The book titled “Religiously Political and Politically Religious," with the tagline—Reflections for Peace Education is, in many ways, a sharp and painful nudge to observe, think, analyse, dialogue and ACT. The author looks with unflinching severity at the present day situation all over the world, and more elaborately that in India. The background is the COVID-19 pandemic that brought the entire global population to its knees, inflicting enormous suffering, deaths, deprivation and desolation, not to speak of the horror of insensitivity on the part of the rulers...This compilation is the author's anguished, yet hope-filled, call to the readers to stand up as one to save one another and our planet. It is a call to shed our labels as apolitical or neutral, to come out of the complacent comfort of our privileged cocoons, to be true Christians, sisters and brothers of all.
Lida Jacob IAS (Retd.)
Contents
Preface Introduction
1. A Blessed Lockdown
2. India is Groaning; Faith is Challenged, Even Ridiculed!
3. Post-pandemic Challenge to Christian Churches,Faith Communities
4. Re-imagining Religious Life in Post-Covid-19 World
5. Sr. Ann Rose: A Model of Activism
6. BJP’s Christian Candidates in Kerala Election: Time for the Church to Wake Up
7. An Update on the Relationship Between the BJP Government and Christians in India
8. Covid-19: Crisis Management and the Role of Conspiracy Theories
9. The World is in Turmoil: We are the Messengers of Hope!
10. “My God, My God, Why have You Forsaken Me?” A Cry from a Billion Lips
11. Lynching Indian Democracy: Are You a Part of the Mob?
12. Post-Independence Day Celebrations, 2021: Two Contrasting Narratives
13. When Can We Love Again, in Freedom?
14. Let us Talk of the Farmers!
15. Why do People Believe the Lies of Politicians? Learning from the US Experience
16. Challenges to Religious Life
17. Treatment of the Tribals of India: Tokenism Versus Commitment
18. The Odium is on the Ordinary Citizen
19. Speak Up for Homes: Fathers, Mothers and Children Resist the Bulldozers
20. ‘Pope Francis is Flying Around, Asking Pardon’
21. ‘How Can I Be Happy When…?’
22. Hope and Love in a War-torn World
23. A Polarised India: Compassion is the Way-out
M. K. George is the General Counsellor and Regional Assistant to the Jesuit Superior General, in Rome. Earlier he was the Provincial of Kerala Jesuits and the Principal of Loyola College, Trivandrum. With Masters in Andragogy and Sociology, he did his doctorate in educational backwardness of Marine fish workers. He has coordinated a number of research projects while in Loyola and in Indian Social Institute, particularly in Participatory Research. An International Visiting Fellow at Holy Cross College, Worcester, USA, he has contributed several scholarly articles to various journals and has co-authored the books – Extension in Higher Education; Development-Induced Displacement; Participatory Development for Water; Human Development Approach to Access to Income; and co-edited Towards a Politics of Change and Education for Human Capital Formation. Two other books on ‘Family Matters’ and ‘Thenthullikal’ (Malayalam) were based on his experience in family counselling and talks on the All India Radio.
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