THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: To be a person of religion is difficult when placed within binary limits, realized a church priest after being barred from carrying out his duties in Kerala. His crime: he intends to visit a Hindu temple.
Reverend KG Manoj has seen life through the lens of both – as a person of science having worked as a software engineer till 2016, and since then as a man of religion, donning the white cassock and the gown of the Anglican Church. However, he was not one to be cowed down by a single religion as he believes religion is just a path to reach the supreme power.
“I believe that God is only one. The Godly nature that can be found in Jesus Christ is the same that can be found in Ayyappa, which is the same that can be found in Mohammed,” he said.
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Manoj was born in a staunch Christian family. However, his faith in the monotheistic religion started to waver when the priests in his local parish were not able to answer his questions, or gave vague and ambiguous answers to his questions.
“I want to hear from God, I want to experience my God and the Bible says that all of this is possible through its characters. I started asking questions to my priest and other preachers about how to attain this but their answers did not satisfy me,” said Manoj, who identifies himself as a spiritualist.
He said that his awakening happened when he moved away from the traditional form of Christianity. Adopting various traditions and cultures into his brand of Christianity, he conveyed his ideals through the Sanskrit phrase Tat Tvam Asi — “I am That” or “Thou art that” — which essentially means that God resides within us.
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Thus, to put people at ease during his seminars as a spiritualist and not a Christian priest, he announced that he would be visiting the Lord Ayyappa Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. “Parents of children and other youngsters doubted if this priest would be converting them to Christianity. Then I thought to myself that I need to reveal myself as a spiritual person and not a religious person, and I thought of going to Sabarimala temple,” he said.
However, the Anglican Church did not take this decision lightly as they deposed him of his duties as a priest.
Undeterred, Manoj has announced to visit Sabarimala temple on September 20.