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Oct-20-2008
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(Continued from Part 1)
And then, as if the "peaceful" Muslim menace is not enough, the Hindus are also being "blessed" by the presence of the other major religious invader, the "God fearing and ever-loving" Christians.
Are Hindus Violent? - Part I
Are Hindus Violent? - Part II
Are Hindus Violent? - Part III
Many of us do not realize that Jesus was neither a Christian nor did he start Christianity. Christianity, as we know today, was compiled by his followers over the next few centuries. In close association with "western imperialism", Christianity has successfully conquered majority of the world by centuries of violence, causing extinction of "pagan" ancient civilizations of the Greek, the Romans, the Red Indians, the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Australian aborigines and the indigenous African population. Having killed and converted the populations in the name of the cross, they then preach nonviolence, take control of the resources and rule the countries in the name of "democracy", manipulating the leaders and the government to satisfy their need. Aided by the wealth that was accumulated by robbing the conquered people, and military aggression, they lure countries into development in the name of Industrialization, followed soon by Westernization and then Christianization. The cultural and religious invasion is smooth, well organized, well funded and well executed, amply masqueraded by such "faith based benevolent social services" like establishing Christian educational and healthcare institutions and setting up non-governmental aid and human rights organization that subtly promote western interest and missionary activities. It is hard to blame the innocents who are easily attracted and fall for the glamour and material comfort of "modern" life. Age old indigenous traditions and cultures are thus gradually erased and humane qualities of morality, ethics and values get redefined.
In 1999, Pope John Paul II, gave a call to evangelize and "conquer" Asia in the third millennium. So far, other than a few smaller countries like Vietnam, Philippines or South Korea, Christianity is yet to set a firm foot on Asia continent, largely because the ancient civilizations of India and China and the faith in the Eastern religions, largely Hinduism and Buddhism. But since the last decade or so, with the active support of fundamental, Christian Governments, dominated by the Bush lead Americans, evangelism has reached a new dimension. Unable and hesitant to effectively manipulate the theocratic Muslim countries or the communist Chinese for fear of retaliation, they have pounced upon India as a major but soft target.
One has to realize that Christianity worldwide has always been and still is an institutionalized, politically motivated, power hungry organization. The good old "father" in a white robe, with a cross, as depicted in our movies, spreading "love" and "mercy", is not necessarily the whole story. The current Pope Benedict, on his trip to Brazil, had described the genocidal destruction of America"s pre-Columbus cultures as a "purifying" act which gave the natives just what they were "longing" for. What a way to officially endorse the mass murder, slavery and military aggression.
Have you heard of the AD2000 10/40 window? Their website overview describes, "The core of the unreached people of our world live in a rectangular-shaped window! Often called "The Resistant Belt", the window extends from West Africa to East Asia, from ten degrees north to forty degrees north of the equator. This specific region. encompasses the majority of the world"s Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists -- billions of spiritually impoverished souls." This zone is the new area of evangelic activities, claimed to be the only guaranteed, one-way ticket for the billions of non-Christian "impoverished souls" to go to heaven. India falls right within it and the part of Northern India is felt to be the "core of the core" consisting of poor, illiterate peoples who, thus, needs to be salvaged.
Similarly, the Joshua Project is a research initiative seeking to highlight the ethnic people groups of the world with the least followers of Christ. The mission of Joshua Project is to identify and highlight the people groups of the world that have the least exposure to the Gospel and the least Christian presence in their midst, with the ultimate objective to find out which people group need an initial church-planting movement in their midst and what ministry resources are available to help outreach among the least-reached?
With the vigor of a major military operation, missionaries have chalked out 75000 pin codes in India to get demographic information that perhaps is not available even to the Indian Government. The whole objective is to reach the "unreached", to plant a church (often actually nothing more than a prayer hall), within every walking distance, to increase the number of harvested souls.
Where is the spirituality here? Where is it serving the mankind?
Christian missionaries now-a-days are more often full fledged, employed people working with the sole motive of harvesting the soul and increasing the number of Christians, especially so after the waning grip of Church"s control of the disillusioned mass in Europe and America.
"The method used by Christian missionaries in converting is like a network or multilevel marketing technique used by multinational companies. In the first place they appoint young people by giving them a salary of Rs 4000 to 4500. They will go around meeting the gullible people in market areas, in buses etc., become friends and take them to church to introduce to the father there. Upon introduction they will be paid Rs 2500 per person... Further follow-up with them and finally conversion to Christianity by changing the name, they get an incentive of Rs 10000 onwards. The more they convert the more bonus points are added." (Newlife Christian Prayer meets abuse Hindus)
Here are some other facts on Conversion, probably unknown to many. (Conversion statistics, Why We Need Anti Conversion Law)
. An annual budget of US $145 Billion is spent for missionary activities worldwide.
