Introduction
Jainism is one of the major world religions, but in reality Jains are a people group formed around a common set of shared values. There are only a few known believers among the Jains. Many Jains are only aware of Christ through the filter of their Jain community perceptions, which can leave a very unattractive view of Christians. We know that Christ loves the Jains and died for them and desire them to have eternal life. We should know something about the Jains to pray intelligently for the Jains and to share our faith with Jains.
I) Who are the Jains?
Jains are considered one of the oldest religions of the world. Jainism originated in India about 500 BC at almost the same time and place as Buddhism. The founder of Jainism (Mahavir) is reported to have interacted with the founder of Buddhism. There is some evidence that Jainism is even older (9th century BC) than this. Jains have their own unique sacred scriptures in the Prakrit language and according to Jain mythology their religion is traced to the beginning of time. Jains have contributed much to the arts and sciences of India. Today the adherents of Jainism are about 3.5 million.
Jain comes from the word Jina, or one victorious over self, and worldly passions. A Jain is a conqueror of inner enemies. These inner enemies are anger, greed, pride and deceit. They believe these arise out of attachment and they practice non-attachment. Fundamental to Jainism is the concept of Ahimsa. Non-violence. This strong emphasis in non-violence has led Jains to be one of the strictest vegetarian communities anywhere.
There are two major divisions among Jains, the Digambara (sky clad) and Swetambara (white clad). These sects differ on the idea of whether the monks should where white robes or wander naked. The founder Mahavir was an ascetic who did not wear clothes and pulled out his hair in renunciation of worldly pleasures.
Jains view of God has led many to label them as atheistic. They do not see God as being active as creator and believe a human can become God. Jainism is a religion of self-help: with out any outside agency - even god coming to the rescue of the soul. For Jains the soul is its own destroyer or liberator.
Jains hold that every living being has a potential to become God. They believe in reincarnation and seek moksha (salvation) or release from the cycle of rebirths. Jains conceive Karma as an actual physical substance that weighs down the soul. They rid themselves of Karma through renunciation and practicing, right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.
Jains are a very wealthy community and many Jains keep an image of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi the goddess of wealth. This keeping of Lakshmi idols is widely practiced despite it being outside of orthodox Jain beliefs.
Jains remain very isolated from other communities. They are one of the wealthiest and most influential communities of India and are often involved in the business and financial sectors. Jains avoid professions such as farming contradicts ahimsa because so many insects are killed when plowing the fields.
II) Where do you find Jains?
Jainism was founded in India is the current state of Bihar, but through persecution by Hindus the Jains migrated to many areas of India, primarily in West and Southwest India. The majority of all Jains (93%) live in an area starting from Delhi including Bombay and all of Western India south to Bangalore.
INDIA total Jains by 1991 Government of India Census: 3,352,706
We find 93% of all Jains live in one of these five states and one union territory.
MAHARASHTRA- 965,840 -- 28.80%
RAJASTHAN- 562,806 -- 16.70%
GUJARAT- 491,331 -- 14.65%
MADHYA PRADESH- 490,324 -- 14.62%
KARNATAKA- 326,114 -- 9.72%
UTTAR PRADESH- 176,259 -- 5.25%
DELHI- 94,672 -- 2.82%
Other states with Significant Jain Populations
TAMIL NADU-- 66,900
HARYANA-- 35,296
WEST BENGAL-- 34,355
ANDHRA PRADESH--26,564
BIHAR-- 23,049
PUNJAB-- 20,763
ASSAM-- 20,645
ORISSA-- 6,302
KERALA-- 3,641
Outside of India there are significant Diaspora Jain populations. These areas of Jains include United Kingdom, Europe especially Belgium (in the diamond business) Kenya and the United States.
In the USA there are 26 Jain Temples. To see the location visit the Web link. http://www.adherents.com/largecom/templjain_statesUS.html
Jains are often more open to the Gospel in a Diaspora setting than in India. The reason for this is that in India all their time away from work is in interaction with other Jains only. When they are outside of the concentrated Jains populations in India they are much more free to interact with those of other communities and exchange ideas. Although Jains are more open to the Gospel outside of India they are organizing activities and get together among other Diaspora Jains and so the window of openness outside of India is closing as more and more Jains live outside of India.
III) How to identify Jains?
One of the ways you know that you are talking to a Jain is by their name. If they have the name Mahavir or Jain they are Jains. There are many other names that are common among the Jains but do mean they are necessarily a Jain. The names such as Chopra or Metha are common names among Jains but also these are names that Hindus use.
There are many business districts, especially surrounding Jain temples that will have Jain businesses. They will often be engaged in financial sectors, pawn shops and banking. There may be shop names such as Jain Jewelers, Mahavir Pawn Shop or Jain Hardwoods. These are shops that are owned by Jains and often times there are Jains who working in these shops to serve the customers. Jains are very active in the Bombay Stock Exchange and many Jains are found in Bombay’s (Mumbai) financial district.
One way to identify a Jain is by the symbol that they display on their house gate and shops. This is a swastika with a series of dots over the swastika and upright hand inside of a wheel. To view the Jain symbol visit this web link. http://www.jainworld.com/education/jainsymbol.htm
IV) How to witness with sensitivity to Jains.
