Kerala News

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor Participates In Evangelical Pastors Sabha; Endorses Their ‘Preaching’ And ‘Faith-Healing’ Practices

December 15, 2023
The Commune

On 12 December 2023, Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, inaugurated and addressed the 18th Sangaman of Kerala’s Evangelical Pastors’ Sabha, led by Pastor Kumarapuram Suresh Kumar from Tharoor’s own constituency. Speaking passionately, Tharoor emphasised the fundamental right of every Indian to practice their faith and underscored the constitutional guarantees of freedom in worship, expression, assembly, and the propagation of faith.

Tharoor highlighted the diverse ways of worship in India and “reemphasised” the vital role of public service as a “key aspect” of churches’ responsibilities to their communities. Acknowledging the growing evangelical movement in South India, he wrote, “The evangelical movement is growing in south India and inevitably facing some resistance from older, established ways of worship. But they have every right to offer solace to troubled souls through their admixture of music, sermons and faith-healing. #InclusiveIndia”.

However, Tharoor’s engagement with the Evangelical Pastors’ Sabha drew criticism from some quarters, particularly amid the backdrop of heightened missionary activity in India. 

The Congress MP also justified their predatory proselytization saying “The evangelical movement is growing in south India and inevitably facing some resistance from older, established ways of worship.”

Christian evangelists often mock and abuse Hindus and Hindu Gods as part of their “preaching”.

He also endorsed their modus operandi of faith healing saying “They have every right to offer solace to troubled souls through their admixture of music, sermons and faith-healing.”

Evangelical Christian Missionaries indulge in faith healing which is not just anti-scientific but is also dangerous and anti-human as it preys on poor people’s sickness in a bid to convert them.

Critics also questioned whether Tharoor had done enough for Hindus, pointing to his response to the challenges faced by Hindu pilgrims at Sabarimala.

Addressing the Sabarimala pilgrimage issues, Tharoor’s response was characterised as minimal and seemingly restricted to social media, as he tweeted, “The gross mismanagement of the Sabarimala pilgrimage by the LDF government in Kerala has been sadly under-reported in the national news media.” 

He went on to criticise the government’s handling of the pilgrimage, citing failures in management, police deployment, transportation, and healthcare support. Tharoor labelled the situation as “incompetence, neglect, and callousness” by the government, expressing the sentiment that if the events had occurred closer to Delhi, they would have been deemed a national disgrace. Ironically, despite the state being ruled by the I.N.D.I. ally CPIM, Tharoor does not seem inclined to engage in discussions with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to address and alleviate the situation.

It is noteworthy that in 2018, he mocked the traditions of the northeast of our country, calling their headgear outlandish. 

Tharoor’s actions such as participating in events conducted by pastors only lead observers and the public to infer that he holds a sympathetic stance toward missionaries.