I was inspired to read Lord Dolar Popat’s article ‘Britain is a Christian country and we should be proud of it’ (AV 26 December 2015). I agree with all that he has said and commend him for putting it so accurately. To my mind, only a true, selfless Hindu like him can appreciate the intrinsic values of both Christianity and Hinduism and how well they interact with each other. In fact, I would go so far as to say that what Lord Popat has done in his brilliant article is to summarise precisely the deep essences of Christianity and Hinduism!
Many people wrongly attribute politics to Christianity, and brand it as an aggressive, superior ideology. But, coming from Kenya, what attracted me most to settle in the UK (rather than in India for which I had a choice) was my preconceived notion of fairness, justice and a sense of orderliness and security which I expected to receive from the indigenous community, this notion emanating from, what Lord Popat calls it, cultural Christianity. During the last 50 years I have been in the UK, I had had the opportunity to do readings from the Hindu scriptures at the local Bolton Parish Church. I carefully selected those readings that depicted common Hindu and Christian values, without any leanings. The readings were very well received.
Uttambhai D Mistry
Bolton
