Author: Laura Kelly
Publication: The Hindu
Date: March 13, 2001
The West Bengal Government has withdrawn
orders on conversion. It has withdrawn an order on furnishing details on
conversion following strong exception to it from the State Minorities Commission.
Why this forced sterilisation of religious statistics?
The matter was taken up with the
authorities after the Darjeeling district intelligence branch issued a
circular asking for monthly reports on the number of persons converted
to Christianity.
Senior police officials had informed
the commission that the step was taken at the instance of the State intelligence
branch to keep track of religious configuration of the State populace (TheHindu,
February 16).
Why should the State Minorities
Commission come in the way of the State police gathering intelligence reports?
The commission was upset by the Darjeeling intelligence branch decision
to collect the statistics. Was it because it was keen not to open up facts
and figures to the prying eyes of the state?
The facts are available from church
literature. ``During the last 30 years the Catholic population increased
by ninefolds to nine lakhs,'' brags an official report. The Laussane Covenant
states ``we believe that we engaged in a constant spiritual warfare...''
Why should the official efforts
to collect intelligence be stopped by the State Government, was it with
an eye on the coming by elections in the State? Or something more fishy?
Arms sales
The western powers want social and
political conflicts to continue unabated all over the world in order to
justify their arms sales. Every nation that is having a population of 100
millions is considered a potential enemy, in order to sell arms, and treat
every nation as a business partner, a curious dichotomy.
The famous Huntington document,
which delineates half a dozen cultural groups as the ultimate actors of
the world's political stage, has placed religious conversion in a new perspective.
Christianity was a state enterprise for all European countries. Well organised
religious conversion can be a potential bomb to explode cultural values,
disturb political affiliations and torpedo national loyalties.
A few major religious conversions
located strategically can work wonders. One Pakistan was carved out of
India. One Jharkhand was added recently. The Niyogi Commission report refers
to the role of Rev. Joel Lakra, the principal of Theological College, Ranchi,
who was closely associated with the WCC pioneered Jharkhand movement for
a separate adivasi State in Bihar. Though India has become independent
the missions are suffering from colonial dyspepsia. Once it had confused
the western arms superiority with the superiority of the Christian creed.
A fraud on humanity
Mahatma Gandhi called religious
conversions a fraud on humanity. ``This proselytisation will mean no peace
in the world. Conversions are harmful to India. If I had the power and
could legislate I should certainly stop all proselytising.''
The Hindus have nothing against
Jesus Christ. But they are definitely against Christianity as a cult put
up by St. Paul, which believes in the St. Caprian's axiom, Extra ecclessiam
nulla salus (outside the church no salvation). Sarva Dharma samabhava is
a heathen idea, a doorway to hell. Evangelising the heathen is the holiest
task of a believing Christian.
J. C. Kumarappa who was a faithful
Christian himself exposed the political ambition of the missionaries: ``Before
these Christian missionaries landed in Africa, the Africans had their land
with them, but not the Bible. Now they have their Bible with them, not
their land.''
When C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer was the
chief minister of Travancore, the temples of the State were thrown open
to the harijans and the Archbishop of Canterbury resented the legislation
on the ground that it gave a serious setback to the conversion of harijans
into Christianity.
The very literature produced by
the International Missionary Council and World Council of Churches put
in circulation through evangelical literature societies and proclamations
made by Billy Graham and other evangelists that they must produce at least
one thousand million converts, for this they have to work in Asia, especially
India.
``In fact missionary activity is
like ideological warfare. It is systematic, motivated and directed, that
looks to establish a particular religion for all human beings, in which
the diversity of human race, mind and needs is forgotten. The global missionary
business is one of the largest businesses in the world. Not only Catholic
church but also various Protestant organisations have set aside billions
to convert non- Christians to Christianity. Organised conversion activity
is like trained army invading a country from the outside. The missionary
army goes to communities where often there is little resistance to it,
or which may not be aware of its power or motives. It will take advantage
of the communities that are tolerant and open-minded about religion and
use that to promote a missionary agenda that destroys this tolerance''
- David Frawley.
The Christian missions work through
the World Council of Churches and International Council. These organisations
work under the direction and control of the governments of the United States,
Canada, Britain and Australia.
