Posted by Francis on June 20, 2007 at 04:53:06:
In Reply to: Re: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alex_187a posted by Reza on July 23, 2003 at 21:10:38:
If a community wants to remain endogamous that is their choice. But separation of the church on basis of a community is wrong. It is simmilar to the situation that existed in the US where blacks were not allowed to become members of the white church.
We are not knas but just catholics from Trichur belonging to the syro-malabar church. In olden days our church had segregation complete with a separate church (Pela palli) and cemetry for the so called lower castes. Many syrian catholics still do not marry freely into the latin community. My folks used to go to absurd lengths to prove that we were descendants of Brahmins or some other exotic race. Even I used to share this prejudice until I attended a retreat at Tabor (Mumbai). There the lowly Maharashtrian hindu vilagers who came for the first time had visions and got healed while I who considered myself superior had no such spiritual experience. That was a turning point in my life.
Thankfully these are things of past though the older generation still has prejudices. Most of my folks are fair skinned with middle eastern/ north Indian features. I am fair skinned than most of my friends, knas included. But I would hate to consider myself as someone superior or uber to the other christians. After all Jesus died for all of us, jews as well as gentiles. Knas or not, we must live in harmony with each other as brothers in faith serving the same Lord. If believing that your fore fathers came from some other land makes you feel better, so be it. But do not give others a complex or cause divisions among people on that basis.
Matt 3:9
'And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.'