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(Original article in Tamil)
Summary:
Chennai city, Chengalpet district and other surrounding areas within the Tamil Nadu state are very famous for Christian conversion activities during the last 50 years. A large number of persons belonging to the Scheduled tribe communities were converted to Catholicism with the promise that life will be paradise soon as they convert to Christianity. Recently, St. Joseph Church in Chengalpet town was being readied for Golden Jubilee celebrations. Church officials including Fathers, brothers and sisters started to arrive at the venue. Suddenly, a mob of at least 1000 people appeared from nowhere with all sorts of weapons and demanded the closure of the ceremony with immediate effect. The irony is that those who wanted to halt this function belong to the very Dalit Christian group f! or whom the function was organized.
In response to query from the press, these Dalit Christians vent their anguish in the following words: When we were Dalits, these Christian fathers promised us moon. They told us that they would help us to uplift our lives soon after our conversion to Christianity. Nothing has come to us even after several years. Even after conversion, our status as Dalits has not changed. We are still treated as Dalits and we are being discriminated within the Church at all levels. We get no respect. Under these circumstances, we do not feel that it makes any sense in continuing as Dalit Christians. We are thinking of going back ! to Hinduism to regain our rights as Dalit Hindus.
As Dalits within Hindu religion, we at least had the privilege as Dalits and were qualified to receive Govt. sponsored social welfare benefits. Now, with the conversion, we lost the status as well, as Dalit Christians are not entitled to these benefits. Also, we lost our status within that religion. In here, we got nothing by being Dalit Christians. We feel cheated by the Church on all accounts. Don't you think we have a reason to get agitated?
We [the press] then approached the
Church official Mr. Joseph Raj for his reaction. Mr. Raj said that
it is incorrect to make sweeping generalization that Church discriminates
Dalits and treats them differently. It is sad when that happens.
You see, we cannot do much about it. We are helpless. The clear-cut
directive has to come from the above.
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