Habit is second nature, or rather, ten time’s nature. So says William James. It is easy to assume a habit; but when you try to cast it off, it will take skin and all. So says H.W. Shaw.But when it comes to casting off the religion and faith that one is born into, it must take a lot more than just the skin. It would be like killing something inside of a person? It must force a person to question and denounce everything their forefathers did. Have we ever questioned as to why anyone would take such an extreme steps? Why are poverty stricken and other such vulnerable Indians susceptible to religious conversions? What is our culpability? What is our responsibility? When confronted with constant humiliation, ill-treatment, hunger and abject poverty where young children are forced to eat mud, people are forced to taking such extreme measures such as conversion. The above picture is from a village in the Allahabad from where BBC had some time back published an article picturing poor village kids with severe malnutrition because of eating mud.
No one would deny that the age-old caste discrimination still exists in many parts of the country. In recent news, police protection had to be given to allow re-entry of dalits into the ancient Sri Chidambareshwarar temple in East Rajapalayam village of Salem district in Tamil Nadu. No self-introspecting Hindu would approve of the caste based discrimination. It is not only anti Hinduism but also denies basic human rights to the weaker Indians. All one has to do is to take a serious look at the roots of the system. They will find that it is social elitism rather than our religion which is responsible for this evil.
We have in our earlier post exposed the plight of dalits who have embraced Christianity to escape the caste oppression of the Hindu social order and how Christianity itself is finding it difficult to shrug off the worst of caste discrimination. In the town of Trichy, situated in the heart of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a wall built across the Catholic cemetery clearly illustrates how caste-based prejudice persists. The dalit christians also found that the caste system has followed them into their new faith. We had also written about some Christian in Mumbai were looking for upper caste Brahmins convert grooms for their daughters. This clearly indicates that the system has got nothing to do with religion and more to do with social elitism.
At a time when Christianity is declining in the western world, the missionaries and NGO’s in India with massive funds are taking advantage of this deep social and economic divide to lure villagers and tribals. It’s their poverty and simplicity that make them easy prey for conversion. By doing so, the Christian missionaries are cutting the roots and tradition of the people, making them look westwards, towards a alien culture.
According to an old Wall Street Journal article Christian missionaries are converting poor and helpless villages through deception, fraud and false miracles. When sick, poor and illiterate Hindu patients go to Christian missionary-run medical facility for treatment they are offered fake medicine and asked to take it in the name of Hindu God’s. After allowing him to suffer for days, the missionary then gives the patient an authentic allopathic pill and asks him to take it in the name of Jesus. When it cures him, the impressed and grateful villager is asked to embrace Christianity. Other cheap miracles tricks performed to convince illiterate villagers are to burn the wooden idol of Hindu God’s along with metal cross, the idol is reduced to ashes and the cross remains unscathed. One other common trick is to throw the bronze idol and the wooden cross in the water together, the metal idol sinks and the wooden cross floats. Such conviction-less and deceitful methods of conversion can only lead to frequent clashes and violence, as is evident from riots’ of Kandhamal district in Orissa.
Our philosopher and Swami Dayananda Saraswathi said: "Religious conversion is violence and it breeds violence. In converting you are also converting the nonviolent to violent". Same sentiment was echoed by Swami Vivekananda when he said, “Every man going out of the Hindu pale is not only a man less but also an enemy the more”.
We need to realize that India will continue to grapple with these kinds of atrocities resulting out of conversion, till such time the greed in our rich elite and the social stigma of caste system persists in the Hindu community. Don’t take me wrong, I am not against capitalism and free market economy. It’s when the elite and rich Hindus flaunt their enormous wealth and indulge in extravagant wastage that such questions raise. The world witnessed the most expensive wedding of Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter termed “billionaire wedding’ by the Forbes magazine and enrolling as «the most extravagant wedding in modern time» in the “Guinness Book of World Records”. The other Mega-Weeding took place in Lucknow, the state capital of one of India’s most poor and underdeveloped state, UP. The Sahara group owner, Subrata Roy invited 10500 guests for his son’s weeding. One newspaper reported that arrangements for the week long wedding "would put a maharajah to shame".
In an another example of such monstrosity, rich and famous businessman, Mukesh Ambani’s Godzilla-sized $2 billion home was in the headlines recently for generating a power bill of Rs 70,69,488, Mumbai's highest residential electricity bill. It’s an irony that Mumbai also happens to house Asia’s largest slum “Dharavi”. Some time back the backward Vidarbha and Marathwada region of Maharashtra was in the news for the farmers committing suicide, but also because a local businessman from Aurangabad booked 113 Mercedes Benz cars and 101 BMW sedans at one go from a Pune dealer.
Lately we have been witnessing enormous scams and a continuing shameless apathy of our political leaders. One wonders how the nation could dip to such pathetically low moral and ethical standards. Could it be because we have lost our basic moral and ethical guidelines of Hinduism such as Yamas and Niyamas, "restraints and observances, found in the 6,000 to 8,000-year-oldVedas, mankind's oldest body of scripture? The Hindu elite and the wealthy need to start practicing the Vedic practice or Niyam of Santosha and contentment. They should strive to seek joy and serenity in life by involving in philanthropic activities like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates and contribute towards the development of the poor and the needy.
At a time when Christianity is declining in the western world, the missionaries and NGO’s in India with massive funds are taking advantage of this deep social and economic divide to lure villagers and tribals. It’s their poverty and simplicity that make them easy prey for conversion. By doing so, the Christian missionaries are cutting the roots and tradition of the people, making them look westwards, towards a alien culture.
