India News Briefs
The folks over at Compass Direct News released a series of updates on persecution in India yesterday. These news briefs are well worth reading as you pray for the Indian Church!
Persecution in India is very different than persecution in many other nations. As a nation, India has taken great strides forward in recent times. Though the Indian culture is steeped in a virtually militant class system, very positive changes are being made. Equality, democracy, and freedom are making progress.
As you can see in these news briefs, though, the struggle remains. The old system is not going without a fight, and as Christianity advances among the Hindus it is met with violence. Although the government recognizes religious freedom, local officials are often complicit in the actions of extremist Hindu groups. Christians are often denied the protection of the police as they are attacked for their Christianity. Stories abound, as you can read, of churches being burned, evangelists beaten, Christian women abused, and countless saints mocked, shunned, and harmed for their faith.
Another interesting issue in India is that of "anti-conversion statutes." The legislature of Himachel Pradesh, one of India's 28 states, recently passed an anti-conversion statute, which would make it the eighth state to have such a law. These bills have been pushed by extremist Hindu groups in order to keep other religions from spreading, and are designed to punish anyone who tries to convert another by "fraudulent" means. They are often used by Hindu authorities to quell Christian evangelization. Himachel Pradesh's version also requires people that wish to change their religion to give the government 30 days' notice!
These Christians face many challenges in a nation that is entrenched in darkness.
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