http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/VHP_activist_shot_dead_in_Kandhmal/articleshow/3679181.cms
BHUBANESWAR: Riot-torn Kandhmal appeared on the brink of a fresh spiral of violence with the killing of a VHP worker Dhanu Pradhani by three
unidentified persons at Kumbharigaon in Brahmanigaon area of the district.
Pradhani is the first VHP activist after Swami Laxmananda Saraswati to be killed since the ethnic and communal violence gripped southern Orissa on August 23. Pradhani was also associated with the ruling BJP and his brother is a panchayat samiti member. Police sources said three unknown persons fired at Pradhani at 12.30 pm while he was at a school in Kumbharigaon. The 32-year-old VHP activist received wounds in his chest and head.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Gandhi on proselytisation
“Why should a Christian want to convert a Hindu to Christianity? Why should he not be satisfied if the Hindu is a good or godly man?’ (Harijan, January 30, 1937)
“I hold that proselytisation under the cloak of humanitarian work is unhealthy to say the least.” (Young India: April 23, 1931)
“If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytising. It is the cause of much avoidable conflict between classes and unnecessary heart-burning among missionaries…”
Would you prevent missionaries coming to India in order to baptize?
Who am I to prevent them? If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytizing. It is the cause of much avoidable conflict between classes and unnecessary heart-burning among missionaries. But I should welcome people of any nationality if they came to serve here for the sake of service. In Hindu households the advent of a missionary has meant the disruption of the family coming in the wake of change of dress, manners, language, food and drink.
Is it not the old conception you are referring to? No such thing is now associated with proselytization ?
The outward condition has perhaps changed but the inward mostly remains. Vilification of Hindu religion, though subdued, is there. If there was a radical change in the missionaries’ outlook, would Murdoch’s books be allowed to be sold in mission depots? Are those books prohibited by missionary societies? There is nothing but vilification of Hinduism in those books. You talk of the conceptionbeing no longer there. Only the other day a missionary descended on a famine area withmoney in his pocket, distributed it among the famine-stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple and demolished it. This is outrageous. The temple could not belong to the converted Hindus, and it could not belong to the Christian missionary. But this friend goes and gets it demolished at the hands of the very men who only a little while ago believed that God was there.
But, Mr. Gandhi, why do you object to proselytization as such? Is not there enough in the Bible to authorize us to invite people to a better way of life?
Oh yes, but it does not mean that they should be made members of the Church. If you interpret your texts in the way you seem to do,you straight away condemn a large part of humanity unless it believes as you do. If Jesus came to earth again, he would disown many things that are being done in the name of Christianity. It is not he who says “Lord, Lord” that is a Christian, but “He that doeth the will of the Lord” that is a true Christian. And cannot he who has not heard the name of Jesus Christ do the will of the Lord?
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These were Gandhi's thoughts on proselytisation. Hindus need to wake up and ban missionaries, ban their foreign funding, free hindu temples from taxation and government control ( churches and mosques conveniently dont have that problem ! secularism, eh? ) and use that money to launch a massive reconversion 'ghar vapasi shuddi' program for hinduism to survive in India.
“I hold that proselytisation under the cloak of humanitarian work is unhealthy to say the least.” (Young India: April 23, 1931)
“If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytising. It is the cause of much avoidable conflict between classes and unnecessary heart-burning among missionaries…”
Would you prevent missionaries coming to India in order to baptize?
Who am I to prevent them? If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytizing. It is the cause of much avoidable conflict between classes and unnecessary heart-burning among missionaries. But I should welcome people of any nationality if they came to serve here for the sake of service. In Hindu households the advent of a missionary has meant the disruption of the family coming in the wake of change of dress, manners, language, food and drink.
Is it not the old conception you are referring to? No such thing is now associated with proselytization ?
The outward condition has perhaps changed but the inward mostly remains. Vilification of Hindu religion, though subdued, is there. If there was a radical change in the missionaries’ outlook, would Murdoch’s books be allowed to be sold in mission depots? Are those books prohibited by missionary societies? There is nothing but vilification of Hinduism in those books. You talk of the conceptionbeing no longer there. Only the other day a missionary descended on a famine area withmoney in his pocket, distributed it among the famine-stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple and demolished it. This is outrageous. The temple could not belong to the converted Hindus, and it could not belong to the Christian missionary. But this friend goes and gets it demolished at the hands of the very men who only a little while ago believed that God was there.
But, Mr. Gandhi, why do you object to proselytization as such? Is not there enough in the Bible to authorize us to invite people to a better way of life?
Oh yes, but it does not mean that they should be made members of the Church. If you interpret your texts in the way you seem to do,you straight away condemn a large part of humanity unless it believes as you do. If Jesus came to earth again, he would disown many things that are being done in the name of Christianity. It is not he who says “Lord, Lord” that is a Christian, but “He that doeth the will of the Lord” that is a true Christian. And cannot he who has not heard the name of Jesus Christ do the will of the Lord?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These were Gandhi's thoughts on proselytisation. Hindus need to wake up and ban missionaries, ban their foreign funding, free hindu temples from taxation and government control ( churches and mosques conveniently dont have that problem ! secularism, eh? ) and use that money to launch a massive reconversion 'ghar vapasi shuddi' program for hinduism to survive in India.
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