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Change Of Faith Without Push Or Pull Factor*

Change Of Faith Without Push Or Pull Factor*

Author: P.N. Benjamin
Publication: Vijay Times
Date: May 23, 2006

Conversion has always been a sensitive and contentious issue in India. The politics of conversion, which is pure and simple imperialism, is the only intractable issue that divides Hindus and Christians in India.

It is said : "Vatican bullies the weak and acts submissive to strongs like Islam and China." Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks regarding "religious intolerance" in India, is the latest example. His comments have come at a time when the Vatican and the World Council of Churches (WCC) are engaged in a three-year joint study project to propose "a code of conduct for religious conversion".

The inter-religious consultation on "Conversion - assessing the reality" held in Lariano (Italy) between May 12-16, 2006, organised by the Vatican and WCC has urged " all practitioners and establishments of all faiths to ensure that conversion by "unethical" means are discouraged and rejected by one and all. There should be transparency in the practice of inviting others to one's faith. No faith organization should take advantage of vulnerable sections of society, such as children and the disabled."

Conversions cause social tensions. Conversions in India have always been highly unethical - that is, using unethical means of conversion- but also that they threaten a whole way of life, erasing centuries of tradition, customs, wisdom, teaching people to despise their own religion and look Westwards to a culture which is alien to them, with disastrous results.

Even as gentle a soul as Gandhi could not contain his disparagement about proselytising, expressing it as graciously as he could. In an interview he said in 1935: "If I had the power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytizing".

"Why ought one at all to tamper with the faith of another is something that beats reason. The preacher's faith is as unproven and irrational as the victim's. Both assume that his belief is the best. The only difference, however, is that while the victim considers his faith is best for himself, ungrudgingly leaving others to believe what they want, the preacher feels his faith is the best for ALL without distinction, and actually gets paid for holding and spreading the ludicrous principle."

The anti-conversion laws in the country were first enacted by the Congress-led governments in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Arunachal Pradesh and not by the "Hindu nationalist BJP" governments. What the Rajasthan government is trying to do today is to enact a similar legislation in that state.

Christians-- like adherents of any other religion in India-- are at perfect liberty under India's constitution, not only to practise but also to propagate their respective faiths. Doubtless, there have been sporadic attacks on Christians in recent years in some parts of the country.

Christian evangelists who denigrate Hindu gods and abuse Hindu rituals as barbaric are the root cause of tension between Christian and Hindu communities. But, the Catholic Church in India and its bishops have never distanced themselves from the breast-beating, Bible-thumping "born-again" fanatic fringe of Christians, spewing venom against Hindus and their gods in their campaigns and crusades to "harvest the Hindu souls". Why?

Look at what happened in Sri Lanka. An anti-Christian backlash in that country in January 2004 had led to attacks on Catholic churches, and fuelled demands for a law to ban what some Buddhist monks called "unethical conversions". The Sri Lankan Catholic Bishops' Conference boldly distanced itself from the evangelical Christian groups for bribing poor people to convert to Christianity and issued a statement.

"We, the bishops of the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka, are deeply conscious of the social unrest alleged to be caused by certain activities of the fundamentalist Christian sects, particularly by the more radical elements "It must be stated that the Catholic Church is not associated in any way with any of these sects," the statement says. "We do not support any of the measures, such as material enticements or undue pressures that are alleged to be made by these groups in order to carry out so-called unethical conversions."

India is the only Asian country from Jordan running east to Indo-China that allows religious freedom-- freedom to convert and freedom to propagate. Indeed, India has had a Christian presence at least since 52 AD, which is to say it has had a Christian presence far longer than Europe has done so, let alone North America.

Christians in India have enjoyed freedom of conscience far longer than Catholics in the United Kingdom have done so. Many public figures in independent India have been, are, and will continue to be Christians.

The vitality of Indian Christianity may be gauged from the fact that almost all strands of mainstream Christianity-- Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Evangelical Protestantism-- are represented in significant numbers in the various regions of India.

None of the Orthodox churches (Greek, Russian, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian etc) engage in proselytisation. Have you ever seen or heard of priests or "evangelists" from any of these churches engaging in proselytization or preaching hellfire and damnation to those who do not agree with their interpretations of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth? No, because they understand the offensiveness of "in your face Christianity" and have learnt to interpret and live by their faith without having the proselytizing millstones around their necks.

The Church is deeply connected to the political activities of the State in Europe and the US. The Church does not stand alone, but is deeply embedded in the society and politics of its particular imperial home country.

Pope Benedict XVI should adhere to his original agenda of reminding Europe of its Christian roots. Instead of trying to convert the so-called "heathen Hindus" he should devote his energies to saving the souls of Christians of Europe - a continent with a glorious past but now in terminal decline! He should not emulate Pope John Paul II's 'evangelization of Asia'.

There's a raging Islamic fire in Vatican's backyard, i.e., all over Europe. Well-informed strategic analysts have been forecasting that in 50/60 years Europe will become a Muslim majority continent. Coming as he does from Germany which country is facing a free fall in population surely the Pope knows it too well.

A time might come, especially in France, Spain and Germany, when the governments of those countries might have to opt for legislation banning conversions to other faiths. They are already enacting laws restricting entry of foreigners, a measure which India has not adopted so far. And better surveillance of Islamic bombers might be in order too since the Vatican is one of their announced targets and they have already caused mayhem in Spain and the UK!

Email: benjaminpn@hotmail.com


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