If the unending saga of corruption scandals swirling about the nation wasn't bad enough, here comes another nauseating volley of sanctimonious protestations from the pious portals of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC). The issue that ignited the controversy is the contents in the Social Science text book for the tenth standard. The KCBC has taken  umbrage at the perceived attempt by the previous Marxist Government to deride and slight the Catholic Church. Its chief spokesperson- Fr Philip Nelpuraparambil, secretary of Education Commission of the KCBC, was apoplectic in denouncing the 'Marxist' version of history being imparted through these texts, especially when it came to the Catholic religion, he has vehemently excoriated the alleged attempts by the Marxist to show the Catholic Church in poor light. The Kerala Government has setup a three member study committee under the chairmanship of Dr.D.Babu Paul, the former chief secretary, to study the matter. Keenly aware of the exigencies of the coalition compulsions, and also buckling under the dictates of its 'secular' ruling partners, the Kerala Government can hardly afford to be enmeshed in a controversy reeking of communal overtones at the very outset of its innings. 

 The chief grouse which rankled the Catholic Church and raised the hackles of its laity was a passage describing the Renaissance as an "intellectual reaction against irrational ideals imposed on people by the Catholic Church". The KCBC describes this analysis as a Marxian version of history propagated to instill anti-religious sentiments within young minds. The Catholic Church's anger can well be justified, if the passage in the Social Science textbook was devoid of any historical facts. Singling out any particular religion and deriding its faith to advance a particular ideology based on revisionist doctrines, regardless of which side of the ideological divide one may fall, must be condemned. Now to be fair, for all the discerning readers of history, simply glossing over the facts is equally contemptible. A disinterested examination of history, especially during the Reformation and Renaissance period, offers incontrovertible kernels of truths that can not be wished away as Marxist propaganda. A clear example is the relentless scholastic struggle of Martin Luther in Germany during the Reformation age, which he fearlessly waged against an orgy of papal excesses and profligacy such as the 'sale of indulgences'. This venal practice of offering plenary indulgences to  the laity who would penitently confess their sins, and securing expiation of all their sins and ecclesiastical censures, in exchange for money was widely prevalent. An often repeated adage during that time was "As soon as the money in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory's fire springs." These recorded historical facts were not concocted by the Marxists.

 Free inquiry and healthy skepticism in a spirit of open debate came under heavy attack during the early phases of the Renaissance and Reformation, especially from the Holy see.  Meddling with the academic texts, with the aim of affecting the gullible minds of the young, is not the sole preserve of the Marxists, equal blame goes to the 'Hindutva' elements in the BJP and also the Congress, and its communal affiliates for engaging in subtle minority baiting and overtly bashing the majority through the filter of academic textbooks, to reap rich political dividends at the hustings. The Human Resource ministry, as we all know lately, has been the stomping ground for party ideologues of various political stripes, brazenly advancing their narrow sectarian and religious agenda.

The Church and all its religious affiliates will be well advised to confine their activities within their own alloted domain. Intruding upon areas prescribed for academic and scholastic experts seems clearly at odds with their avowed religious duties and social functions. The clear losers here will be students, who will be robbed off a meaningful education based on scientific inquiry and healthy skepticism. They alone must be the arbiters here, not religious  functionaries or  self-appointed party hacks.