. Each year, churches around the world perform US $1.1 billion worth of research in 3,000 languages. Missionary literature in today"s libraries number 175,000 different titles in 500 languages. They run 13,000 major libraries. They publish 22,000 periodicals and print 4 billion tracts every year.
. They operate 1800 TV and radio stations propagating Christianity.
. They have on their role, 4 million full-time workers, larger than the combined military strength of USA and Europe. This is the largest single army of workers save the red army of China, to propagate Christianity.
. The total cost of Christian conversions averages $330,000 for each and every convert. It costs Christians 700 times more money to convert someone in rich developed countries such as Switzerland than in poor developing countries such as India. (That is why India is being heavily targeted).
. Each day 10,000 Chinese are converted to Christianity.
. Each year 3.5% of Africans (6 Million) convert to Christianity.
. In India, it is estimated that 5,000 people are converted to Christianity everyday. That"s one person every 17.28 seconds!
. In 1972, there were 26 indigenous missionary agencies in India; in 1997 there are more than 200.
. There are more than 100,000 Pastors evangelists and preachers, working in India.
Not many are aware that after the Government of India, the Christians are the largest land-owner in India. Despite the small percentage (claimed to be 2.5%, though actual figures are much higher since many lower caste Christians, who constitute 70% of the Indian Christians converts, do not report their new religious affiliation for fear of losing their reservation benefits) of the population, they have a strong hold by virtue of their political and financial connections. As per the Government of India"s Ministry of Home Affairs report (2007) of Receipt of Foreign Contributions by Voluntary Associations, out of the 15 top donor agencies eight were Christian, seven are "secular", and the total fund donated was over $ 336 million. These non- governmental organizations have no obligation to declare where that money is spent.
Christianity has grown phenomenally in the Northeast India. According to 2001 Census the percentage of Christian population in Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland are 34, 70, 86 and 89 percent respectively. Practicing Hinduism is forbidden in some areas and several Hindu saints have been killed. (
Separatist group bans Hindu festivities .) Hindus have been turned into minority in the Northeast but, not surprisingly, without any "minority right". Many of the North-East separatist organizations like the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB),the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), are not only Christian dominated, but enjoy overt or covert backing of the missionaries. A BBC report in 2000 states that the NLFT was involved in forcing Tripura"s indigenous tribes to become Christians and give up Hindu forms of worship in areas under their control. The government of Tripura had proof that the state"s Baptist Church was involved in backing separatist rebels. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar was quoted to testify the arrest of Mr Nagmanlal Halam, secretary of the Noapara Baptist Church in Tripura, with a large quantity of explosives. (Church backing Tripura rebels)
It would have given the billions of Indian immense pride if our nuclear-obsessed Prime Minister had the guts to hurl these facts at the "self acclaimed, Christian masters of democracy and equality", rather than the meekly surrendering to the accusation of "Christian massacre" in India.
Christianity is also growing rapidly in the Southern states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and in Orissa. Tamil Nadu and Chennai are the state and city respectively, which get the maximum amount of foreign funds. ( Receipt of Foreign Contribution by Voluntary Associations). No doubt, Chennai is the fastest growing Christian hub of South Asia. Where they are not as powerful, the missionaries" use the tactics of fraud, allurement and misinformation to achieve their goal. But it is just a matter of time before they organize their own henchmen to provide necessary muscle power. Not unexpectedly, during the recent Orissa turmoil, a Christian leader from Orissa, much in the style of Imam Bukhari, warned that if the government failed to stop attacks on his community, Christians will be forced to raise a militia for self-defense.
Despite all these, Hindus have been largely tolerant to Christian aggression. The growth of Christianity by itself is not so much the reason for Hindu resentment, but it is the methods employed, from simple allurement of the poor, to the lies and deception to mislead, the staging of miracle healings to persuade, the "trading of soul" in exchange of medical, vocational and educational help, the defamation of Hindu traditions and scriptures and above all the vilification of Hindu Gods, Goddesses and Deities that has been far below any level of decency and respect. In the current conflict of Mangalore, which had no prior history of clashes between Christians and Hindus, not only the local residents, but even the Mangalore Diocesan agreed that the violence had broken out against forcible conversions. (Mangalore residents blame forcible conversions for violence)
Ask a "good" Christian how he would react if one vilifies Mary or Jesus? Ask how he will protest if one says that the story of Jesus" dying on the cross for the sins of mankind, the subsequent resurrection and then rising to heaven, is a fake and deceitful story. Ask him why so many biblical researchers even doubt the existence of Jesus , claiming it to be a concoction of fables copied from the lives of Krishna, Buddha or Mithra. Wasn"t 25th December the pagan birthday of Mithra, the Sun God, which the Christian borrowed?
