coaxed out. I think we badly misrepresent God when we try to wheedle money out of people for causes. At the same time, teaching on giving is needed and Christians must give out of love with a cheerful heart.
    The 'hnatlang' condition is sad to hear, though. What's the society coming to?

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  6. samuapa, VC hnatlang koh phatna dan a awm emni? Ka va hre ngai lo. I tih ang hian ti vek hlom thei ila chuan a tha ngawtin ka ring. Btw, thil mak angreng deuh chu sawi ta phawng mai ila Mission Veng hi chu in sum hrawm a na lo deuh bikin ka hria. Nge hman a kan awm ve lai kha chuan Biakinah te sum khawn lam thupuan a awm vak khan ka hre ngai si lo a, kan veng a kan han pem tak chiah khan Biakinah ngei mai hian sum mamawh thu hi an puang ut reng ta mai a, ka ip zawr zawr thin mole! MSV chu zosap te thuthmun in nih thin vang pawh anih mahna. Maicham vel atanga mipui sum thawh tur a inphut nat ltk hi chu a ch.k lo ka ti best!

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  7. lexx, i ngaihdan hi ka ngaihdan chiah. Thawhlawm thawh chungchangah leh zel hian herd mentality kan nei hi chu a dik lo ve alom.
    Chuan ka ngaimawh deuh dang leh chu Krismas ruai thawhlawm hi kan vengah chuan chhungtin hi kan thawh tur zat min tuk hmiah thin a. Member tam leh tlem pawh en lo in, kan hlawh zat atang hian an tuk ta thin a. Ka nu khan a tei thei lo ltk a, a chang phei chuan an tuk aia tlem pek chang pawh a nei thin. Kei chuan a awm tho ka lo tih ve laiin chhungkaw 1 member tam ve angreng tak, hlawh nei em em lo a ngaih, Krismas velah pawh cheng 50 an tuk thin te khan cheng nuai 5 an lo chiahpuam ve thei tlat lawi si! Kohhran leh khawtlang hruaitute hian kan sum neih dan hi chhut dan thar an dap a ngai ka ti ta khawp mai. Grrrrrrr!!

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  8. Loch, veng means locality, and hnatlang is the term for a general community work-out. "Or else" isn't that drastic here though they simply said they were going to "take action" and I have no idea what that means. And it's true that there are some clandestine groups smuggling in Bibles to China. But hush.

    mesjay, I agree with you totally. Offerings of any kind, whether to the Church or to charity, should be made with a cheerful, willing heart. Otherwise it's just coercion, plain and simple. And yes, we definitely need to be taught on how to give.

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  9. samuelapa's views are utopian views. It's rightly an oppression of other people by some people who are in a position do so by means of acts they have never been subjected to. About the church and the 'taxes' we pay, guys, we have a right to question the institution. Ain't it because of some crazy good guys that we don't have to pay to get to heaven?(I just can't stop making fun of this part hahaha) Do you know how god created the world? Man created god first so that we could be created... and then the creators of god started to dominate. Think... (This part makes me laugh out loud)

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  10. BTW, @ samuelapa, a run thin tu te kha run tur zing ah tel ta tlat se, hman loh vang, remchan loh vang, hna thoh na a kal ngaih vang, ei zawn na vang a zin bo lai, fa te sikul a hruai ngaih vang, veng pawn a chhung leh khat te chhiatni thatni, etc etc... Rs.20 pek mai kha a hmingchhiat thlak don sia, eng tia tih chi nge ni ta ang le?

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  11. Nia thawhlawm neuh neuh hi chu tam khawp mai, cost of living hi sang vak lo tur hian ka ngai thin a mahse sum hi a hek em em tho. Pek chu a tha lutuk, mahse the way things are going, pe lo bik / pe tlem bik nih kha zahthlak tlat. Inelna tha lo tak chu a ni. Hnatlang kal loh vanga pawisa chawi chu a awm ve tho ka tia, mahse thawhlawm thawh and/or thawh zat hi chu mahni duh thlanna liau liau tur ani, IMHO.