According to an old Wall Street Journal article Christian missionaries are converting poor and helpless villages through deception, fraud and false miracles. When sick, poor and illiterate Hindu patients go to Christian missionary-run medical facility for treatment they are offered fake medicine and asked to take it in the name of Hindu God’s. After allowing him to suffer for days, the missionary then gives the patient an authentic allopathic pill and asks him to take it in the name of Jesus. When it cures him, the impressed and grateful villager is asked to embrace Christianity. Other cheap miracles tricks performed to convince illiterate villagers are to burn the wooden idol of Hindu God’s along with metal cross, the idol is reduced to ashes and the cross remains unscathed. One other common trick is to throw the bronze idol and the wooden cross in the water together, the metal idol sinks and the wooden cross floats. Such conviction-less and deceitful methods of conversion can only lead to frequent clashes and violence, as is evident from riots’ of Kandhamal district in Orissa.
Our philosopher and Swami Dayananda Saraswathi said: "Religious conversion is violence and it breeds violence. In converting you are also converting the nonviolent to violent". Same sentiment was echoed by Swami Vivekananda when he said, “Every man going out of the Hindu pale is not only a man less but also an enemy the more”.
We need to realize that India will continue to grapple with these kinds of atrocities resulting out of conversion, till such time the greed in our rich elite and the social stigma of caste system persists in the Hindu community. Don’t take me wrong, I am not against capitalism and free market economy. It’s when the elite and rich Hindus flaunt their enormous wealth and indulge in extravagant wastage that such questions raise. The world witnessed the most expensive wedding of Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter termed “billionaire wedding’ by the Forbes magazine and enrolling as «the most extravagant wedding in modern time» in the “Guinness Book of World Records”. The other Mega-Weeding took place in Lucknow, the state capital of one of India’s most poor and underdeveloped state, UP. The Sahara group owner, Subrata Roy invited 10500 guests for his son’s weeding. One newspaper reported that arrangements for the week long wedding "would put a maharajah to shame".
In an another example of such monstrosity, rich and famous businessman, Mukesh Ambani’s Godzilla-sized $2 billion home was in the headlines recently for generating a power bill of Rs 70,69,488, Mumbai's highest residential electricity bill. It’s an irony that Mumbai also happens to house Asia’s largest slum “Dharavi”. Some time back the backward Vidarbha and Marathwada region of Maharashtra was in the news for the farmers committing suicide, but also because a local businessman from Aurangabad booked 113 Mercedes Benz cars and 101 BMW sedans at one go from a Pune dealer.
Lately we have been witnessing enormous scams and a continuing shameless apathy of our political leaders. One wonders how the nation could dip to such pathetically low moral and ethical standards. Could it be because we have lost our basic moral and ethical guidelines of Hinduism such as Yamas and Niyamas, "restraints and observances, found in the 6,000 to 8,000-year-oldVedas, mankind's oldest body of scripture? The Hindu elite and the wealthy need to start practicing the Vedic practice or Niyam of Santosha and contentment. They should strive to seek joy and serenity in life by involving in philanthropic activities like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates and contribute towards the development of the poor and the needy.
The nation needs to go back to its roots and practice of restraint like the Yama of Daya/ Compassion by conquering callous, cruel and insensitive feelings toward all beings. The people with excess and more means need foster sympathy towards the needs and suffering of the less fortunate.
They need to practice, observation like the Niyam of Dana/Giving and become generous in giving and liberally without thought of reward. Feed and give to those in need and bestow ones time and money without seeking praise.
That is not to say that the middle class Indians are absolved of any responsibility. A dalit was shot dead in Bihar for sitting in a chair in front of some upper caste criminal. The so called upper caste Hindus need to shed any sense of superiority over the so called lower castes and embrace all Hindus. Being born into an upper caste family does not entitle them to an elevated status. It is their deeds which do so. All Hindus need to abandon this cruel and hypocritical practice of caste system. It is the Human thing to do. It is the Indian thing to do.
It’s a shame that a nation that gave the world the Vedas at a time when Europeans were still grappling in their caves has come to such an impasse where our poor villagers have to entertain Santa Claus!
Hindus Use Christian Conversion Methods to Reconvert Villagers
“I converted to Christianity about 8-10 years ago because I was offered Rs750 every month by the missionaries for which I only had to attend church on Sundays,” said Bisraba Digal, 37, of Minia village. “Now, I want to come back to Hinduism because I want to live in peace in my village and not at some refugee camp,” said the father of two after collecting his share of blankets, buckets and plastic sheets from the government relief truck parked nearby.
Read more at : http://www.livemint.com/2008/09/04002155/Hindus-use-Christian-conversio.html
Hindus Use Christian Conversion Methods to Reconvert Villagers
“I converted to Christianity about 8-10 years ago because I was offered Rs750 every month by the missionaries for which I only had to attend church on Sundays,” said Bisraba Digal, 37, of Minia village. “Now, I want to come back to Hinduism because I want to live in peace in my village and not at some refugee camp,” said the father of two after collecting his share of blankets, buckets and plastic sheets from the government relief truck parked nearby.
Read more at : http://www.livemint.com/2008/09/04002155/Hindus-use-Christian-conversio.html
Spreading hatered among all poor innocent pple of India,its choking our national integrity .....canu imagine ,Vande maatrem is banned bu some minority group with the support of kongerss
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