Church compound cleaning, after NBCC NCRC declines BJP offer

Kohima: The Nagaland Christian Revival Church Council (NCRC) has declined an offer from the Nagaland BJP to clean church compounds across the state on May 11.

In a statement, the NCRC urged the BJP to reconsider its proposal and emphasized the need to “respect the autonomy and sanctity of religious institutions” and to avoid politicizing sacred spaces for partisan purposes.

The statement stressed on the importance of upholding values such as tolerance, respect and religious freedom, which are fundamental to society.

It called for efforts to foster unity and harmony within the diverse community of Nagaland.

The NCRC’s decision not to collaborate with the BJP follows a similar refusal from the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC).

NCRC president, Rev N Paphino, suggested that the BJP should prioritize protecting persecuted Christian minorities across India rather than focusing solely on Nagaland for campaign purposes.

He emphasized that genuine concern for Christian minorities would entail visiting churches outside Nagaland, where many have faced destruction, institutional damage, and persecution.

While NCRC expressed support for cleanliness initiatives, it emphasized that church compounds should not serve as political arenas or venues for partisan activities.

Allowing a political party to conduct a cleanliness drive within sacred grounds was deemed hypocritical and a violation of religious neutrality and freedom.

The Council directed all churches under its jurisdiction not to permit the BJP to carry out the cleaning activity within church compounds, citing concerns about blurring the boundaries between state and religion and potentially alienating congregation members while compromising the integrity of the spiritual community.