HVK Archives: The preying Church
The preying Church - Rediff on the Net
Varsha Bhosle
()
January 21, 1999
Title: The preying Church
Author: Varsha Bhosle
Publication: Rediff on the Net
Date: January 21, 1999
Feelin' goo-ood... When both opposing factions get mad at an
observer, s/he can be sure of being on the right track. OTOH,
the Omniscient never need to bother about infractions committed
in the name of secularism - for there's never any. Not even the
Shah Bane amendment. For, Nehruvian secularism is Infallible.
Just like that other divine institution...
Before I proceed, herds Mr Arun Shourie on pinko historians: "As
the needs of The Great Cause change every now and then, their
'theses,' their 'facts' change... Soon, therefore, their only
defence is to denounce reason and evidence per se. The perfect
boomerang: they started by claiming that theirs was the only
objective, scientific approach to history, to every discipline,
and this is the position to which they are soon driven - that of
denouncing the relevance of evidence, that of denouncing very
objectivity." File this away.
Now take a look at excerpts from Dilip D'Souza's piece in the
TOI: "Of course Christianity has a
seamy side. A murderous record in Latin America, the fanaticism
off the Crusades -- these thing speak for themselves. Again, so
what?... Of course there are rich Christian bodies in the West
whose members salivate at the thought of converting heathens...
One last time, so what?... So I write here not to defend
Christianity... I write instead to defend India, and Indians,
from a mindset that will destroy it... In a regime where laws
mean something, [Hindu miscreants] would be punished for their
crimes... [Governance] does not lie in absolving thugs of their
crimes... It is embodied in the firm action to uphold the law..."
Well said. But I've a question: When someone makes a career of
damning Hindutvawadis for not upholding the law, how is his
insouciance towards Christian violations Justified... " The
author once said, "Whether it's Christ's resurrection or Ram's
birth on that very spot, if your articles of faith become reason
to inflict harm on others, if they begin to step on my toes, they
must and will be challenged." By "faith," he of course meant
Hindutva. But what if it's a crafty Christianity stepping on my
Hindu toes? The perfect boomerang... come missionaries, and the
relevance of Law, the objectivity towards crime, simply
dissolve...
Articles 25 to 29 of the Indian Constitution adumbrate the right
to freedom of religion. But, in January 1977, when Christian
missionaries approached the Supreme Court against the anti-
conversion laws of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, it threw out all
their contentions. For, no right can be unfettered. The court
laid down propositions of law -- which are binding on all Indian
courts:
* While Article 25(1) gives every person the right to freely
"profess, practice and propagate" his religion, it does not
include the right to convert another, since every person has
freedom of conscience guaranteed by the same provision.
* Freedom of conscience indicates that every person has the
liberty to pursue the faith of his choice and not be converted to
another religion by means of FORCE, FRAUD, INDUCEMENT or
ALLUREMENT.
* The State has the right to intervene if conversion activity
offends against "public order, morality and health," and is
therefore constitutionally authorised to maintain order by
prohibiting and penalising conversion if force, fraud, inducement
or allurement were used.
On April 16, 1954, the (Congress) government of MP appointed
retired chief justice Dr B S Niyogi as chairman of a 7-member
committee -- including one Christian -- to investigate a number
of complaints against missionary activities. The Commission
surveyed 11,360 people in 777 areas. Two of its recommendations
were: The use of medical and other professional services as a
direct means of inducing conversion should be prohibited by law.
The Constitution should be amended to ride out propagation by
foreigners, *and* conversion by force, fraud or other illicit
means.
So what? So have the same deference for Justice Niyogi's
recommendations as for Justice Srikrishna's. So what missionaries
are still doing, contravenes the law. As in Dilip D'Souza Of
White Powders And Other Benefits, powdered pills being Christ's
prasaad...
Here are some cases which could shed a light on what's
transpiring in India:
In Zankhvav, district Surat, the Loyola Education Trust grabbed
Chandutal Narottam Das's land; ten years later, the court ruled
in favour of Das. On 16 July, 1998, when Das went to take
possession, Father Albert refused to yield. A Christian mob then
attacked shops and houses belonging to Hindus and damaged two
cars and a police jeep.
In Kaparvanj, district Khaira, a plot (Survey # 643/B/1) used by
resident Vaghris for Hindu religious and social functions since
before Independence was suddenly added to government records as a
graveyard. Who manipulated this is, shall we say, unclear. On 19
July, 1998, Christians brought the first corpse to the ground
for. burial. The Vaghris protested and the cortege was rebuffed,
(Whence Bhosle, via the press, got her "Exhuming graves?!" Sorry;
hadn't done enough homework.)
The IP Mission Girls High School, Rajkot, distributed among its
students copies of Navo Karaar, the New Testament in Gujarati.
Its last page was an oath ("I accept Jesus Christ as my saviour,"
etc) to be signed by each student. When parents objected to this
illicit activity, the principal submitted a written apology -
published by only the local vernacular press.
On October 30, 1998, a conference was organised by Baroda's Alpha
Mission at the Heel Memorial School, for which tribals were lured
from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and MP. Here, Hindu gods
were abused as shaitans. The tribals were exhorted to rip off
their sacred threads and fill in pro-formas for baptism. An FIR
(I.346/'98) has been lodged against the organisers by Chetanbhai
Tadwi of Lotia village.
In November 1998, the nephew of the former Bhil Raja of Linga,
district Dangs, was twice thrashed for refusing to convert to
Christianity. The district collector was apprised of it.
