Religious Controversy in India.

A VERY curious controversy has lately taken place

in Calcutta, between the Missionaries and the celebrated Ram Mohun Roy. This latter personage is a native of India, and distinguished for his opulence, his superiour talents, his very great learning, and especially for having of his own accord early renounced the theology of his countrymen, and asserted the doctrine of the divine unity.

His first writings were designed to prove, that the ancient books of Hindu theology, in their original state, did not sanction polytheism, nor idol worship. These, he contended, were additions, which had been engrafted into the primitive system, deformed its 'simplicity, and corrupted its purity. About five years ago he published in the English language, extracts from the Vedas, or Sacred Books of the Hindus, for the purpose of establishing this point.*

In the course of the late controversy, speaking of himself in the third person, he says, that "although he was

* Other particulars respecting this subject may be seen in the first volume of the Miscellany, p. 75.

born a Bramun, he not only renounced idolatry at a very early period of his life, but published at that time a treatise in Arabic and Persian against the system, and no sooner acquired a tolerable knowledge of the English, than he made his desertion of idol worship known to the christian world by his English publications; a renunciation which, I am sorry to say, brought severe difficulties upon him, by exciting the displeasure of his parents, and subjecting him to the dislike of his near, as well as his distant relations, and to the hatred of nearly all his countrymen for several years." After this period, he earnestly engaged in the study of christianity, but often expressed the difficulties which occurred to him respecting some of the abstruse doctrines taught by the Missionaries. In regard to the doctrine of the trinity in particular, he declared, after mature examination, that if this were essential to christianity, the whole scheme would be to him insurmountable. It resembled so much the polytheism of the Hindu religion, which he had laboured to disprove, that he could not consider it as making any part of a system of divine truth, which proceeded from God, and which inculcated the worship of one Supreme Being. And although it would not seem, that his researches have conducted him to a belief of this mystery, yet a writer in a late English publication says, "there appears every reason to believe, that he is, in the honest persuasion of his own mind, a christian, and entertains no doubt of the divine authority of Jesus, and the truth of the christian revelation."

*Monthly Repository, vol. xvi. for August, 1821, p. 478. To this work we are chiefly indebted for the facts contained in the present article, respecting the controversy in Calcutta.

More than a year ago, Ram Mohun Roy published in Calcutta a work, entitled, The Precepts of Jesus the Guide to Peace and Happiness. This consisted of compilations from the four Gospels, embracing the Sermon on the Mount, and nearly all the moral precepts and instructious of Christ. To this treatise, one of the Missionaries, supposed to be the Rev. J. Marshman, replied, and made serious objections, chiefly on the ground, that the doctrinal parts of the New Testament were not inserted, as well as the moral and preceptive. Ram Mohun Roy immediately came forward with an answer, entitled, An Appeal to the Christian Public in Defence of "The Precepts of Jesus." One paragraph of this Appeal is all for which we have room, but this acquaints us with facts of the highest importance. After several spirited and sensible remarks, meeting the objections of his opponents, and reminding them of the dissentions and bitter persecutions, which had prevailed among christians, wholly on account of their obscure and metaphysical dogmas, the author continues;

"Besides, the compiler residing on the same spot where European Missionary gentlemen and others, for a period of upwards of twenty years, have been, with a view to promote christianity, distributing in vain amongst the natives numberless copies of the complete Bible, written in different languages, could not be altogether. ignorant of the causes of their disappointment. He has seen with regret, that they have completely counteracted their own benevolent efforts, by introducing all the dogmas and mysteries taught in christian churches, to people by no means prepared to receive them; and that they have been so incautious and inconsiderate in their attempts to enlighten the natives of India, as to address their instructions to them in the same way, as if

they were reasoning with persons brought up in a christian country, with those dogmatical notions imbibed from their infancy. The consequence has been, that the natives in general, instead of benefitting by the perusal of the Bible, copies of which they always receive gratis, exchange them very often for blank paper; and generally use several of the dogmatical terms, in their native language, as a mark of slight, in an irreverent manner; the mention of which is repugnant to my feelings. Sabat, an eminently learned, but grossly unprincipled Arab, whom our divines supposed that they had converted to christianity, and whom they of course instructed in all the doctrines and dogmas, wrote, a few years ago, a treatise in Arabic against those very dogmas, and printed himself and published several hundred copies of this work. And another Moosulman, of the name of Ena' et Ahmud, a man of respectable family, who is still alive, speedily returned to Mohammadanism from Christianity, pleading that he had not been able to reconcile to his understanding certain dogmas, which were imparted to him."

The truths here disclosed are of the highest interest, as connected with the cause of missions. Nothing is more notorious, than the total failure of success, which has attended the labours of Missionaries in foreign countries. A genuine and permanent conversion is a most rare occurrence, even as testified by the detailed and minute accounts of the missionary journals themselves. We do not believe it can be proved, by any creditable testimony, that the number of converts since the establishment of missions among protestants, has been equal to the number of persons employed in the service. To every reflecting mind the question must forcibly occur, what has been the cause of this failure?

Men of piety and zeal have been employed, years have expired, vast sums of money have been expended, and yet nothing, comparatively nothing, is done. How is this problem to be solved? How is it to be accounted for, that results have been so perfectly inadequate to the means used?

The mystery is clearly unfolded in the paragraph above quoted from an observing and very learned native, who has lived in the centre of the missionary operations in the east from their commencement. Things are taught as the doctrines of God, at which the human mind revolts. Christianity is presented in such a shape, that neither the untutored, nor the most enlightened understanding can receive it without doing violence to all the commanding principles of the intellect. The doctrines of the trinity, of a plenary satisfaction, total depravity, imputed righteousness and sin, and others of the same complexion, are made a perpetual stumbling block. The enthusiastic and lamented Henry Martyn confesses as much, in the brief account he has given of his ingenious controversies, both with learned Hindus in India, and still more learned Persians at Shiraz. With all his acuteness, with all his zeal and learning, he does not pretend to have produced conviction on a single mind; and yet, he seemed to think it more important, that his labour should be lost in idle attempts to impress these unintelligible dogmas, than be made valuable by communicating plain, practical truths, which would have won by their simplicity, commanded respect by their dignity, and thus gradually led the mind to embrace all that is peculiar and ennobling in the christian scheme.

It is surprising how it should be thought expedient to make these doctrines the first lessons for heathens, even