“The indirect influence of Christianity has been to quicken Hinduism to life. The cultured Hindu society has admitted its grievous sin against the untouchables. But the effect of Christianity upon India in general must be judged by the life lived in our midst by the average Christian and its effect upon us. I am sorry to have to record my opinion that it has been disastrous. It pains me to have to say that the Christian missionaries as a body, with honourable exceptions, have actively supported a system which has impoverished, enervated and demoralised a people considered to be among the gentlest and most civilized on earth.”
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Source: Young India (13 July 1924); Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 24 (1967), p. 476.
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A belief is judged less by its stated ideals than by the lives its followers actually lead and the effect they have on others. Fine doctrine counts for little if the everyday conduct it produces harms people. Watch the fruit, not the profession, to learn what a creed or movement really is.
When to use it
- A charity's glossy mission means little once you see how coldly it treats the people it claims to serve.
- Job seekers trust the firm that pays fairly over the one with the inspiring slogan.
- A friend's steadiness during a crisis says more about her values than anything she posts online.