How To Share Your Faith With Jains

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