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Attacks on Christians and Churches in Orissa and Karnataka

Posted On : September 22, 2008 4:42 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO

ACNS: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2008/9/22/ACNS4524

> Related Categories: ACO - NIFCON India

An Indian member of NIFCON (the Network for Inter Faith Concerns for the
Anglican Communion) offers the following reflection on the current
problems in India:

"The recent murder in Orissa of Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati, a leader
of Bajrang Dal (a radical section of the Hindu nationalist organisation
RSS, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) has led to very serious attacks on
Christians and on churches and Christian institutions in various parts
of India. The leader of Bajrang Dal was trying to convert Dalit and
Tribal Christians forcibly back to Hinduism and was shot dead by a
member of a Maoist group. Because this Maoist group includes Christian
Tribal people among its membership it was interpreted by extremist
Hindus as a Christian attack on a Hindu leader. As a result Christians
were attacked in return - suffering loss of life (more than 30 dead),
loss of property and forced flight, and in some cases forced conversion
to Hinduism. The attacks have now also spread to Mangalore in Karnataka
state. Although there are anti-Christian incidents on a regular basis in
these states (and others such as Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh) the recent
attacks appear to be the most serious violence against the Christian
community in the last 50 years.

In both Orissa and Karnataka states the BJP (the nationalist Hindu
party) and their allies are in power. In Karnataka the BJP Chief
Minister made a statement asking Christians to stop forcible conversion
which was regarded as an attempt to justify the attacks against
Christians. Christian institutions are already facing closure in many
parts of Karnataka due to the BJP government's stringent measures
against them.

The role of the BJP in the conflict is linked to the wider Indian
political scene - and manoeuvring on the part of the BJP to secure
emotional support from Hindus ahead of next year's election. There is
regular negative comment made by BJP politicians about Christians in
relation to conversion i.e. that they offer inducements to convert to
Christianity.

The Indian Government is taking steps to ban Bajrang Dal. They should be
encouraged in action against such groups. Additionally funds for many of
these organisations flow from the West in the name of development and
support, but these funds are then used for hate mongering initiatives
including printed handouts etc. Ways need to be found to prevent Vishva
Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council), Bajrang Dal and similar
organisations from raising funds abroad.

The reality is that Christians do not have the power to forcibly convert
any non Christians into the Christian fold. Occasional stray incidents
or examples from the North Eastern states where Christian are in a
majority are used by Hindu extremist organisations to create a false
picture. However the RSS blames Christian educational and social
developmental organisations for using scholarships and funds for
projects etc as inducements for conversion, even though the reality is
that Christian institutions try to avoid such incidents.

Christians are also accused of creating fear among non-Christians to
convert them to Christianity i.e. with threats such as you will not go
to heaven if you do not follow Christ.. It is a big theological
challenge how to be Christians without such theological claims. When one
of the churches was attacked during the worship services, some of the
attackers specifically told the priest not to preach Christ as the only
way; he should preach about other ways too. It is clear that underlying
many of these criticisms of Christians is the desire to unite Hindus
emotionally and turn their anger into votes.

However it is true that there are problems within Christian circles as
well. The work of the mainline churches in India is undermined by
television evangelists who regularly attack other religions and display
converts from Hinduism as a kind of trophy. There are four or five such
cable channels in India running 24 hours a day- seeking to present many
kinds of extremist material as the Christian message.

There has been longstanding Christian missionary work among Dalits, and
Tribal communities for up to 40 years which has focused on care,
education and support more than conversion. Such mission is becoming
more difficult because of extremist Christian groups on the one hand and
the Hindutva agenda on the other. It would not be right for the
established churches to stop such mission among the underprivileged.
However upper caste Hindus are feeling the loss of power over the Dalits
and Tribals as many of the marginalised communities have become aware of
the exploitation and discrimination they have suffered. Caste Hindus
have therefore sought to sway such communities against Christians as a
means of getting back their power and authority over the marginalised."

> Christianity in India

Christians comprise about 2.3% of the population of India. The majority
population of India is Hindu, though there are substantial Muslim and
Sikh minorities. There are about 25 million Christians. There has been a
long-standing Christian presence in the country since the first
Christian centuries. The traditional founder of Christianity in India
was St Thomas the Apostle. The Christian presence is very diverse: there
are Christians linked to the Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant
traditions. In 1947 a number of Christian denominations (including
Anglicans) united to form the Church of South India; this was followed
in 1970 by the establishment of the Church of North India, which also
included an Anglican element. The Church of South India and the Church
of North India are members of the Anglican Communion.

On Tuesday 2 September 2008 the Archbishop of Canterbury issued this
statement about the situation in India.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Willams, has expressed profound
distress at the extreme violence being used in Orissa following the
murder of Hindu leader, Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati.

In a letter sent today to the Moderator of North India, the Most Revd
Joel Mal, Dr Williams called for an end to the violence in Orissa and
for intense prayer for the suffering churches.

> The Archbishop said of the situation:

"I hope that Christians and people of faith around the world will make
known their horror at this violence, their support for the rebuilding of
lives and the churches, orphanages and schools destroyed, and for work
towards future reconciliation".

Please pray with and for the Christians of India. You may wish to use
the following prayer which is shortened and adapted from 'the Litany of
the Disciples of Christ the Servant'. It was written in India.

> Servant Christ,
> Help us to follow you
> Deep into the waters of baptism,
> To break the chain of past wrongs;
> To become fit to face your coming age:
> Servant Christ, help us all to follow you.

> Help us to follow you
> In untiring ministry to town and village,
> To heal and restore the broken body of humanity,
> To cast out the demonic forces
> Of greed, resentment, communal hatred
> And self-destructive fears
> Servant Christ, help us all to follow you.

Help us to follow you on the road to Jerusalem,
To set our faces firmly against friendly suggestions to live
A safe, expedient life;
To embrace boldly the way of self-offering,
The way of life given for other's gain.
Servant Christ, help us all to follow you.

> Help us to follow you out of the dark tomb;
> To share fully in your resurrection life,
> To re renewed daily in your image of love,
> To serve daily as your new body
> In ministering to the world.
> Servant Christ, help us all to follow you.

For more information contact Clare Amos, Coordinator of NIFCON at
clare.amos@anglicancommunion.org

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