Ask him why one has to believe in the Father and Son theory to go to heaven. What happened to the rest of mankind before Christ arrived and to all the rest of the mankind who do not believe in Christ? Why is the Christian God superior to other Gods? Is it because of the combination of physical force and financial power of its followers? Why is it okay to derogate other religions but intolerable to receive a protest against the church? Why it is so necessary to have more disciples of Jesus - is he such a lonely Son? And why does one have to use the path of allurement, of lies and deceit to convert - is there not enough strength in the "love and mercy"?
The cause of the recent disturbance in Orissa, the brutal, organized execution of the octogenarian, Hindu saint, Swami Lakshmanananda, along with four of his disciples on the eve of Janmasthami, has been, as usual, downplayed. Initial full blown propaganda was in effect to absolve the Christians of any responsibility and blame the Maoist for the ruthless savagery (Maoists claim they killed "fascist" VHP leader in Orissa). The news that the authorities have initially detained five local Christian people after the incident was forgotten.
Now we are witnessing open admission by the Maoist that they are hand in glove with Christians and were pressurized to eliminate the Swami. (Why Swami Laxmanananda was killed?) According to Ashok Sahu, a retired IPS officer, who specializes in left wing extremism, "A lot of Maoists were converts to Christianity and were involved in the (earlier) December violence". (Who killed Swami Lakshmanananda?)
The unholy nexus between the Church and the Maoist is not new. The transformation of Nepal, which used to be the only official Hindu country in the world, into a Maoist democracy has not been without the blessing of the church. (New alliances, strange bedfellows emerging in new Nepal: The church and the Maoists)
The anti-Hindu response to the widespread, subsequent Hindu reaction to the Swami"s murder, has been totally predictable: the media, the politicians, the human rights group, the minority rights group, the world Christian community, the Padmashree wife of Graham Staines, the Vatican and even the White House responding in well orchestrated fashion, with the apologist Prime Minister of the Government of India obliging them by declaring it as a "national shame".
Where is the attempt to voice the Hindu"s side of the story? One has to be an explorer to find news or articles in India media, news or television, which tries to honestly portray the truth to the public. There is hardly any mention of the systematic and forceful methods employed in conversion of tribal people, the increase in the Christian population in Kandhamal District from 6 percent in 1970 to 27 percent in 2001, the massive land grabbing by Christians, the politics of reservation and quota, the atrocities suffered by the Hindu Vanavasis, the destruction of their idols and their temples, the rampage on their houses and cattle, the "unidentified" people setting fire to Hindu houses, the atrocities of Christian mobs, the rumor of Christian militia or the plight of the Hindus in relief camps? (Evangelists tie up with Maoists to create mayhem in Kandhamal
India"s vengeful Christians turn to murder as Hindus step up their killing campaign) One can be assured that the media will continue to highlight the "atrocities of the Hindu fundamentalist on peaceful Christians" as they still do with the Staines murder (always included as a footnote on any mention of religious conflict in Orissa) but will make sure that people forget the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, "the figurehead of the extremist, Vishwa Hindu Parishad" just as they have forgotten another Janmasthami incident, the bomb blast at the Krishna temple belonging to the ISKCON society in Manipur, in 2006, that killed six people and injured 50 other including Damodora Swami, International Director of ISKCON, who succumbed to his injuries, 2 months later.
Sensible Christians have come to understand the animosity that is generated by forceful or deceitful conversion. R L Francis, convener, Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM), observes, "The tragic turn of events in Kandhamal in Orissa once again highlights the urgent need for church authorities to immediately halt the fraudulent conversions of India"s Tribal and Dalit populace, which are causing so much heart-burning and cultural anxiety."
Recently an unqualified apology was tendered by Right Reverend J Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, on behalf of Christian community to Hindus worldwide, denouncing proselytization by Christian missionaries, and "for centuries-old acts of religious discrimination by Christians, including attempts to convert them." (Episcopal Christians apologise to Hindus for discrimination, proselytisation)
Father George Palakkapillai, a Christian clergy of Kerala, had earlier admitted, "The demeaning comments against Hindu gods and goddesses that are made by Christians for conversion purposes are the basic reason of conflict between the two communities."
