The Secret Christians of India
Gashwin Gomes sent me this eye-opening article from yesterday's Wall Street Journal about the struggle of Dalits ("untouchables") in India who have secretly converted to Christianity or Islam but don't do so publicly because in their desperate poverty, they need the government assistance available only to Hindu Dalits.
MEDIPALLY, India -- Every Sunday, women and children gather to pray in a tiny, whitewashed church on the edge of this southern Indian village, sitting cross-legged on blue plastic sheets as they sing Christian hymns.
The men don't dare to come. "If they are seen in the church, the officials will be informed," says Vatipally Aharon, Medipally's Baptist pastor.
Almost all the Christians here -- and the overwhelming majority across India -- hail from the so-called Dalit community, the former "untouchables" relegated to the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy. Under India's constitution, Dalits are entitled to affirmative-action benefits, including 15% of all federal government jobs and admissions in government-funded universities. That provides the country's most downtrodden with a way to escape their traditional occupations such as emptying village latrines, burying cow carcasses, and tanning animal hides.
But there is a catch: Any Dalit caught abandoning Hinduism for Christianity or Islam loses these privileges, and can be fired from jobs gained under the quota. The rules are enforced by vigilant local officials who keep a close eye on villagers' comings and goings.
The plight of India's secret converts, ignored for decades, is now at the forefront of national politics. Partly driving the change is Indian Christians' new partnership with Islam, a religion frequently at odds with Christianity elsewhere in the world.
Read the rest at Gashwin's blog (the Wall Street Journal is available only to subscribers) As Gashwin points out:
It's well written, and thrusts into the spotlight yet again the harsh realities of Dalits all over India, a reality that the Western-educated urban elites are, I feel, completely clueless about.
Gashwin was startled by the article's mention that there might be as many as "25 million secret Christians" in India but this has been common knowledge around evangelical missionary circles for years.
According to the World Christian Database there are approximately
23 million "secret" Christians in India, that is Indians of either Hindu or Muslim background who baptized and active in Christian communities but have not changed their "official" religious status because of the economic consequences. In addition, there are also
25 million Independent/Apostolic Christians,
19.2 million Protestants,
19.8 million Catholics,
3 million Orthodox(obviously, I've rounded off the figures)
total: 65 million Christians or approximately 6% of the total Indian population.
A small percentage but three times the figure (2%) commonly quoted.
In addition, there is an even more surprising development: What are known as
NBBC's: Non-Baptized Believers in Christ. David Barrett, editor of the World Christian Encyclopedia, estimates that there are 15 million NBBC's in the Hindu and Muslim worlds - usually for reasons of persecution.
Personal faith in Christ of some kind without access to baptism. Of course, NBBC's have always existed through Christian history but globalization is ensuring that their number is becoming ever larger. Imagine: fifteen million underground catechumens.
Pray for them and for the secret Christians of India as they seek Christ(because he first sought them!)in a very difficult time and place.
posted by Sherry W @ 9:01 AM
18 Comments
Links to this post
18 Comments:
Thanks Sherry. You can be sure I will be on this site when I have the time. We Christians in India do have Freedom of Religion, but get a bad name because of the various cults and sects which are led by private individuals who are bent on "winning numbers for Christ" not souls. They bribe, tempt and at times just pour water on peoples heads and "baptise" them. All for numbers "converted". This causes heart burn among the right wing political partieswho then take the law in their hands, and innocent priests and nuns are targetted because they are more in the limelight. All the good work done comes to nought because of these fly by night operators who have also been caught by their own tribe making money on the side.
I MUST SAY THIS: People who are (or believe who are secure) as a majority in their own lands think they can post inflammatory stuff in the name of religion(whatever that word means). I am sure this is not the way to work toward freedom. (that is the meaning of god to me.)Lets all introspect, is this taking us anywhere??
I live in India, Bombay to be more specific. I am a Christian (Catholic) and proud to be one. It is a known fact that there are millions of covert Christians in India. The Hindu Nationalist Political parties namely BJP, VHP, Shiv Sena and their appendages the Bajrang Dal, RSS, ABVP call these faithful "CRYPTO (sic) CHRISTIANS".
Christ is alive and working in His own way.
Thanks for posting those stats, Sherry, and for your informative response to my email.
Welcome, Ashok!
It's great to hear from and meditate upon the experiences of Catholics and Christians in very different parts of the world facing very different challenges. We'd love to hear more from you.