One of the reasons for the small response to the gospel among the Jains is that so few are presenting the Jains with the gospel in a relevant way. II Corinthians 9:6 “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
Because Jains are a very isolated community they do not often have exposure to the Gospel. There are factors that keep Jains from interacting with Christians on a social level. One of the factors that keep Jains isolated from believers in Christ is the vegetarian diet of the Jains. Jains find it difficult to interact with Christians who are mostly non-vegetarians.
Jains come into a presentation of Christ with a very different concept than Christians do regarding God and salvation. Despite some of the contrasting views they bring to their understanding of Christ there are some important points of contact in presenting Christ to Jains.
“An effective Christian witness among the Jains will display gentleness and meekness. These traits will not only be consistent with their philosophy of Ahimsa, but they are eminently biblical. In short, the missionary must exhibit the fruit of the Spirit as noted in Galatians 5:22,23. If Jains are to be reached with the Gospel, Christian workers must have the attitude of the apostle Paul who testified: I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.” I Cor. 9:22, NASB) 1
It is very possible for believers in Christ to make friendships with Jains. Some Christians have begun conversations with Jains by entering their shops. Others have gone to Jain temples to meet Jains and been invited back to their homes. Jains do enjoy interacting with those outside of their Jain community even though the majority of Jains do interact primarily with other Jains.
It is one thing to engage a Jain in a friendly conversation at their shop and another to lead the Jain to Christ. Leading a Jain to Christ can be considered a physical impossibility in our own strength. The disciples asked Jesus “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:24
When we are interacting with Jains and desire to share Christ with them it is a spiritual matter. We should approach the Jains in the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18). We should spend time interceding in prayer that our Jain friend will be open to Christ as we share our faith with them. We should be aware of certain bridges that help us in presenting Christ to the Jains.
V) Points of contact in sharing Christ with Jains?
It is very well known that Mahatma Gandhi was impacted deeply be the Jains of his native Gujarat. Gandhi states in his autobiography that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is the greatest literature of all time. A Jain believer in Christ (Manilal Parekh), also from Gujarat, who was a contemporary and friend of Gandhi emphasized that the Sermon on Mount will have an appeal to the Jains. Discussing the Beatitudes with Jains is an excellent point to begin a conversation about Christ.
To bring the conversation with Jains to a deeper level to the saving work of Christ can be done by discussing of the meaning of the term Jain. The Jain community takes its name from the word Jaina that means conqueror. The Jains follow Mahavir who went to extreme measures to conquer inward passions and sins. If a Jain considers all that Jesus did on the cross and the victory that he accomplished through his death they will be deeply impressed.
When considering Jesus act of Jaina (victory of sin) his authority as teacher is confirmed. This becomes the stepping-stone to consider other claims from the great Jaina, the Lord Jesus. He claimed to be more than a great teacher, but the Son of God who came to forgive sins. The story of Jesus healing the paralytic and asserting his authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12) is a Bible story that will help Jains see the full impact of Jesus the great conqueror of sin.
As you share your faith with a Jain keep in mind that the most important doctrine is ahimsa, the practice of non-violence. The leading spiritual figure for the Jains the Maharishi has scheduled to fast to death before the great Jain festival. This act of taking his life through fasting is called swahimsa. For Jains who have been taught that the swahimsa as the highest doctrine need to consider what Christ did when he, “Gave his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)
“Jesus Christ went to the furthest extent in teaching and practicing love, so much so that it became swahimsa (the destruction of self for the good of others), which goes beyond ahimsa. In it lies the advance of the Christian religion over others. “There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” is what Jesus not only preached but practiced even to the extent of the Crucifixion.”2
As we share our faith with Jains we can expect that because of the power of the Gospel that many will come to faith. As we see Jains come to faith we come to a critical juncture to see Christ impact a large number of Jains.
VI) New believers should become trainers.
Because Jains are a closed community they will listen more to another Jain than from an outsider. When you find your Jain friend respond to Christ they should be counseled to remain inside their community and see their ministry as reaching their family and Jain community for Christ.
In Karnataka a Jain woman, Lela who had been widowed, and her son, Rajan have come to faith in Christ. She is being counseled and trained to share her story of coming to Christ with her Jain family and community people. Her inclination is to ask the evangelist who brought her the saving message of Christ to also share this with her family and friends. This should be avoided and Lela should bring Christ to her fellow Jains.
Lela is much better suited, as a new believer in Christ to share Jesus with her fellow Jains than an evangelist from an outside community. The evangelist role is to fade into the background and disciple Lela behind the scenes. Now the message of Christ is coming to the Jains of North Karnataka from another Jains and not from an outsider. In this way the Jains keeping isolated from other communities does not keep Christ from the Jains but encourages the Gospel to move within the Jain community, Jain to Jain.
The next step for Lela and the new Jain believers is to begin a house fellowship church with Jains who are believers and have Jain seekers of Christ also attending. When Jains come to Christ they will want to keep certain cultural patterns that have been with them from birth. One of these patterns is a vegetarian diet. When new believers are invited to the Jain homes of Lela’s Jain friends who hold the same cultural practice there is a tremendous breaking of the barriers that keep Jains from Christ.
Sharing your faith with Jains can be a joy for you. It is the will of Jesus who does not wish for any Jains to perish. (I Peter 3:9)
Endnotes
1 Jains of Karnataka, School of Intercultural Studies, Karnataka Missions Network 1999 page 28
2 Boyd, R. Manilal C Parekh, The Christian Literature Society, Bangalore, 1974 Christian Religion and the Jains page 62