The inciting events of the spontaneous Hindu uproar in Mangalore and other places in Karnataka, is the instigation of the New Life Foundation, a particularly aggressive and radical Christians group"s hostile campaign to convert people, which has been denounced by both the Hindus and the Catholics. (New Life Church under fire from Hindus and Catholics) Its methodology and approach adopted were quite distinctive. It makes the innocent and gullible converts to trample upon the photos of Hindu gods and goddesses, insult Hindu gods, use foul language against gods and goddesses. (Hindu gods are lesser god; they do not deserve the capital G!). What has been conveniently downplayed by the media are facts that large part of the "peaceful" Christian mobs have been armed and holing out in the Churches, that Hindus including a local leader of Sri Rama Sena have been murdered and that at least some of the battles have become more of Police-Christian fights rather than having any Hindu involvement. (Wounded hearts)
Interestingly, various so called secular and human rights activists have been reported to be working overtime to undermine a peace initiative executed by the Catholic Christians, led by the Bishop of Mangalore Dr. Aloysius Paul D"Souza and Hindu organizations, actually condemning the Bishop for "compromising" Christian interest during the peace talk. (Secular activists ruining the chances of peace) Margaret Alva, former member of parliament, general secretary of Indian National Congress, close advisor to the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi and an obvious representative of the Christian political clout that governs this nation, has been quoted to say, "We (Christians) will form suicide squads to counter Hindus" ( Times of India, 20.09.2008, quoted)
This is not anything new - this has been the time tested strategy. They will provoke and incite and when reacted upon, will cry victim, blame "Hindu fundamentalism" and raise the flag of minority rights and religious freedom. The complicit media will buy and propagate their story, the gutless, biased seculars and human right activists will obviously find fault with the majority community, the vote hungry politician, often a minority himself, will yell at the top of his voice to "denounce atrocities against minorities. At the end of all when the truth is revealed as otherwise, it will be suppressed and one more stigma will be permanently attached to the Hindus and their organizations.
How long and why should Hindus tolerate this?
Hindus have seen the Christian propaganda at full throttle in the Jabhua, Madhya Pradesh case, in Sept 1998, when a group of people raped 4 nuns and the obvious suspects were workers of Hindu organization. Hell was raised for days but when the criminals were arrested, it was found to be mostly Christians themselves, without any member of any Hindu organization being incriminated. Not a word of apology or a statement of correction was offered to the Hindu organizations.
The same was the case of the hugely publicized, death of the evangelist, missionary Graham Staines and his two children in Manoharpur, Orissa. The sympathy factor created by the unfortunate death of the two children made international news and Hindu groups were lambasted. Following investigations, it was found that no Hindu group was involved. The chief accused Dara Singh himself also denied any association with any Hindu group.
There are numerous such cases where Hindu groups have been blamed, almost automatically, duly sensationalized by our media and politicians, that have later been found to be unrelated to any Hindu organizations. (Interested readers should check out, "Ground Reality about allegations of so-called assaults on Christian Missionaries", a VHP Press Release).
Each instance is orchestrated to leave a mark of "guilt" in the mind of the unsuspecting, ill-informed, common Hindu; a psychological gain that the Christians use to further their cause. Never is an apology conveyed for any of these false accusations - a planned psychological warfare.
It is true that undesirable incidences do happen as in any mob violence. But can a conflict or fight happen without involvement of the other side? In the current situation in Karnataka, the Hindu organizations have categorically condemned the destruction of religious properties but that hardly changed the secular crowd"s mindset. Contrast this with the repeated e-mail claims of the Indian Mujaheddin that they are behind the serial terrorist blasts. The media and politicians, in this case, are arguing to save the terrorists of the Indian Mujaheddin, even doubting their existence and actually blaming that there is a Hindu hand to defame Muslim name.
The recent violence in Assam that killed at least 50 people and injured more than 100 is hardly getting any importance in the news media. It was initially reported as clashes between Bodos and illegal Bangladeshi migrants (Assam violence toll rises to 40) and is now suspected a systematic ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), a Christian affiliated rebel group, fighting for an independent tribal homeland. ( Assam violence was systematic ethnic cleansing, says minister) against a predominant Muslim crowd of Bangladeshi infiltrators. One does not hear any major uproar from secular political leaders or any stunting gimmicks from human right activists in this clash of the "peaceful religions", since there is no "Hindu extremist, involved.
(To be continued...)
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