Some 1,000 Dalit Christians reconverted to Hinduism on Monday in a southern district in India on the 117th anniversary of the birth of Bhimrao Ambedkar, a Dalit leader who fought for social freedom for India’s untouchables.
The former Christian Dalits from the town of Tirunelveli were reconverted by the Hindu Monks Tamil Nadu Council, according to The Times of India. The process of formally returning to Hinduism involved an atonement ritual followed by a purification rite.
“We’ll purify all those who return to Hinduism by sprinkling Ganga theertha (Ganga water) and Sethu theertha (sethu water),”said the president of the ultra-conservative political party Hindu Makkal Katchia (HMK), Arjun Sampath, according to AsiaNews.
In addition to the ritual, HMK converts received a Hindu name, took an oath, signed affidavits, and will get conversion certificates.
The HMK plans to re-convert another 20,000 Christians in Villupuram district in southern India, according to AsiaNews.
Christian Dalits in Tamil Nadu state are said to face caste discrimination. Upper caste Christians clashed with lower Dalit Christians just last month when police had to intervene. Two people died as a result of the conflict. The tension between the two groups of Catholics, Dalits and non-Dalits, is so bad that they have separate cemeteries, and in church, separate pews.
"It is an unfortunate situation. I don't want to comment on it,” said Father S. Lourdusamy, former executive secretary of the Catholic Bishop Conference of India, according to The Times of India. “I have requested Catholic Bishops to take remedial steps. But nothing is being done to stop the discrimination against Dalit Christians. This is resulting in such conversions."
Pope John Paul II had urged Tamil Nadu bishops in 2003 to overcome this division.
“Any semblance of a caste-based prejudice in relations between Christians is a countersign to authentic human solidarity, a threat to genuine spirituality and a serious hindrance to the Church’s mission of evangelization,” the late pope said.
“Therefore, customs or traditions that perpetuate or reinforce caste division should be sensitively reformed so that they may become an expression of the solidarity of the whole Christian community,” he said. “As the Apostle Paul teaches us, ‘if one member suffers, all suffer together’ (1 Cor, 12:26). It is the Church’s obligation to work unceasingly to change hearts, helping all people to see every human being as a child of God, a brother or sister of Christ, and therefore a member of our own family.”
India has a total of 24 million Christians. Within this population, Dalit Christians constitute 15 million while tribal Christians account for 3 million.
Comments
absolutely amazing that protastents blame catholics and catholics blame protestants in these reponses to these articles... Problem....
the question all of you need to ask yourself about this article is why did these people turn their back on Christ for a false religion, because of all this infighting, if it aint between the protestants and the catholics it is the protestants vs the protestants, i mean really this has to stop if we will ever make any kind of impact on non believers...
This is a loss which Christians needs to address properly.
Any semblance of a caste based prejudice in relations between Christians is against the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a serious hindrance to the Church mission of evangelization
msnchris70 - My observation was not meant to offend the RC church. I wish someone up the chain of command can put their foot down & ask at least ask their bishops to fall in line.
MsnChris - 30 - 40 % are genuine believers - can I ask how you talked to God directly and He gave you the stats?
Msnchris - I was a Calvinist and Baptist until I was converted - ???
I am assuming from your commentary that you were converted to Roman Catholicism - and if you believe that Roman Catholicism is unified in its theology then you my friend are gravely mistaken. There are many splinter groups within the Catholic faith and many have been disciplined out of the Roman Catholic church for their varying understanding of doctrine, but to simply paint a picture of unified theology in Roman Catholicism is disingenuous.
The problem is fairly simple....it's one of people clinging to a Religious set of ideas, and not having a true spirit-lead,submitted and obedient, Relationship with Christ !
msnchris70,
all that will claim to know will lack wisdom, those that believe they have chosen the straight and narrow path will find themselves lost, those who love will live. Your words are like another brand on my heart that is broken after reading this story.
Diana626,
Says you! What are you?
Because these following Churches and their Hiearchy consider Catholics Christians; Orthodox, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Baptist World Alliance, Assemblies of God, Lutheran world Federation, Methodists, Foursquare Churches, Church of Christ, Evangelicals, ELCA, Mennonites, Bretheren, Calvinists, Reformed, and many more. This grouping represents 90% of Christians.
Aha, so you must be a fundamentalist, extremist or a jury of ONE. Maybe all of the above.
Imagoodguy,
Are you just ethnically, historically and geographically challenged?
There are 1.150 Billion Catholics in the World so one out of every six people are Catholic. Like any Christian faith 30-45% of them are good Christians while the others may be just good people and there are others who may have been baptized Catholic but they have fully left the Gospel and these are the minority. There are good Catholics and there are bad Catholics(Pres. Chavez is a good example) just like when I was a Calvinist and Baptist prior to my conversion there were horrible and good baptists in the South of the USA and there were good and bad Calvinists in the mid-west. Most of Protestantism is American based and Northern European and highly sectarian while Catholicism is a world wide religion with one faith and one set of doctrines, so it is easier to make generarlizations about Catholics because Protestantism is too divided.
Catholics make up 80% of people in South America so if there are any problems it has nothing to do with Theology it is the Rich vs. the Poor, Catholicism is the largest christian religion in Africa too and the only problem there is Catholics and Protestants fighting for survival everyday with Muslims who want to Kill you. In Asia, Catholics are the largest Christian religion but both Catholics and Protestants are being killed, harrassed and martryed ever day in places like India, Indonesia, Malasia, by both Muslims and Hindu's who are the majority.
This india situation is an anomally and its roots are from the Hindu Caste system.
"But, one thing that runs common when we find such occurances in Latin america or Africa/ Asia, 8/10 times it is the Catholics. I always wondered why?" Could you back this up with some facts? Before you make generalizations make sure you have facts to back it up otherwise it is just an ignorant opinion. Like when people make generalizations about people from the South being slow or stupid because of how they talk. This type of generalization creates a unfactual bias and creates a new type of bigotry.
While individuals of all Christian denominations may do horrible things, the majority who are born again Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants keep the 10 commandments and love our neighbor as our self.
Also, you have little understanding of India. Their Caste system is a hold over from hinduism. The lighter you are in color the more you have evolved, the darker you are the less you are evolved or enlightened. This is not a battle over theology, just like when English Protestants killed Irish Catholics. This is a battle of have's and Have nots, just like in Africa and Asia for the most part.
Fruit from the apostate church of Rome
imagoodguy,
I'm not sure why such violence pervades in those claiming the name "Christian". I am also very surprised to find the "caste" system separating Christians.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28
I guess social division are more deeper & religion cannot really replace the historical tensions. People always find ingenius ways to discriminate against the "other". We have seen this even in Rawanda. It was bad enough that christians were killing their fellow men in such barbarbaric manner. What was worse was the role played by local bishops & priests in instigating & sometimes even urging the mobs to massacare!!! But, one thing that runs common when we find such occurances in Latin america or Africa/ Asia, 8/10 times it is the Catholics. I always wondered why?