On December 25, 1998, a Hindu sammelan, organised by the Vanavasi
Samaj, was held at the Swaraj Ashram Maidan at Ahwa, district
Dangs. A 150-strong mob emerged from the nearby church and pelted
stones at the gathering, causing a stampede. The police lathi-
charged. Whereupon, the Christians assaulted the talathi and
destroyed his property.
In July 1998, in Moti Bhamri, district Narmada, Christians
attacked and urinated inside a Hanuman temple. (Reported only by
the vernacular Nav Gujarat Times of 31 July, 1998.)
The Hanuman temple at Borkhet, near Ahwa, was desecrated and
razed by Christians. An FIR (74/98) was lodged by Pratap Patil,
and Case u/s 143, 147, 148, 337, 336, 427 and 229 IPC registered.
In his affidavit to the National Commission for Minorities,
Sarvodaya leader Ghelubhal Nayak wrote: "There have been at least
15 instances in the past three years in Dangs wherein the
Christians, under the influence of their preachers, have
desecrated idols of Lord Hanuman, who is worshipped in this area
by large section of tribals for ages. In one incident in Gaadhvi
village three years ago they urinated on an idol of Hanuman and
later in Jharsod village they crushed Hanuman's idol to pieces
and threw it away in the river."
On August 5, 1997, a "self awareness programme" was conducted by
three visiting priests at Nirmala Convent in Haldwani, UP.
Children, from ages 10 to 16 years, were locked in the church and
made to repeatedly chant prayers. As the frenzy increased, some
of them vomitted, some fainted, some went into convulsions, five
wore hospitalised. Earlier, similar programmes were held in
schools in Nainital and Jolikote, but the Haldwani event drew
angry protests from parents, forcing a two-week closure. of the
school and the arrest of the principal. No action was taken
against the priests. The state government expressed its
helplessness since missionary schools are beyond its
jurisdiction.
In Idukki, Kerala, of the 200,000 plantation workers, 75% have
converted to Christianity: Estate owners threaten them with loss
of jobs unless they convert. (Much of the real estate in south
and central Kerala is owned by Christians.)
In 1997, 50,000 Reang tribals fled Mizoram -- in fear of the
Catholic spree of looting, burning, raping and killing.
Guys, let me know if the Christians involved in these cases may
be called "thugs." And if that hurts, simply say that it's all
lies, anyway...
When a separate Vananchal was mooted, from Bihar, Father Serenius
said there would be a "major Hindu-Christian divide" in the new
state since Christians comprise over 60% of Jharkand's
population. Father Pratap Toppo stated that the Church would
have to take on a more "vigorous political role" to save its
identity, that it would "seriously consider using all available
fora" to highlight RSS atrocities...
Pause to mull over that one
Why are secularists rabidly averse to the proposed debate on
conversions? Why would Sharad Pawar feel that it would "further
vitiate the atmosphere and go against the interests of Christians
while strengthening the hands of the Sangh Parivar" (TOI, January
13)? WHICH details would vitiate? What do they fear will be
exposed ... ?
Last Wednesday, a delegation of Dimasha tribals, the aborigines
of Assam, met the home minister to demand a separate state to
protect their identity. Their main concern: efforts at
conversion to Christianity...
Compare the Ramakrishna Mission's MO with the Church's: More than
200,000 students of Vedanta in Spain, an equal number in France,
and lesser numbers in Italy, Greece and Germany have been
requesting it for conversion to Hinduism. They are all being
denied. (Recorded in the annual publication of Belur Math.)
The National Council of Churches in India tells the home minister
that if there are "isolated cases of forced conversion," they are
caused by "breakaway Christian groups who do not believe in Jesus
Christ as god." R Rajaratnam says, "The Church in India has
nothing to do with some Christian groups who sometimes talk about
forcible conversion."
What I'd like to know is: When the Church is believed, why isn't
the VHP when it says that the cases of violence are isolated, and
perpetrated by non-Parivar radicals? It is not my case that
Parivaris are angels. But, if ALL Hindutvawadis *are*
responsible for the violence, why aren't all Christian
proselytisers responsible for illicit conversions ... ? What's
this "breakaway" and "some" business?
OK, so the Parivar IS destructive. Then, so was Gandhiji!
Ghelubhal Nayak asserts: "Let me remind the honourable Chairman
that the Father of the Nation had also denounced the conversion
activity by Christian missionaries as a blot on humanity in the
name of social service."
So, am I now going to justify what the Bajrang Dal did to
revellers in Bombay? Will I retract my opposition to a ban on
missionaries? Am I going to garland Keshubhai Patel? Sorry, no.
There can be no rationalisation of what I believe to be wrong.
For, doing what secularists regularly do, would be the
Talibanisation of Bhosle.
What is will do is address the Parivar: If you don't have the
zeal and the intellect to beat missionaries at their own game,
don't whine, you ninnies. And don't brawl, either, for you play
right into their international hands. Be constructive: Force
Hindu temple trusts to do what the Church does. Where do all
their zillions go? In laddoos and pedhas? Why did Sabarimala
happen... ?
More significantly, do you really think the wretched convert
without cause? That they have no complaints against the system?
We deserve to dwindle since if s we who twisted caste. For this
reason alone, it's immoral to attack padris - for it makes you a
dog in the manger. And that, I will not be.
And while I'm on a roll: Shed the Shiv Sena before Maharashtra
sheds you. Balasaheb's speedy descent into a macabre senility
will drag you down, too.
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