Freedom in shackles

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

Free India has turned 74 amidst the Covid-19 virus pandemic.
The development of India as a free nation is being celebrated.
Great strides have been made in the direction of making our country self-reliant and self-sufficient. Strides which put a spring in the steps of us all.
However, at the same time, great strides have been made in the opposite direction, i.e. the regressive direction, strides which make our heads hang in shame.

Even as we celebrate Independence, the larger question is have we obtained freedom in the real sense? At face value, we are an independent country, however, our minds are still bound by shackles of prejudices of various nature.
Prejudices based on race, religion, colour, caste, money and power are still powerful chains which bind and confine men and women to cataclysmic catacombs.
It’s a matter of concern that freedom of individuals is sought to be curtailed by certain sections of the society even in this day and age.
It’s a matter of greater concern that satanic devices continue to bind the faithfuls despite the cries of binding the powers of darkness in Jesus name.

Among the urban communities, we see many trapped in lusts and lure of filthy lucre. Youth are trapped by “mobile sins”, homosexuality, fornication, drugs, etc.
Married couples are in bondage of adultery. Some are trapped by their day jobs (workaholics) and consequently neglecting their spouses and children.
Many are trapped by “targets” they need to achieve in their professional lives and do not have time for families, fellowship and faith.
On the spiritual front, there are many prejudices that have curtailed the freedom of believers. For example, we have a common belief of “me, my church and my pastor”. It’s a honey trap laid by satan and many have fallen for it. This has made many believers to be confined to the well-furnished and decorated four walls of church buildings.

Churches have also been trapped by the offertory box. The LORD directed a tirade against the clergy in Malachi for their misdemeanor in the usage of the treasury. In other words, it was a declaration of how the Old Testament clergy was caught in the bondage of money.
At a macro-level, the Constitution of India has framed constitutional rights and fundamental duties for every citizen of India.
But the moral and humanitarian ethos and values are slowly being shown the door from the portals of a country which prides itself in “athithi devo bhavo”.
Thanks to the digital age and proliferation of the social media, we are able to gain access to many videos in which heinous crimes have been perpetrated against the downtrodden. Their only crime has been to exercise their freedom.

In this wide spectrum of bondages, we see another extreme among the tribal communities who are still under the bondage of alcohol, superstitions, black magic, addictions to drugs, gutka etc.
Such is the extent of backwardness that people will run to a voodoo doctor to cure any illness rather than seek modern medical attention.
Such communities need to liberated from the clutches of sin and all the associated satanic devices in which they are trapped.

Constitutionally, every Indian has the freedom to live a free life and every Indian has the fundamental duty to protect the freedom of every Indian. However, what we are seeing is many efforts are being made to curtail that freedom.
One instance is religious freedom. All across our country, incidents of violence have been recorded against Christians for so-called forced conversions. While many states have stringent anti-conversion laws, certain groups of vigilantes have taken the law into their own hands to attack Christians who are practicing or propagating their faith.

In March this year, a Delhi High Court made it clear that converting to a particular religion is the individual’s choice. This clearly indicates that practicing or following a particular religion and making a choice to change from one religion to another is the freedom of the individual.
The ruling of the Delhi High Court (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/court-refuses-to-interfere-in-religious-conversion-issue/articleshow/74619930.cms) states that religion is a personal belief and to convert to a different faith or not is an individual’s choice.
The Delhi High Court thus declined to entertain a plea for stopping or regulating religious conversions and asked the petitioner to withdraw the petition.

As we see, if one has to obtain sovereignty from spiritual and social slavery, the soothing touch of the Saviour is significantly desirable.
Confining the concept of freedom just to the pages of the Constitution of India or the Holy Bible is not enough. Practitioners are needed. Faithful practitioners at that.
There is also a dire need for men and women who can fight against the bondage of prejudices. How many “freedom-fighters” do we have around who can break the shackles of sin, satan and prejudices?