Yes, I support the fact that in India non-Hindus cannot enjoy the benefits of being a Dalit. People are converted to Christianity and Islam saying that your religion does not have the caste system, then how can one be a Christian or a Muslim dalit. Is this not hypocracy? When one doesnt want to remain a Hindu, why should he/she be allowed to have the benefits that is supposed to be only in the Hindu caste system. Your article is not adding information to what is already known.
You want to know what is so alluring about Christianity, you have to ask a true christian believer if you really want to know. There are a lot of things that are unique to Christianity that you cannot find in any other religion.
Jesus Christ said: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Christianity was an offshoot of Judaism which is almost as old as Hinduism.
Stop writing filthy comments about Christianity and seek God and God will reveal himself to you through a personal revelation or through others.
Karmuasura:
I know it is hard to believe but I didn't bother to read your diatribes. The only thing you are hitting hard with posts like those is the reputation of Hinduism.
On this blog, the rules are the same for Christians, Hindus, Muslims and non-believers. Civility is very high on the list. All - and as my readers know that very much includes Catholics - who post the kind of nasty stuff you post, go by-by. Instantly and without apology.
So consider yourself banned. All future posts of yours - or ones that sound like yours, will simply vanish. (and don't bother with commenting under other names - I know where you post from and your manner, if nothing else, is unmistakable.)
Gracelessness is not a substitute for argument and is singularly unattractive. If you are serious about wanting to make a case for the value of HInduism on a Christian blog, I suggest you start by exuding kindness, peace, and charity to those who disagree with you.
People who spread an x or y religions do not know the very meaning of religion. And I am sorry to say that Honourable Pope is one among them. If all faiths believe that there is ONE CREATOR then where is the bone of contention ?? Religion is being used to obtain power and power only, whether by Hindus or Christians or Muslims. But, at least, Hindus do not compel people of other faiths to convert. Muslims and Christian religious leaders have made a mockery of their faiths and have only maligned and insulted their prophets.
It is Sad to believe India is the only country where the majority is afraid of the minority. It is too hilarious and astonishing to read the article of millions of Christians living as Dalits, does this person have any idea that all these Christians and Muslims get reservation,has better job opportunities,government support and let alone tremendous support from their community leaders.
The present day Christians and Muslims do not understand that we Hindus are open minded and faithful and thus welcomed Babar and St John, but now it has become like the story of the camel and shepherd,where the camel pushes the shepherd out of the tent inspite of giving space for the camel in the tent. My only humble request is that you MUST stop this conversion, if you believe in Christ that is fine by us but DO NOT convert the innocent promising money and luxury, and never ever PROPAGATE that HINDUISM is bad, you never know how the billions of Hindus will awaken one day - that will be dangerous - so STOP CONVERTING.
Aah Sherry madam, thanks for deleting both Rajesh and my comments.. truth can be very discomforting.. especially to a religion that is based on the utterings and actions of just one man.
At least you have done justice. And I thank thee for that. But somewhere, something of that article has struck you very hard.
My work is done.
I hope this was enough for the day of this battle (Between Hinduism and Christianity) Score: 1-0
Why can't Christianity allow people to be who they are?? What is the need for conversion?
I am not bitching around for Hinduism either.. but this concept of proselytism must go. Other than that, I have nothing against Christianity.
The poison of religion based hatred comes first and foremost from monotheistic religions.By saying that only their way is the correct way they have already forced upon the world an exclusivist version of spirituality.Hinduism atleast says that the truth is one but there exist many paths to the truth.
Look at the targeted conversion projects like the Project Joshua and you will see the interfering and sinister agenda of Christianity to interfere with other cultures and civilisations.They are in a race with Islam for souls(read numbers) and justify everything they do by painting this perfect and holier than thou picture of Christianity.The fact is that it is just another religion and is as power hungry and controlling as any other religion.
And these poor souls you sight as examples to garner blind approval and funds from the true believers of Christianity are living the same lives as they did as Hindus.For a few of your dollars they are happy to be counted as Christians and for a few benefits they are happy to be counted as Hindu Dalits.So much for spirituality!!!
@ Sherry W
My apologies for the vilifying stuff against Christianity.
But until the aim of Christianity is to subvert people psychologically and convert them to their fold, it will be looked upon by people who have pride in their culture as nonsense.
