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
