Brazilian Pastor takes “no religion” message to India.

By Eduardo Oliveira – www.oglobo.com

Translated by Ruth Johnson – email: ruthcdjohnson@hotmail.com

January 28, 2010


Pastor Josimar Salum, sitting on the right, talking with Indian children in a village near the city of Madurai.

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As one of the directors of the Brazilian Ministers Network, a religious group of Boston, Josimar Salum is known as a pastor of strong opinions and likes to talk about everything, from politics to quarrels among couples.

However, this month, Salum started a missionary tour to India, Brazil and Aruba, that has a purpose: to spread the Word of Jesus and also to ask Christians to be less religious.

He says: “Our aim is to take the message of Jesus, the Only God, and to teach the leaders in these countries to make disciples in all nations, and not to be religious! The message is repent because his kingdom has come to earth, to stay”!

This reporter (blogger) interviewed Josimar Salum through the net during the intervals of his trip. Between one place or another, stopping to admire the spirituality of Mahatma Gandhi’s country, the pastor spoke of faith, terrorism, being Brazilian and the “nonsense” spread around by many religions, including the so called evangelicals.



EDUARDO:
What did you find most interesting in your journey?


Here in India as everywhere, people are full of religion; it’s the biggest problem in the world, because it produces wars, conflicts and lack of understanding among people.

From Hinduism, to Islam and all the other religions, including Christianity, it’s an expensive and miserable effort to make peace with the gods.

Without the knowledge of the true God, nothing satisfies man’s heart. As Jesus didn’t start any religion, not even Christianity, Christianity can’t satisfy man’s heart.

I met in India the same religious system of other countries, either Hindu or Christian.

People need to find the freedom to love and serve Jesus Christ, and as a result, their neighbors. The death and resurrection of Jesus proclaim that He is alive for ever and He is very well now, and He wishes to relate with men everywhere.



EDUARDO:
Is there any link between world history and your mission? I mean terrorism and globalization?

In Jesus cross (not those crosses that people carry along) but in the one where He died, Jesus made peace between men and God and He reconciled men of all races and religions.

He calls them to be reconciled one with another.

The world’s history is full of examples showing where religion dominated, including Christianity, with the Crusades and Inquisitions per examples, the injustice and terror were carried out in the name of “God”, of course, not the real GOD. Even now, bombs are exploded by muslins and many innocent people are killed in the name of Allah!

Where true relationship with Jesus predominated, peace, progress, a better way of life, Social Justice went forward without measure.

For example: the most important scientific discoveries of last century were financed by Jesus’ disciples.

The globalization is a parallel movement to imitate what the Lord is doing in all the Earth. He is forming a Flock, a group of followers with only one Shepherd.

In His Kingdom there are no slaves; only kings and He is the King of Kings.

His kingdom which was lost in the Garden of Eden with the sin from the first couple, returned to earth two thousand years ago, with His coming.

The globalization announced in the Bible, is that: He will dominate all the kingdoms of this world and will make it one Kingdom belonging to God and His Messiah Jesus Christ.



EDUARDO:
Do you believe that, to be a Brazilian brings a more interesting or more spiritualized vision about all what you have seen?


I believe as long as we share our experiences, fruits of a diversity and a pacific way of life that we bring from Brazil.

On the other hand I see that our religiosity blocks a correct vision of the real necessities of the human being.

Religion has a lot to do with misery.

Where religion dominates, there is ignorance, blindness, fanaticism and a lot of poverty.

When there is wealthy in these places, it’s only shared by leaders who oppress and explore the people. It is a “fat” elite that subjugate and explore their followers.

It can be the mercenary pastors who sell anointed little towels, or the Saduh, owner of the commercial shops and houses in the region, or the bishop, owner of the factory of saints pictures, or the ayatollahs to whom the petrol belongs, etc.

Here in India you see people of all social classes, washing themselves in dirty waters, in order to purify themselves.

You see famous actors, intellectuals and other people as well of all over the world, doing the same sort of thing.

In a local newspaper in Calcutta I saw a photo of a Brazilian model who took one of these “baths” and she said that an amount of energy took hold of her body.

A human being who experiments energy in an impersonal experience but doesn’t know how to explain it, this person lost its identity and authenticity, a gift given by his or her Creator.

This girl is special, formed by a personal God, unique in every era; her digital impressions are different from anyone else before or after her.

No doubt she and us need to experiment a personal relationship with Jesus and His Holy Spirit, and not with a cosmic idea, fruit of imagination.

Jesus is not an energy or force, but a Person who thinks and wants to have fellowship with us, people who also thinks.



EDUARDO:
For someone who is not evangelical, but has spirituality in some way, what element is missing in the life of that person?


Eduardo, I am so tired of religion, including the called evangelical.

There is a lot of “nonsense”.

What is really missing, is true Peace, not the talkative peace, but true Peace that only when a person receives Jesus and His peace, given to us between men and God on the cross of Calvary.

People feel lost and condemned, either in their conscience, or before the parameters of society, or even by their own sins, or family and so on…

Jesus didn’t come to condemn anyone, but to free the man from sin and shame.

He brought forgiveness for all who repent, trust in what His death and resurrection means.

Many people think that it’s by good works, they will be saved.

Also there are people that after receiving salvation (like many evangelicals) start observing a lot of laws and following rules to maintain it. No.

However Jesus completed in the cross our total and perfect salvation where good works comes as a result of that salvation.

What is missing in the lives of people, evangelicals or not, is JESUS.