Why can't missionaries aid people without changing their religion? What is the need for a new religion when one is already around?
A note from the Tzarina of the blog:
I see every comment that is posted and several of the latest ones on this topic were particularly nasty and none of them were particularly thoughtful or illuminating.
So they are gone. And if you continue to make similar kinds of comments, they too will disappear.
Why can't Christianity allow people to be who they are?? What is the need for conversion?
The reason is love. Believe it or not, christian missionaries sincerely believe that everyone need to be told about the extraordinary love of God. Unfortunately other religions do not openly teach about the kind of love God has towards man. These religions are more about practices to follow, God's power, God's justice etc. So the task of talking about God's love has been left to the christians.
The aim of every missionary and indeed every christian touched by the love of God is to share the experience they have known with those who haven't experienced it including other namesake christians. If you are interested you could listen to someone who wishes to tell you about it. Or you could refuse to hear which for the christian would be a bit disappointing but nevertheless he/she would pray that you would come to know about the love of God some other time.
The Bible teaches that those who carry the message of God (about the love of God) will be persecuted. In fact, in the last days, almost every christian who does this 'evangelising work' will be killed or persecuted before the final judgement. So christian missionaries do this work despite knowing that they are going to have a tough time. Every big leader of christianity had to follow Jesus to his cross, ie, were killed and persecuted. Surely, the missionaries aren't mad people to indulge in this kind of work. What use is their numbers if they are going to lose thier lives without even knowing what their numbers will be. Perhaps, you may call it an obsession to go to heaven. But the truth is once you have experienced this love of God, you yourself will feel this urge and need, to share your experience with others.
Speaking to others about God's love becomes the yatra, the haj and duty of every christian. Other religions require their adherants to go to distant shrines. The christian has to knock at his neighbour's door.
Jesus died so that the men and women of this world can be saved. He taught us to follow his path. So every christian missionary is ready to die, so that someone else will be saved.
I hope I have thrown some light on why christians and christian missionaries act the way they do.
God bless
hello everybody,
first to mr.anup who posted a comment, first of all read the history before coming to post a comment, its not st.john who came to india in the first century, he is st.thomas, for whome u say that u gave an invitation, but rather u killed him by piercing him from the back, and this happend in this very 21st century too, the church which holds the the carving of st.thomas in chennai, was attacked by a RSS extrimist in the year 2005 he killed a shop keeper there who was selling candles then and he poured his blood all over the church and broken all the statues there. what kinda step did the so called democratic government took? nothing.. the case was put into the ditch, and again i live in the southern part of india, tamilnadu, ofcourse my grandparents were hindus once, even my father holds a hindu name.. you all must be familier with mathamatics!!! in every attempt to solve an equation or to solve a problem the question will be so on like....PROVE THAT.. THIS = THIS,!!!!! after all the steps are done.. you'll get the answer.. and at the bottom you'll write... THIS = THIS..HENCE PROVED!!!
can anyone of you can prove the same using HINDUISM = THE TRUTH OR THE DEVINE RELIGION?.. the gods and goddess are of numbers larger than the population of the whole population of india.. and how can a god who can let alone brahmins to enter the grahastanam? why it is not alowed to other caste people? is that others are created by satan or jin or asura? how can a god who had numerous girlfriends, and who tricked karna in the battlefield can be a perfect rolemodel, ok leave it, you know who is Iyyaipan? he is the son of two male gods!! vishnu and shiva!! vishnu took his form as a female and tempted shiva to have sex with her, by this he gave birth to iyyappan. and how many avatars we have heard of, even vishnu took avatar to kill a noble king mahabali chakravarthi, why cant he come now to save all the bombing across the world? he came for the cry of pragalatha to kill hiraniyakashipu why can't he come now to save this world.. read the bible before commenting christians.. i can give u numerous examples of hinduism in not a religion but a cult produced for the sake of aryans.. and i end here with a question how many of u know about shiva lingam....?????
its nothing but the intercourse state of parvati and shiva...
Dear Sherry,
Thanks for this blog.I found this blog when I was google-ing for information regarding world mission. I do realise the ongoing persecution of christian in the world, but at the same time, I have to admit that GOD grace is far more than that. There were many times where God grant us this privilege to experience his grace through prayer. Therefore, our fellowship will pray for mission work in India tonight. Will continue to remember all of you, faithful servant of God!!!Keep going!
"GOD IS GREAT, ALL THE TIME"
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home