On 7th of April 2006 the infamous Dharma Swatantrata (religious freedom) Bill was passed by BJP Govt. headed by Chief Minister Vasundhara Rae Scindia in Rajasthan. The Congress and CPI(M) MLAs staged a walk-out from the Assembly protesting against the bill as it was aimed at particularly Christian missionaries who can be jailed for minimum 2 years and a fine of Rs. 50,000 when found converting anyone into Christianity by any manner. Rajasthan is now the sixth State after Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Chattisgarh in the country to have an anti-conversion law.
The adoption of such theocratic law is mostly prompted by sheer delusion on missionaries converting people into followers of Christ through coercion as bribe or intimidation. Yet the ground realities, to my layman’s knowledge, are that because of strong caste system in Hindu dominated states people of lower caste are in suppression in the hand of upper castes for ages in spite of successive government programs to alleviate those downtrodden to the level of privilege section. In these states the Christians have the opportunities to uplift those under-privileged people through the philanthropic works though conversion may not be the sole primary objective. The humanitarian actions of missionaries become the centre of attraction (which is falsely branded as inducement) to the neglected people followed by their conversion. For decades the successive governments failed to do what missionaries could do for those living below poverty line, and be it any party’s government but it should be grateful to those missionaries for what they do particularly in the field of education and health.
The anti-conversion bills therefore violate the spirit of Art 25 that grants the individual citizens the right to “freely profess, practice and propagate religion”. The worst is in these states the government plays partisan role where justice cannot be expected by those oppressed. Those bills indeed enervate and threaten the fabric of national unity and integrity. Steadily the Hindu fundamentalists are gaining ground and when they become confident of adequate support they may like to move the same bill in Parliaments in near future. To my limited knowledge the quest of theocratic state by Hindu fundamentalists can only turn India into the second the erstwhile USSR.
When the Christians in India are placed in such precarious position the believers in Nagaland are expected to raise voice against it along with the Global Council of Indian Christians. Whereas, so far only Sri. N. Rio, CM has condemned the bill followed by NESO. Whereas, the Churches in Nagaland remained tight-lips. Is Rio the only Christian in Nagaland? Rio is the mouth piece of his government but not of the church. If not now when shall the Christians in Nagaland show our concern for fellow believers who are being persecuted by Hindus. Conventionally speaking silence is usually taken as acceptance. Are the Christians in Nagaland approving the said bill?
Secondly, the NE Herald carried an advertisement by IEC Bureau, DH & FW, Nagaland, Kohima on 8.4.2006 which appealed to Church leaders relating to Polio Immunization saying that ‘Spiritual health without physical health is meaningless’. In other words, physical health is more important than spiritual wellbeing. The physical health is important and there is no argument and we cannot afford to neglect physical health without which one cannot enjoy God given-life. Yet, does this advertisement conform to the basic principle of salvation? Luke 9:25 says ‘For what profit it is to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?’ Salvation is more important and without spiritual wellbeing/health one cannot get salvation. The fact is that salvation will be given on the basis of spiritual health and not on how physically healthy is a believer.
Why can’t the Department of Health and Family Welfare choose alternative analogy of phrase for the same purpose? I am sure the people who man this Department are Christians who too believe in the resurrection of Christ and His Salvation. My concern is therefore why sent wrong message to vulnerable young generation. Why demean our faith before our adversaries. The pin-drop silence of the Churches on all these simmering threats to very principle of Christianity is indeed a matter of concern.
Z. Lohe, Ex-speaker