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan told an audience
in Oxford that to the Indian Christian, Jesus was the whiteman's god marching
with a sword in one hand and the Union Jack in the other.
In 1956 Rajah Bhushanam Manickham,
secretary of the World Council of Churches and International Missionary
Council, landed in China and met the Prime Minister Chou En Lai. He asked
two specific questions: my friends tell me that there is religious freedom
for church in China, I wonder whether you could reassure me on this score
and tell me whether such freedom is likely to continue in future. My second
question is ``what about the future of religion itself in communist China?''
Chou En Lai's reply was crisp and
categorical: ``There is freedom to serve to China right, but no freedom
to do wrong or upset the Government of China... As for religious freedom,
I must make it clear to you that we have sent away these foreign missionaries
who were really at heart colonists and who did harm to China. They will
not be allowed to come back... The doors are indeed closed once and for
all in China to the imperialistic Christian missionaries.''
On January 31, 1994 Premier Li Peng
of China enforced strict ban on conversion of Chinese citizens by foreigners
through serious of regulations on the management of religious activities
in China and places of religious activities.
What about secular India which is
an open choultry, where the missionary is given royal treatment of the
minority status, whose vote banks are cherished assets for the politicians
from West Bengal to Kerala, hence the withdrawal of the orders of the Darjeeling
police to collect vital statistics on conversions.
The Niyogi Committee report states
``the separatist tendency'' that has sgripped the mind of the aboriginal.
The growth of Baptist churches in
Nagaland page 175 boasts: The Ministers and members of the Nagaland Legislative
Assembly, government officers and employees are active, witnessing Christians
in their individual capacity... Last year some officers of high rank went
on a preaching tour to various places in both Nagaland and Assam. The government
officials (not in their official capacity) gave all possible cooperation...
to make the annual conventions, and important church meetings a great success.
All India Radio, Kohima station, broadcasts church services, Christian
messages and Christian songs... the cooperation of government servants
has a great bearing in the growth of church in Nagaland. This is a rare
privilege in India.''
The growth of Baptist churches page
115 claims ``the government of Meghalaya is run by Christian officers.
This is a rare privilege in India. The recent developments are a god given
opportunity to the Garo Hills for the furtherance of his kingdom.'' It
is not surprising that insurgency in Nagaland has not grown. The Indian
Express January 25, 1995 says that a nexus has been established between
the Pakistan's ISI and the illegal Muslim immigrants from neighbouring
Bangladesh.
In three out of the seven States,
Christians constitute the majority - Mizoram 85 per cent, Nagaland 82 per
cent, Meghalaya 55 per cent. Seventy per cent of the Christians in NE are
Presbyterians or Baptists. Catholics account for one fourth of the Christian
population, and 5.7 per cent of India. The Catholic population, less than
60,000 at the time of Independence in 1947, has increased to 7.2 lakhs
in 1990. In Arunachal Pradesh 70,000 people embrace Christianity every
year in spite of official resistance and absence of resident missionaries.
Yet the quality of their life has yet to improve.
The church is terribly vast organisation
and with huge resources to save souls. ``It costs 145 billion dollars to
operate global Christianity,'' records a book on evangelisation. The church
commands four million full time workers, runs 13,000 libraries, publishes
22,000 periodicals and four billion tracts a year, operates 1,890 radio
and TV stations. It has a quarter million foreign missionaries, over 400
institutions to train them''. These are figures of 1989.
No state, especially a developing
country like India can cope with such pressure where full time missionaries
have increased from 420 in 1973 to 5,986 in 1998. Any one caring to visit
the resource availability to Christian organisations can log on to http:
// www.bethany.com/profile/c india.html to study conversion plans not only
for Arunachal Pradesh but for all India. India is divided into 186 individual
people groups. And a long description is followed by advice on how to convert
each to Christianity.
It is to be noted that that those
holding high ranking positions within the Church councils and missionary
organisations happen to be all war veterans. These veterans use technical
war lingo of exporting revolution to countries. The developed countries
are now making serious efforts to subvert and overthrow governments established
by law in developing countries using churches as their tool. A famous Gandhian
thinker J. C. Kumarappa, himself a good Christian, said the western nations
have four arms - 1. The Army, 2. The Navy, 3. The Air Force, 4. The Church.