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  12. Cmon picturesquer, I know you have ultra leftist religious views but laughing at other people's beliefs is not nice. After all it's our faith that keeps us inexplicably strong in even our darkest hours.

    ambs, kan cost of living hi a sang alom. Thil man hi hmun dang te nen chuan a in to hleih tlat a, heng thawhlawm neuh neuh te nen phei chuan thla khat hlawh hi kham loh chang a awm duh asin.

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  13. But I just can't stop making fun of something funny. The more a country or a region is improvised there will be more religious activities. Man created religion to get through tough times, through exploitation of the lesser ones.

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  14. Well, I'm a believer in that which you think is so funny and I always will be, never mind my cribbing about what you so baldly call exploitation.

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  15. Any conversation about god and religion is bound to stir up passion, anxiety and raw emotions. It is bound to as religion and god has been a part of human social dna since before we left Africa. At least nobody in this forum is taking up guns in the name of god. Praise god for these small mercies!

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  16. J, I do agree with Picturesquer that religion simply exploits and in its organised, hierarchical form, ultimately strangulates spirituality. My views on religion - not just Christianity but the big R word as a whole - has undergone a vast change since living here. But hey, that's just MHO.
    On the other hand, it's also deepened a...thirst for God? Hmm. Perhaps that's a good thing :)

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  17. J, VC hnatlang koh phatna dan awm e. Kei pawh ka hnatlan hman loh chuan mi dang kutah Rs. 20/- ka thawn mai thin. Kha kha an lo chhinchhiah a, min run tawh ngai lo. Pha bawk si lote chu Rs. 50/- te an chawitir thei. Mahse, YMA leh NGO dangten hetiang tih theihna dan hi an nei ve lo.

    Kan vengah pawh Biak In sa lai kan nih avanga thahnemngai tura inngenna chu an puang ve zeuh2. Tin, sum thianghlim thawh ngei tura inngenna pawh an puang bawk thin.

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  18. i ziak tha top, pi j. han sawi belh vak tur phei chu ka hre lo. khawn neuh neuh tam lutuk hi chu vei a ngai ve deuh reuh a ni, hmanah thangkura te pawhin an tih vak tawh kha. ceiling fund te an khawn vel kha, drama ah. a thawkchhuaktu ni lo tan phei chuan a inthlahrun awm, mi thawh hnem avanga thawhlawm lo thawh hnem tum ve ringawt te hi.

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  19. Lolzzz Joseph, ceiling fund tih chu ka lo la hre ve lo pek. An va witty thei tak. Nia thil khawn reng hi chu sum bel phai lai phei hi chuan rilru a hah duh khop mai. Thla hmasa te khan thla 2 hlawh kan la lo a huiham a ni ringot. Btw vawiin ccbu velah i pa hriatrengna ka lo hmu a...

    samuapa, in veng Biakinah chuan sum thawh lam campaign lo zawngchhang ve miah suh u. A hmun lo best. Duh leh veng ccbu lamah chuan lo chhuah ta ula thuhran.

    mona, I agree there's always a very real danger of the church actually taking over God's rightful place. Human ego and all that. How complex life is...

    Loch, rightly said. We need a nice new non-controversial blog post. Errr anyone want to see pictures of my farm again? :D

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  20. when i was living in shillong, the ktp used to wash blankets and help build houses to raise funds. i have always thought that was so much a better way to raise funds than the begging bowl style. now that you mention it, though, a lot of members may have been 'coerced' into helping out, by sheer force of peer pressure.

    in mizoram, particularly, it seems rather difficult to separate church and society, huh?

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  21. It is, and at the moment there doesn't seem to be a way to cut the umbilical cord.

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  22. i wonder how that happened. are mizos a very religious people by nature? were we as dedicated to the pre-christian religion? this maybe just a perception, but the nagas society, for instance, seems less tied down to church. what think?

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  23. I think Mizos are a naturally law-abiding, peaceful race of people who are more inclined to accept things quietly and toe the line rather than kick up a fuss and create trouble for others. That probably shows in the way we do religion, for instance. I'm not sure about the pre-Christian era though. Regarding the Naga society thing, I think that might have to do with a quite different issue - the lack of common language among the Naga tribes probably creates deeper diversions in all round perceptions and attitudes including commitment to the church.

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