Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

Although the United States usually thinks of India as being a friendly country, there are still primitive tribes throughout its countryside who practice ancient minority "Animist" religions who consider Christianity a threat and an enemy to their tribal beliefs.

Animism (from bhatin anima, "breath, spirit, life") is the belief that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork and perhaps even words—as animated and alive.

https://www.christiantoday.com/world/hardline-animists-attack-church-and-threaten-to-kill-christians-in-eastern-india/133893.htm

[Begin Newspaper Quote] Feb. 24, 2020

Tribal animists in eastern India in early December, surrounded a church building with axes, threatened to kill Christians within and later burned down the thatched-roof structure, sources said.

Hard-line animists in Odisha state's Perigaon village, Rayagada District, attacked on Dec. 1 after having raided Christian homes to seize and burn Bibles five days earlier.

"After we concluded the prayers and community lunch service [on Dec. 1], a batch of around 15 tribal men came with axes, surrounded the church and threatened that they will chop us into pieces," pastor Bibudhan Pradhan told Morning Star News.

"They took us inside the village and held us hostage for more than four hours," Pastor Pradhan said. "They abused us in vulgar language, words that I can't utter with my mouth, and threatened us that their gods and goddesses will swallow us alive for propagating Christianity in an Adivasi [indigenous tribal] hamlet."

They took no one else hostage, but that night they set the mud-and-bamboo structure on fire, the pastor said.

"My wife and I had been ministering in Perigaon for the past four years," Pastor Pradhan said. "At least thrice the tribal extremists blocked us from entering the village by laying huge branches of trees on the road."

"Tribals are dominant in Rayagada, and the tribal families' sentiments have been affected." Vivek told Morning Star News that villagers were angry that a Hindu priest who had been granted land for Hindu worship had converted to Christianity, resulting in the rituals having ceased for the past four years.

The officer said the former Hindu priest has built a Christian house of worship on the land, and that he must renounce all rights to the land.

Pastor Pradhan [said] the convert had actually been a priest of tribal Adivasi religion, not Hinduism, and that the land had been the site of an Adivasi temple. The former animist priest is now church elder Bhasker Rao.

Since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, its parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayam Sevaksangh (RSS) has been using the words "Hindu" and "Adivasi" as synonyms in order to promote the Hindu caste hierarchy. The use of this language among police and administrative officials is indicative of their Hindu nationalist leanings and connections with the RSS, sources said.

"The church's site is one kilometer from Rao's residence," Pastor Pradhan said. "He was formerly the tribal Adivasi priest and has come to Christ four years ago. He has been under immense pressure from the villagers to perform the offerings and worship to Adivasi deities, but he resisted their advances."

Pastor Pradhan said villagers have threatened that if church members take legal action, they would expel the Christians' children from government welfare hostels and forbid burials within village limits.

"They also demanded that Christians must fund Adivasi rituals and festivities, and if they refuse to donate, they will not be allowed to avail the government benefits or have the tribal status," he said.

In the face of the threats, church members have decided not to pursue legal action. Chinchani practices at the Cuttack High Court 500 kilometers (310 miles) away, and the ADF-India team is offering them counsel through local contacts.

Odisha, formerly Orissa state, was the first to pass an anti-conversion law in 1967, attorney Chinchani said. Forbidding conversion by inducement or fraud, the law is commonly misused to file false charges against Christians in attempts to stop the spread of Christianity. Odisha's population of 4.1 million is 93.6 percent Hindu, 2.77 percent Christian and 2.17 percent Muslim, according to the 2011 census." [End Newspaper Quote]

Those who "go into all the world to preach the gospel" in this day and age in obedience to Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), often find themselves in as great a danger as were the 1st century Christians confronting the Empire of Rome and their lions in the Roman Coliseum.

Consequently, their faith must also be as great as those first Christians, as is their trust in God's providence for their well being.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Interesting... A similar situation occurred before and during the Boxer rebellion in China..

Christians were often ostracized because they refused to pay temple taxes.. These taxes were used to fund festivals and other such social activities in the villages...

Of course, there was a lot of tension caused by over zealous missionaries condemning the native faiths of Buddhism and Taoism as devil worship as well...

I have a friend from India who is part of an ethnic group that is mostly Christian... They resemble Chinese or Tibetans more than East Indians... We once spoke of the Hindu party in his Nation and his fears for the future... He has since returned, married, and become a father... As of yet his worst fears have not been realized... Amen...

One of the great draws Christianity (and Islam, to be fair) have over Hinduism is the abolishment of the cast system...

My prayers for our Christian Brothers in India.... An all places where they struggle to do God's work... Amen...

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

Canuckus,

I appreciate your input, - although you are a self-professing Christian, I see no recognition on your part that the bible teaches all of men's religions are inspired by the devil!

Only Christianity has Jesus Christ. Salvation is found in no other name.

There are some things you simply can not honestly equate.

How can you call your past fellow believers "over zealous missionaries?"

Every Christian's mission commanded by Jesus Christ is to preach the gospel to all nations, i.e., all people, all cultures, that would include adherents to all other religions, not by sword, not by coercion, but by His Spirit, peacefully.

To donate money to any of these false religions would indeed be to further the aims and goals of the Devil.

Temple taxes would be used to celebrate Satanic worship services and celebrations honoring false gods.

To our Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that is idolatry.

In religion, all is not equal. In fact, nothing is equal. Christianity is either true, or it is not.

Because it is true, the false religions of man cannot be placed on a pedestal of equal height, or any height at all.

Have a safe and peaceful night.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

There have been, and undoubtedly still are, those who would spread the word in an overly forcible manner...

There are valid reasons why Christianity was prohibited in China and Japan while others faiths were allowed to co-exist peacefully...



Agreed... Peacefully being the key word...



Unfortunately,in many communities the temples were responsible for more than just religious ceremonies and festivals...

National holidays and community activities were also run by temples... Many temples also functioned as a form of municipal government and took on the responsibility of infrastructure in the area...

Historically, all members of the community would contribute to the common funding of these festivals... Christian missionaries were unique in refusing to honor this tradition, and in encouraging their converts not to pay taxes as well... Indeed, one of the most common lures for conversion was the abolition of this tax... Although the majority of converts still benefitted from the expenditure of those taxes..



And you as well... I have noticed that you have been less active than usual.... I hope that all is well...

Rose42

Amen and amen.
(Credit to bahmer for the phrase )

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

I’m the back pew section! Amen and Amen !!!

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

bahmer

Thanks you Rose42.

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

Thanks for your concern, Canuckus, during life's continuum, if we are fortunate, we have each received God given responsibilities that refuse to be ignored.

In addition, this forum, priceless though it is for expressing opinions, is sometimes of even greater service when silently absorbing bits of wisdom generously shared by others.

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

As the daughter of a Christian Minister/Missionary, as a child, I studied the most advantageous seating choice in the sanctuary, and it is just about in the middle aisle, or as close to the middle aisle where one can find many people seated in close proximity, among whom one can anonymously merge.

When in the front row, you may be observed if you converse with anyone about anything, and you may be called upon, if an extra voice is required for a musical special, or even for a spontaneous prayer.

While in the back row, you are immediately suspected of engaging in mischief, and will be observed more closely by deacons than in any other location.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state