At least four cases of Christian persecution in India were reported in the average week this year, according to statistics recently revealed by the president of the All India Catholic Union and others actively monitoring the situation.
AICU leader Dr. John Dayal, who is also a renowned journalist and member of the National Integration Council, said the statistics gathered from Jan. 1 to Nov. 16 show that the number of atrocities against Christians this year, 190, has surpassed the marks of recent years.
The victims include members of almost every church denomination in the country - Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals. They include priests, nuns, pastors, wives of pastors, believers, seminarians and Bible school students, and lay persons.
Violence includes attempted murder, armed assault, sexual molestation, illegal confinement and grievous injury.
Dayal noted, however, that the figures “do not include cases that have not come to the notice of the All India Christian Council, the All India Catholic Union, the GCIC, the Evangelical Fellowship of India and the Christian Legal Association.”
The list also does not include widespread incidents that were simply categorized as “violence” but which Dayal said certainly bore signs of religious intolerance, bigotry, social discrimination and ostracization.
Nor does it include violence in which Christians are victims together with others, such as the displacement of Tribals due to government action, Dayal added in a statement.
In reality, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata (Indian People’s) Party and its mother organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (National Volunteers’ Organization), continue an almost daily harangue against the Church while militant frontal organizations such as the Bajrang Dal (Army of Hanuman), the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and other Hindu nationalist groups peak the anti-Christian hate campaign at a feverish rate, said Dayal.
Most recently, a pastor and members of his church in Eastern India were reportedly attacked and beaten by Hindu radicals with the aid of police officers.
The Global Council of Christians (GCIC) alleges that Pastor Siddarama Gokhavi, 60, and church members were attacked by over 20 Bajrang Dal activists during a Sunday worship meeting in Ananda Nagara, Bihar.
"A slogan-chanting mob, led by Raghavendra, the local goon, came to the church and destroyed worship equipments and unleashed [a] riotous attack," reported the Bangalore-based advocacy group.
In response, the Karnataka police, who were alerted of the incident, dragged Gokhavi and six others to physically torture and injure them, GCIC added.
"The highly motivated radicals burnt Bibles and Christian literatures. In the savage attack, Pastor Gokhavi and his wife, Rekha Gohavi, were taunted and injured," the advocacy group claimed.
The pastor and his family were accused of persuading Hindus to convert to Christianity – the same reason why they have been threatened and detained.
Although the conditions of the pastor and believers are stable, GCIC said it was dismayed and shocked to discover that even senior police officers, including the deputy commissioner of police (DCP), were directly involved with the radicals in what it labeled as a hate crime.
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/5_held_in_Chennai_over_pamphlet_row/articleshow/3528164.cms
check this y Christians are attacked. This may happen through out India in coming days. We all can live peacefully if no one plays with another persons religion.
Well ProfessorX,
Re think abt ur decision to visit to India. Please let the Christians in India live with peace .Christians believe their own almighty. Why cant u let Hindus also believe their own God. One must understand that in Every religion God is thee. And i am sure that Jesus being a God never tells anybody that God of another religion is "deamon". If again this gospel goes in India, I am sure more violence will be there. Jesus decides all..... and he also decides whom to punish also. If churches and Christians are attacked because of distribution of pamphlets and defaming Hindu Gods, then that also would be a decision of Almighty GOD Jesus. No wonder.
anniefourjesus
Yes, we'll be praying for Chaplain Lynn and her team. It's awesome how God's army is on the move on every continent to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. The end times are truly upon us and what exciting times they are turning out to be inspite of the persecutions, trials and tribulations. Christians are of one mind about reaching the unchurched and isn't it wonderful how the news about persecutions of Christians in non-Christian countries is just simply adding fuel to the fire of evangelism! Praise be to God on High and may he surround his gospel warriors and keep them safe.
Merry Christmas all.
Please keep my Chaplain Lynn and her team that will be heading for India in January also. Lynn has been there before, and will be leading a team there for missions. India is so opened to the Gospel of Jesus Christ right now and wherever the Gospel goes, the enemy is not far behind. So, please keep this team in your prayers, and I'll update you on their trip.
God bless you all and have a Blessed Christmas!
"The world is not worthy of these brethren being persecuted for our Lord" The Lord told us that true believers are going to enter His sufferings; and why should we not, He never leaves us nor forsakes us!!
My heart and prayers are with our brethren all over this world, but especially to those being persecuted, some even to the point of death.
As the LIGHT of the WORLD comes closer to entering this world again, the Lord Jesus, The King of kings is coming, ever-increasing wickedness grows and so we must be more alert and sober in our walk with the Lord.
We need to be praying without ceasing; when our brethren suffer, we all suffer, and when they rejoice, we all rejoice.
We are the family of God and we need to be walking in closer unity in these darkened times! We are all one in Christ and Christ alone! Let us remember to walk after The Spirit and not after the flesh.
We need to walk in love and forgiveness and pray as Jesus prayed, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Let us be people of faith and share the love of Jesus with a lost and dying world. In His love, and for His glory, Annie
Well done ProfessorX! May God be with you and may he keep you under the shadow of his wings. My youth group and I will put you and the whole of India on our prayer list from today. Wish I could be part of your team - someday perhaps! God bless.
great job professor, may god be with yaa and bless yaa!
Great, well I plan to go to the people India this February to preach the gospel of the Kingdom. The people of India are escaping Hinduism because they realize that the gods that they are worshipping are fallen angels (demons). And ultimately they are worshipping the same god of "self" that atheists worship. Their gods (idols) are powerless and makes them feel worthless and idle. In Jesus name these demons will be caste out and people will find the peace with God they’ve been looking for.
The Gospel of the Kingdom === >> http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com/#the_message_that_we_were_born_to_hear
Hindus have been known to promote racism. The caste system, for one, promote abuse toward "untouchables", the lowest caste. Now Catholicism is taking a hit. The good news is that caste racism has lessened, thanks to Gahndi (good man).
Yup,.....thank the Muslim Nation for being so Humble and understanding toward other religions in the surrounding areas,.....I can`t even imagine what the Israel is experiencing with these people right now,,........Because from what I have read and understand of Mohammad-ism,...you either do it their way no exceptions,.......or the highway.......hmmmmm............
Hindus worship over 5 million major Gods and innumerable minor ones, so when they say "All is One" maybe they are simply referring to the sum total of their deities - the devil. You're right of course, I always hear hindus talk about themselves as humble, peace-loving people. If they are getting murderous now, it must indicate that the devil is desperate to defend its territory against the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The more desperate the devil gets, the greater will be the persecution of Christians. Let us pray that God's army in India will prevail against the enemy! Our prayers are needed to keep the battle for souls raging in that country.
So much for the Hindu belief that "All is One".