By Allie Martin
The president of Gospel for Asia says while violent acts against Christians are orchestrated by fundamentalist and nationalist religious groups, the crimes are not condoned by Hinduism at large or by the vast majority of the Indian people.
In recent weeks, radical Hindus beat up a 14-year-old girl and her mother, dragged them from their home, and forced them to bow down before an idol in a re-conversion ritual. In Orissa state, an estimated 2,000 tribal Christians are hiding in forests, after being threatened by anti-Christian militants. It has also been reported that at least 60 church buildings and hundreds of Christian homes have been destroyed.
Gospel for Asia president K.P. Yohannan said in an interview that the violence is being carried out by leaders of a few radical Hindu nationalist groups, and he claims that the groups want to eradicate the Christian church throughout India. “The nation of India has forever been one of the most peaceful nations,” says Yohannan. “All the religions are here. There [has] never been this kind of violence. [The] Hindu religion … is a religion of peace.”
The ministry leader says many of the attacks target the poorest Christians, known as Dalits, or “untouchables” — a group of people relegated to the bottom of India’s caste system who have been held in slave-like conditions for more than 3,000 years.
Yohannan says Gospel for Asia missionaries are praying for opportunities to witness to those carrying out the violence in order to bring them true peace that is found only in Jesus Christ. He also urges Christians in America to consider sponsoring a native missionary through GFA. “The believers in a free nation like America should fast and pray, and also do whatever they can to relieve the pain and the suffering of the body of Christ in any way they can,” he says. “That should be our thoughts at this time.”
(Source: OneNewsNow.com)
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