The Laussane Covenant states ``we
believe that we engaged in a constant spiritual warfare.'' The text continues
in military terms: ``god's army'', ``battle'', ``weapons'', etc.
Panel recommendations
The Christian Missionary Activities
Enquiry Committee, appointed by the Madhya Pradesh Government consisting
of six citizens including Mr. S. K. George, a Professor of Commerce, a
devout Christian belonging to the oldest church in India, the Syrian Christian
Church, and presided over by the retired Chief Justice of the Nagpur High
Court, Mr. M. B. Niyogi which visited 77 centres, contacted 11,360 people
from 700 villages, examined 375 written statements, visited hospitals,
schools, churches, leper homes, hostels, etc. and after 2 years of arduous
labour has made the following recommendations:
(1) Those missionaries whose primary
objective is proselysation should be asked to withdraw. The large influx
of foreign missionaries is undesirable and should be checked.
(2) The best course for the Indian
churches was to establish a united independent Christian church in India
being independent of foreign support.
(3) The use of medical and other
professional services as a means of conversion should be prohibited by
law.
(4) To implement the provision in
the Constitution of India prohibiting the imparting of religious education
to children without consent of parents and guardians.
(5) Suitable control of conversions
brought through illegal means should be imposed. If necessary through legislative
measures.
(6) Advisory boards at State, regional
and district levels should be constituted of non-officials, minority communities
like tribals and harijans being a majority on these boards.
(7) Rules relating to registration
of doctors and nurses employed in hospitals should be suitably amended
to provide a condition against evangelistic activities during professional
services.
(8) Circulation of religious literature
meant for propaganda without the approval of the State Government should
be prohibited.
(9) Institutions in receipt of grants-in-aid
or recognition from government should be compulsorily inspected every quarter.
(10) No non-official agency should
be permitted to secure foreign assistance except through government channels.
(11) Government should lay down
a policy that providing social services like education, health, medicine,
etc. to scheduled classes will be solely by the State Government, and adequate
services should be provided as early as possible, non-official organisations
being permitted to run only for members of their own faith.
(12) No foreigner should be allowed
to function in a scheduled or a specific area either independently or as
a member of a religious institutions unless he has given a declaration
in writing that he will not take part in politics.
(13) Programmes of social and economic
uplift by non-official or religious bodies should receive the prior approval
of the State.
It should be noted that even 100
per cent change of religion does not lead to change of economic prosperity
as seen from the example of Philippines, the most converted Catholic country,
which is also the poorest country in Asia, with the biggest economic divide.
Conversions have to stop. In this
context one would like to remind the Christian missionaries ``that thou
shall not convert'' as the eleventh commandment. Theocentric and theocratic
eclectics are as dangerous as nuclear warheads. The church's concept of
``my god is your god, but your god is no god,'' does not foster harmony
and fraternity. This has to be changed into ``your god is my god and my
god is your god and accepted by people of all religions.''
Secularism should not come to be
understood that Hindus in India could be forced into inaction in the face
of dire threats to their religion.
The Supreme Court of India said
in 1977: ``We find no justification for the view that if Article 22 grants
a fundamental right to convert a person to one's own religion, it has to
be appreciated that the freedom of religion enshrined in the Article is
not guaranteed in respect of one religion only, but concerns all religions
alike, and it can be properly enjoyed by a person, if he exercises his
rights in a manner commensurate with the like freedom of persons following
other religions. What is freedom for one is freedom for the other in equal
measure, and can therefore be no such thing as a fundamental right to convert
any person to one's own religion.''
On March 14, 2000 in a fully televised
speech Pope John Paul II asked for forgiveness for the past errors of the
Roman Catholic Church during a solemn mass in St. Peters Basilica: ``We
ask for forgiveness for divisions between Christians, for the use of violence
in the name of truth, and for the diffidence and hostility engaged against
followers of other religions''. In the entire church history he was the
only Pope who asked for forgiveness on 94 counts for all the wrongdoings
of the church. But the activities of the church are continuing unabatedly
and have not been stopped and that is the root of the problem.
(Author of Conversions in India
a Geopolitical time bomb to be published later this year.)
